Column: MCUs


Accelerating industrial intelligence with 8-bit MCUs


By Mark Patrick, Technical Content Director, Mouser Electronics


and processes. Traditional factories and production plants are a significant part of this field, where automation and robotics play a crucial role in enhancing efficiency and productivity. However, the industrial sector also includes a diverse range of other facilities, including offices, distribution hubs and research facilities.


A 12 March 2024 www.electronicsworld.co.uk


cross the industrial sector, widespread electrification and digitisation are transforming a wide array of operations


Modern requirements Modern industrial organisations increasingly rely on digital technologies for functions like remote monitoring, predictive maintenance and energy management. For instance, advanced sensors and data analytics are typically employed to optimise production processes, monitor equipment performance and detect potential problems in real time. Additionally, the industrial sector is adopting advanced overarching solutions like the Industrial Internet of Tings and artificial intelligence, encompassing intelligent systems.


With such diverse applications,


the industrial sector needs tailored solutions to meet its specific needs, which drives the demand for innovative intelligent technologies and digital solutions. Just like in the automotive sector, industrial systems also exhibit incredible scale and complexity. This requires architectures comprising vast networks of individual, interconnected modules, rather than a single system. As an example let’s consider a


scenario where a production line has many automation and safety elements and sensor nodes distributed across an entire site. Tese elements are responsible for continuous safe operation and must be managed in real time, with the data collected and processed before being sent to a central control system. Such an approach significantly reduces complexity and offers scaleability, enabling large-scale industrial setups. Here, each edge sensor node must have its own microcontroller unit (MCU), which operates at the edge whilst communicating with other sensors and control systems.


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