2/20/2014

Microcontroller - Introduction - A Beginners Guide to the Atmel AVR Atmega32

[ Log In ] [ Your Cart ]

LEARN THE FUNDAMENTALS OF MECHATRONICS!

Home

Products

Microcontroller tutorial

Show and Tell

About Us

Contact Us

Site Map

Add a Video Clip

Video Clip Search - Be Descriptive.

Microcontroller - Intro
MCU Programmer 1

C# Notes and Examples

Donate

GO

Microcontroller - A Beginners Guide - Introduction

Microcontrollers - A Beginner's Guide - Intro t...

MCU Programmer 2

Atmega324P

MCU WinAVR Install

$8.50

MCU Add LED and Test

Add to Cart

MCU First Program

MCU LED Blink
Installing Atmel Studio 6
MCU Add a Button
Breadboard
Connector for the
8 Channel Logic
Analyzer

Button Debouncing
Software Debounce
The Button Game

$9.95

Creating a Button Library

Add to Cart

Timers Counters Basic

Intro to Interrupts
Interfacing an LCD
First LCD Program

USB to Serial
Converter

LCD and Strings

$19.95

Numbers on the LCD

Add to Cart

Separating the LCD Code

Function to Display Integers
Power Sources
Making Connectors
Potentiometers

Bundle of 65 Male
to Male Flexible
Jumper Wires

Intro to ADC
ADC - First Program
ADC and 10-Bits
Accelerometers/ADC
Measure ADC Noise
ADC Multiple Channels
Intro to Hobby Servos
Intro to PWM
Control a Servo with PWM
UART and USART Details
UART One Way Comm.
Controlling Digital Servos

Capacitors
Connectors
Crystal Oscillators
Development Tools
Input Devices

This is the first in a long line of tutorials aimed to provide a

beginners guide and tutorial based around the Atmel AVR
Atmega32 microncontroller. I will show you, through
examples and projects, how to program and provide
functions for this microcontroller and what the uses and
applications are.
With microcontrollers in general, it is good to know that
these little chips are found everywhere. You can find them
in microwaves ovens, new applicances, automobiles,
televisions, etc. These microcontrollers control and sense
the surrounding electronics and environment. For example,
microcontrollers can provide output to a display, motor,
LEDS, etc., sensing the environment, such as tilt using an
accellerometer, light, angular velocity using a MEMS
(Microelectromechanical System) gyroscope, sound,
encoders for movement, temperature, and button or
keyboard input.
To give you a basic understanding of the microcontroller, the AVR Atmega32 microcontroller is considered to be
a computer on a chip. The microcontroller is able to execute a set of instructions in the form of a program. The
program language that I will be using for theseprojects is C++. To giv ethe usersof this website the best
opportunity to learn, the C++ programs will be explained is great detail.
The really cool thing about microcontrollers is that you have control over all the pins. For a beginner, this can be
a difficult concept to understand, especially having no experience with electronics. Don't fret, I will walk you
through each tiny detail. Each pin has a special assignment, or can be used as an input or output feature, with a

http://www.newbiehack.com/MicrocontrollerIntroductionABeginnersGuidetotheAtmelAVRAtmega32.aspx

$8.95

Add to Cart

3 position female
connector with
2.54mm pitch

$0.55

Add to Cart

NEMA 17 Stepping
Motor (62 oz-in
5mm single shaft)

$19.95

Add to Cart

1/2

2/20/2014

Microcontroller - Introduction - A Beginners Guide to the Atmel AVR Atmega32

Integrated Circuits
Interfaces
LCD Displays And Leds
Microcontroller
Motor Drivers
Motors
Potentiometers
Prototyping
Resistors
Voltage Regulators

few exceptions, the power pins.

On the left hand side of the chip, looking at it form the top
and the little triangle is at the top left, there are 20 pins
(this is a 40 pin microcontroller). The first starting from the
top left are the PB0-7 pins. That's a total of 8 pins as the
index of these pins and most everything in the program
starts with an index at 0. This set of pins are called "Port B"
and there are 3 other ports labeled from A to D. These
ports can be set to receive information and is called INPUT
and they can be set to send voltage out in some form
called OUTPUT. General power pins to receive the power
for the chip called VCC and GND. All but one pin of Port D
(PD0-6) is also located on the left side (lower section). PD7
(Pin 7 of Port D) is all alone starting the right hand side of
the microcontroller.
Continuing on the right side, and the ending of Port D, Port
C continued from the lower corner up. From there on, may
favorite pins continue, the analog to digital pins. These pins
have the capability to sense the environment with the help
of components that feed these pins an analog voltage. Dopn't worry about not understanding analog or even
digita at this point, it will be explained in greter detail later. These analog to digidal converter pins compose Port
A.

20x4 LCD (Liquid

Crystal Display)

$18.50

Add to Cart

10K Trimmer
Potentiometer
(Through Hole)

$0.85

Add to Cart

One example of the use of the analong to digital conversion would be, say, sensing the temperature. You can
connect a component that converts temperature to a level of voltage called a thermistor to one of the Port A
pins and the microcontroller will convert this voltage to a number from 0 to 255 (an 8-bit number - higher
resolution is possible at 10-bits). The program that is written and stored into the microcontroller can use this
temperature and respond in a specific way. For example, if you have the thermistor against a boiling pot, the
microcontroller can respond and provide an output to another pin that beeps, or flashes a light.
Other features of this and other microcontrollers, other than the actual programming is the programming space
(where the program is stored in the chip and how much space you have), memory, or space for data and
variables that the program will use, and finally, there is a clock built into the chip that counts. The counting can be
in many different speeds depending on the speed of the chip and the divisor that is selected for the speed. This
is starting to get complicated, so I will back up. The counting can be in seconds, miliseconds, microseconds, or
whatever you determine for the program and application that you select.

16x2 LCD (Liquid

Crystal Display)

$12.50

Add to Cart

As this tutorial series is based on examples, I will provide a great deal of detail. Of course, the detail for the
introduction would be impossible, and if you are very adventureous, you can take a look at the datasheet and
manual for this microprocessor, but don't let that huge document sway you from wanting to learn this most
incredible technology. Once you lear, there is no limit to the application, from tiny robots, to extremely large
scaled architectural wonders that move and give off spectacular lighting effects, sometimes that interact with the
environment.
White Prototyping
Breadboard (2x30
columns of tie
strips and 2x2 rows
of power strips)

$7.95

Add to Cart

Find us on Google+

http://www.newbiehack.com/MicrocontrollerIntroductionABeginnersGuidetotheAtmelAVRAtmega32.aspx

2/2