C h a p t e r 2
Microcontrollers are everywhere
today, embedded into a whole host
of smart devices used in medical,
agricultural, industrial, automotive, and
instrumentation applications where they
perform specific tasks.
Often called an embedded controller or
microcontroller unit, a microcontroller is
essentially a small computer designed to
control a small set of features within a
larger device. Microcontrollers typically
contain a central processor, memory,
and I/O peripherals on a single chip. The
processor interprets data collected via
I/O peripherals, stores them in memory,
and then communicates and acts in line
with its purpose.
From a power management perspective,
a microcontroller is simpler than a CPU,
GPU, or FPGA because its function is
simply to look at different values and
sense different signals, process them,
and communicate them accordingly.
Simpler microcontrollers
have unique power
management challenges
Because microcontrollers' uses vary
widely, their power management
requirements differ—in some cases,
they can be powered through energy
harvesting or only require a small
coin-sized battery with onboard
power management. In the case of a
microcontroller at the edge, looking at
both the load and the source is critical—
MICROCONTROLLERS AND
POWER MANAGEMENT
Power selection decisions for
microcontroller-based systems
should prioritize factors like power
consumption, thermal and energy
efficiency, and regulatory compliance
within the application's constraints.
For battery-powered designs,
considerations must include capacity,
rechargeability, and lifecycle cost."
Jusuf Pratama
Hardware Engineer, LG Electronics
11
Power Management: Efficiently Powering Processors, FPGAs, and Microcontrollers
