Internship← Embedded Systems learning pathEmbedded Systems · Module 2 of 10
Microcontroller architecture
Understand what's inside a microcontroller.
📖 Key ideas
- CPU core executes instructions.
- Flash stores program; RAM stores variables.
- Peripherals: GPIO, timers, ADC, UART, SPI, I2C, PWM.
- Clock sets processing speed.
- Popular families: AVR (Arduino), ARM Cortex-M (STM32), ESP32, PIC, 8051.
💡 Real-life example: A microcontroller is a tiny factory: CPU workers, Flash recipe book, RAM workbench, peripherals as doors.
Flash memoryNon-volatile program storage
RAMVolatile working memory
PeripheralBuilt-in hardware module
ClockTiming signal for the CPU