What is the difference between 8bit and 16 bit controller

This fundamental difference between 8 bit and 16 bit microcontrollers is felt during mathematical operations. A 16 bit number gives you a lot more precision than 8 bit numbers. Although relatively rare, using an 8 bit microcontroller may not suffice the required accuracy of the application. A 16 bit microcontroller can automatically operate on two 16 bit numbers, like the common definition of an integer. But when you are using an 8 bit microcontroller, the process is not as straightforward.

The functions implemented to operate on such numbers will take additional cycles. Depending on how processing intensive your application is and on how many calculations you do, this may affect the performance of the circuit. Another key difference between 8 bit and 16 bit microcontrollers is in their timers. In contrast, 16 bit microcontrollers, with its 16 bit data width, has a range of 0x — 0xFFFF for every cycle. A longer timer maximum value can surely come in handy in certain applications and circuits.

Initially, the price of 16 bit microcontrollers was way above that of 8 bit microcontrollers. But as time progressed and designs improved, the price of 8 bit and 16 bit microcontrollers has reduced quite a lot. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Admission Essay What is the difference between the 16 bit and 8 bit microprocessor?

Admission Essay. Ben Davis January 28, What is the difference between the 16 bit and 8 bit microprocessor? What is the advantage of using a 16 bit embedded processor versus 32 bit? What is the difference between 4 bit 8 bit 16 bit and 32 bit microprocessors? What determines whether a microprocessor is considered an 8 bit a 16 bit or a 32 bit device?

What is 8 bit 16 bit 32 bit 64 bit? Which is better 16 bit or 32 bit audio? Is 32bit Better than 24bit? Is bit audio good? Does higher Hz mean better quality audio? Can you hear the difference between 24 bit and bit? An 8-bit microcontroller would normally only allow arithmetic operations that output numbers ranging from 0 to or from to , although a larger number can be shared between two threads. This introduces some programming complexity as threading does not happen automatically at the hardware level.

In general, using a microcontroller with a larger data width allows computation with larger numbers. If you use a high level programming language like C, or a proprietary IDE e. If it sounds like a bit microcontroller will always sit in a larger package than an 8-bit microcontroller, this is not always true. Some 8-bit, bit, and bit microcontrollers have the same form factor e. At the software level, the data types used in your code will also determine which type of microcontroller to use.

For example, an unsigned integer declared in an 8-bit microcontroller will only consume 1 byte. The same variable in a bit microcontroller consumes 4 bytes of data. On-chip memory is usually at the KB level, so the amount of data required in your code matters. Deciding between an 8-bit vs bit microcontroller involves more than the data width alone.

Considering the major differences between 8-bit and bit microcontrollers will help you make the best decision for your design.

One of the primary advantages of a bit microcontroller over an 8-bit microcontroller is its superior processing speed. A typical 8-bit microcontroller usually runs at 8 Mhz while a bit microcontroller can be clocked up to hundreds of Mhz. For example, a door access controller that processes thousands of transactions per day requires a bit microcontroller processor.

In fact, they are still very popular after four decades in many applications. If you need to a huge buffer to store audio data, then a 32 pin microcontroller is the better processor application option. The basics of embedded system design involve creating a list of required peripherals based on project requirements.

You might have to consider adding peripheral chips, which may cost more than a bit microcontroller alone. Generally, bit microcontrollers are feature-packed compared to 8-bit microcontrollers. With superior processing speed, a bit microcontroller can handle multiple peripherals efficiently. However, bear in mind that bit microcontrollers consume more power , especially when all embedded systems and peripherals are turned on.

There are also fewer quality issues with wider pitches on a SOIC package. If an 8-bit microcontroller device is sufficient for your project, do not choose a 32 pin microcontroller.