Small Surface Mount Micro Controller?

[limlik]

Any recommendations on a really small micro controller that is easy to program and readily available? Low power consumption would be a plus but it needs to process at a pretty good speed? It will be used for servo control on an RC helicopter so needs to be 16 bit at least. Less that $10 each if possible? Looking through the list of MC's just over whelms me with options.

 

[DirtyLude]

You need to be more specific. Number of I/O? Why is 16bit a requirement for servo control?

Based on what we have here, MSP430. Low power, 16bit, QFN16. Probably MSP430F2012.

 

[DirtyLude]

If you want a development platform for it, the EZ430-F2013 is a programmer plus a simple target board. The development environment from TI is free up to 16k. Code Composer.

Digi-Key - 296-20630-ND (Manufacturer - EZ430-F2013)

 

[Sceadwian]

I'm not sure you got your bits straight, even the top of the line RC stuff is only 10 bits for servo placement, and additional bits from there are useless as far as position accuracy goes. I'm not sure you know what you're actually looking for, you have some preconceptions which don't match the real world. What exactly do you want to do?

 

[Oznog]

You don't need 16-bit. Highly unlikely. Any 8-bit controller can do 16-bit math, just not AS fast as a 16-bit core. Servo controller doesn't need all that "fast".

PIC18F1320... powerful, probably more so than you need. ~$3.25 in singles. 6mm x 6mm QFN28 package. That's not only small, but light. It's a much thinner package than leaded SMD.

Basically for small/light, look at QFN pkgs. Most controllers have a QFN variant now, actually. A QFN16 will be slightly smaller than a QFN28.

Not as hard to mount as you might imagine. Flux, solder paste. Heat gun. Turn the heat gun down or hold it back for a preheat needed to boil the solvent out of the solder paste. It'll stop bubbling. Then turn the heat gun up and bring it closer, see the solder turn silver, count to like 3-5 sec, pull it back. Done. Check pins with a pocket microscope. In general, the package should have self-aligned exactly. Generally if it IS off, it'll be off by "a lot" and you'll see it.