If I had a dollar for every time someone told me 8-Bit micros are dead, I'd have a lot of dollars. Fact is the old 8-Bit still has a strong life. The price has gotten so cheap you can easily build a project with more than one and still not break the bank. I prefer to use Microchip PICs so the PIC10F, 12F, 16F and 18F part number prefixes are the ones I refer to.
The Arduino is based on the 8-bit AVR and that is one of the most popular platforms for hobbyists. But I'm not talking just hobbyists. As the price of the latest 8-Bit micros comes down to below $0.50 in high volume, 8-Bit microcontrollers can be put in places where a micro has never been before.
The Arduino is based on the 8-bit AVR and that is one of the most popular platforms for hobbyists. But I'm not talking just hobbyists. As the price of the latest 8-Bit micros comes down to below $0.50 in high volume, 8-Bit microcontrollers can be put in places where a micro has never been before.
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Consider the 8 pin PIC12F683 which is a rather old device now. It still has so many capabilities in a small 8-pin DIP package. I use it in my book "Programming PICs in BASIC". You can get 100 of them for $1.12 each at digi-key and probably cheaper if you shop around. You can get far more powerful parts now for even less.
So when someone tells you 32 bit is the only way to go, then ask them if you can get a 32 bit micro in an 8 to 20 pin package. Or better yet ask them if they can get you 100 of them for around $1 each. Or ask them if they can get you some in a DIP package so you can build a simple prototype on a breadboard. Or ask them if you can program them in a simple compiled BASIC language. If they laugh at that one then you can suspect that they have been programming for a while and might have lost touch with what beginner's and hobbyists really need and want. But they may also may have lost site of how useful a little 8-Bit low cost micro can be to industry that may just need a simple and cheap logical control.
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