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Does anyone know why these 8-bit processors are so expensive? The two he listed ATmega1284p and ATmega644a cost like $9.07 (qty 1) to $4.88 (qty 2.5k), and $7.

Does anyone know why these 8-bit processors are so expensive? The two he listed ATmega1284p and ATmega644a cost like $9.07 (qty 1) to $4.88 (qty 2.5k), and $7.08 (qty 1) to $3.79 (qty 2.5k) on Mouser. I would have thought we're talking like a $1.30 chip. Meanwhile look at what you get for $6 - http://linuxgizmos.com/quad-core-allwinner-soc-targets-low-cost-4k-ott-set-top-boxes/ http://linuxgizmos.com/quad-core-allwinner-soc-targets-low-c... Am I missing something? Or are his 8-bit microcontrollers actually in the exact same price range as an SOC that runs Linux natively?

listic 12y ago
Looks like 8-bit microcontrollers are actually in the same price range as SOC's that run Linux natively. They have something going for them: easier to understand and use for hobbyists and lower-tech projects, probably easier to interface electrically (are those $6 chips 5V tolerant? Oops, they are not released yet), but otherwise that's another example of an older tech that was left behind. Keep in mind that those Atmel chips were released a while ago, and Allwinner has been the leader of low prices and this is the newest, unreleased chip; also I'm not sure that you and I will be able to buy it, in quantities of 1 (or even 100), when it will be released. NB: ODROID is been selling a $35 Raspberry Pi-beating board with an Amlogic Cortex-A5 1.5Ghz quad core CPU (Amlogic M805, http://www.amlogic.com/product02.htm http://www.amlogic.com/product02.htm, apparently) but I can't find it on Octopart.
pjc50 12y ago
They're nice parts; 8-bit micros with a lot of Flash. ATtiny20 is the cheap end with hardly any Flash.
- logicallee 12y ago
  sure, but he didn't get it working on attiny20 :) ($0.57 @ qty 5k) which is what the project kind of looks/sounds like...
cnvogel 12y ago
The ATMega128... parts are the second-to-largest 8-bit micro that Atmel sells, I think they already have a strange combination of a lot of flash & RAM (for a 8-bit CPU), but not that many, or that complex, peripherals. So they might only be used in (comparatively) low volume in fringe applications. As an example for "embedded, non Linux" microcontrollers, the lpc1227 (32bit Cortex-M0 @ 45MHz, 128k Flash) is only half the cost (~$2 @ 10k units) at much more CPU power and more versatile peripherals. Probably a much more balanced (and maybe more popular) choice for applications of a comparable complexity...
- duskwuff 12y ago
  The part the author is using here is especially odd: it's on the large side for AVR microcontrollers (128 KB flash, 16 KB SRAM), and comes in a DIP package. That's an unusual combination; most microcontrollers that size nowadays are ARM, and are often only available as surface-mount parts.

listic 12y ago

Looks like 8-bit microcontrollers are actually in the same price range as SOC's that run Linux natively. They have something going for them: easier to understand and use for hobbyists and lower-tech projects, probably easier to interface electrically (are those $6 chips 5V tolerant? Oops, they are not released yet), but otherwise that's another example of an older tech that was left behind. Keep in mind that those Atmel chips were released a while ago, and Allwinner has been the leader of low prices and this is the newest, unreleased chip; also I'm not sure that you and I will be able to buy it, in quantities of 1 (or even 100), when it will be released. NB: ODROID is been selling a $35 Raspberry Pi-beating board with an Amlogic Cortex-A5 1.5Ghz quad core CPU (Amlogic M805, http://www.amlogic.com/product02.htm http://www.amlogic.com/product02.htm, apparently) but I can't find it on Octopart.

pjc50 12y ago

They're nice parts; 8-bit micros with a lot of Flash. ATtiny20 is the cheap end with hardly any Flash.

logicallee 12y ago
sure, but he didn't get it working on attiny20 :) ($0.57 @ qty 5k) which is what the project kind of looks/sounds like...

cnvogel 12y ago

The ATMega128... parts are the second-to-largest 8-bit micro that Atmel sells, I think they already have a strange combination of a lot of flash & RAM (for a 8-bit CPU), but not that many, or that complex, peripherals. So they might only be used in (comparatively) low volume in fringe applications. As an example for "embedded, non Linux" microcontrollers, the lpc1227 (32bit Cortex-M0 @ 45MHz, 128k Flash) is only half the cost (~$2 @ 10k units) at much more CPU power and more versatile peripherals. Probably a much more balanced (and maybe more popular) choice for applications of a comparable complexity...

duskwuff 12y ago
The part the author is using here is especially odd: it's on the large side for AVR microcontrollers (128 KB flash, 16 KB SRAM), and comes in a DIP package. That's an unusual combination; most microcontrollers that size nowadays are ARM, and are often only available as surface-mount parts.