Monday, April 18, 2011

Is PSoC controller good enough for my project


Perhaps the best way to recognize the true value of PSoC microcontrollers is through comparison with other options.
Major advantages of PSoC microcontroller include the following:
  • There is no other microcontroller that has programmable voltage, instrumentation, inverting, and non-inverting amplifiers;
  • Hardware generators of pseudorandom and CRC code, as well as analog modulators, are unique to PSoC families;
  • MAC (Multiply-accumulate) is an essential part of digital signal processors, which allows implementation of digital signal processing algorithms. It’s worth noting that hardware accumulator multiplication is not a common feature of 8-bit microcontrollers;
  • Having the advantage of changeable working voltage doesn’t really need a comment. This feature is particularly important for development of new devices as it eliminates the need for redesigning the PCB and implementing the level translator;
  • Option for low voltage supply (~1V) is a tremendous advantage in battery operated systems;
  • Timers, counters, and PWM units are more flexible than the usual implementation;
  • Automatic code writing for accessing all the peripherals in use;


  • In case you need a larger array of components, there is an option for dynamic reconfiguration, allowing you to change peripherals during run-time. In this way, it’s possible to minimize the processor workload at an time, leaving the largest part of the job to the specialized hardware.
On the other hand, there are certain limitations of PSoC that could influence the choice of microcontroller for your design.
  • In systems which require highly precise or fast measurement, problems may occur with analog device characteristics. In this case, you should analyze if speed of AD converters and offset/noise of analog amplifiers are able to satisfy the project demands.
  • Analog components do not have the ability to work with usual negative supply voltage. For example, zero voltage for inverting amplifiers is taken to be the analog ground AGND (usually 2.5V). All voltages above AGND are taken as positive, while voltages below AGND are taken as negative.
  • Most PSoC microcontrollers have 256 bytes of RAM, which could prove to be insufficient for some projects. 

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