| ??? 06/23/10 06:45 Modified: 06/23/10 07:00 Read: times |
#176850 - Disagree entirely! Responding to: ???'s previous message |
Richard Erlacher said:
I've always found the ARM's considerably more costly to put on a board. I think that's because you've only looked at top-end ARMs (ARM9, etc) in big applications (Linux, etc) - which will obviously be "considerably more costly" than a small 8051... Justin Fontes said:
That is a considerable cost knowing that perhaps you have to deal with fine foot prints That has nothing to do with ARM! 8051s are available in exactly the same fine footprints! eg, see: http://www.silabs.com/products/mcu/smallmcu In fact, it's getting harder and harder to find anything in "old fashioned" (sic?) packages like DIP and PLCC... where manufacturing costs can add up quite quickly. These days, packages like QFP are perfectly standard and nothing unusual. Yes, BGAs are a little more tricky but are well established and widely used. These things really shouldn't add any significant cost these days. Welcome to the 21st Century! instead of putting a single DIP style chip Can you even get 8051s in DIP these days?! Clearly, if you are using a DIP 8051, then a comparable ARM isn't going to be in a huge BGA! A few are available in SOIC; eg, http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/LM3S101.html http://www.luminarymicro.com/products/LM3S102.html Very many are available in 32- or 48-pin QFP These can be hand-soldered (see previous discussions here). Or, as Michael says, there are plenty of low-cost "devkits". you now have to send the board out to a board house and then a populating house. Not at all. Before, one could make their own dead bugs and handwire it for handfuls or specialized equipment. I have a friend who successfully uses QFPs (ARMs, 8051s, and others) on boards that he hand-etches in his garage using those laser printer mask things... ARM is really only good for high quantity. Sorry, that's nonsense! I wouldn't touch it otherwise. You are unnecessarily restricting your opportunities! |
