Update your 8 BIT Micro to a 32 BIT Alternative?

The arrival of the 32-bit operating system and the subsequent advent of the 64-bit operating system has opened up systems to greater advances in storage capacity and processing. While gamers and number crunchers were hungry for the processing power is it really better?

As cited in the reference link:

Increasing the bit-width of a CPU does improve a computer’s performance, but for basic tasks, 8-bits is often sufficient, including word processing, games, music development, spreadsheets, and task management. The abilities of 8-bit technology, combined with decreasing costs of electronics, have seen 8-bit microcontrollers remain relevant well into modern life.

If as an embedded developer you want to move away from an 8 BIT device onto something 32-bit, what are the considerations?

Taken from a device sales perspective, there does not seem to be much evidence of a slowdown in demand. The current risk of your current BOM facing a complete phase-out of an 8-BIT device is unlikely.

This could be skewed by a number of factors.

• Established designs: While a home appliance or a vehicle may go through serious cosmetic and design changes, the electronic systems under the skin may not change as rapidly. With a focus on reliability in the mass consumer markets there may be a reluctance to move to a new microcontroller. So the demand for the device is steady.
• High-cost design cycles: Redesigning a system is expensive. While the QA department may be "testing" the new outgoing product, nothing beats the consumer field test where a failure would result in poor consumer reviews and potentially many lost sales. Low-margin devices may then not benefit from a new device change. A high rate of failure is undesirable, especially with that highly anticipated global slowdown on the horizon.
• Device availability: Until such time as the chip shortages start to right themselves and the supply chains start to return to pre-COVID levels selecting a new device is tricky. Changing the device may put you in competition with other companies with deeper pockets. Then you are worse off.

My daily browse on Octopart for the devices we need is showing improvement in the supply chains. Stock is coming available, especially of the devices recommended for automotive design which have been the ones most plagued by shortages.

Prices unfortunately remain fairly high for devices. However, with the availability improving it does provide momentum so hopefully, we will see that start to improve.

STM recently announce their STM32C0 range of devices. The pricing is highly competitive and with the prolific popularity of the STM32 device range, something cheaper and just as powerful is welcome. The price point vs features is very attractive.

For mature organizations with experienced embedded developers, the technical challenges of changing to a new device can be easily overcome. 8 BIT devices do have a certain familiarity and their lower complexity is a plus when upgrading or adding features. For the smaller organization trying to squeeze everything out of a design financially, basing the decision to move just on price has its pitfalls. A new device means reskilling, and new toolchains. Owing to limited experience with the devices, the danger of buggy code causing issues is a severe reality - especially if the code was "borrowed" from a hobbyist project site.

One caveat of STM's offering is whether it is sustainable. A well-known company, Atmel, tried something similar with the AVR range and for some time they were significantly cheaper than their PIC Microcontroller alternatives. However, with the reduction in revenue, the lower profit margin made the initiative unsustainable and Atmel is now owned by their competitor - Oops!

While it's true with STMs' popularity and other revenue streams are they at risk of a buyout - maybe not. Microchip as a supplier of embedded technology is also highly diversified and has alternatives to offer in its catalog should a designer want to change. Are they at risk of losing their hold in the 8-BIT market? Is STM the one to beat or is an 8-BIT device suited to specific applications with some but not detrimental overlap with their 32-bit counterparts? Is this all just a trend and embedded developers want to be in the STM32 chat group since let's be honest, 8-BIT is so last century

All things considered, the game is on to see whether the 8-BIT device has the staying power needed or whether the 32-BIT devices will eventually supplant their 8-BIT siblings.

Updating to a 32 BIT device has its challenges and the balance of the decision is whether the advantages warrant the change. While the titans fight it out, HavenTecnik continues to offer a wide range of 8 BIT-based development boards supporting devices in the 16 F and 18 F families supplied by Microchip Technology Inc. Available here: www.haventechnik.biz

References: What Is An 8-bit Microcontroller, and Are They Still Relevant?

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