Last week, what was the purpose of the small article I shared? It introduced you to a microcontroller. It is an electronic chip that can understand and remember the commands you give it. By writing different programs, you can make it do different things.

— Let’s talk about “microcontroller” and why it is also called “microcontroller” What I am talking about can be called a “microcontroller”. But why is it called a microcontroller? If I say its name is microcontroller, just like my name is Ma Chi, you might say, that’s nonsense, why don’t you call yourself Li Godan! Have you heard of the term “microcontroller”? If you are a third-year engineering student majoring in electronics or automation and you haven’t heard of it, then you should go die far away. I think the term “microcontroller” is a bit vague. If you put the words “microcontroller” and “mobile phone” together, you might think that “microcontroller” and “mobile phone” are in the same category, just like there are other machines like “television” and “washing machine,” and it is hard to directly picture the electronic chip from these three words. The terms “microcontroller” and “mobile phone” are much clearer. Seeing “micro” indicates it is small, “control” indicates its functionality, and “device” can remind electronics students of “memory” or “operational amplifier,” and you can picture its appearance. The key is that “mobile phone” can lead to “mobile network” and “mobile terminal,” while “microcontroller” can lead to “embedded systems.” Actually, the term “microcontroller” also has its origins, stemming from its predecessor called “single-board computer.” In the era of “single-board computer,” the size of memory and processors was astonishing. Now, it might feel like how humans view dinosaurs. All the “devices” (like storage and processors) were assembled on one circuit board, which was quite large and had a machine-like appearance, hence it was called “single-board computer.” However, with technological advancements and the maturity of large-scale integrated circuit technology, all the large “devices” have been integrated onto a small silicon chip, thus the term “microcontroller” emerged. So why do I suggest calling it a “microcontroller”? Because initially, microcontrollers were 8-bit machines, but now they have developed into 32-bit machines, and their functionality has greatly improved and their applications have become more widespread. It’s like a girl in a Japanese village named “Iron Egg” who later became a famous actress and felt that “Iron Egg” was too rustic, especially since there were too many people with that name, even four or five in the village, making it hard to identify the famous one. So she took the name “Sora Aoi,” and people praised her for her talent and character, thus calling her “Teacher Sora Aoi,” which clearly indicated her identity. I generally call the simpler, lower-end functions “microcontrollers” – like the 51 microcontroller. More complex functions I call “microcontrollers” – like the STM32 microcontroller. But microcontrollers include microcontrollers; that’s my personal view, no one has told me it’s right or wrong, just for your reference.— What is the use of this thing? What is the use of a “microcontroller”? If you are a third-year engineering student majoring in electronics or automation and you can’t list four or five uses, then you should die far away from school. But you also need to consider your own responsibility. If you are not studying a related major and find it very novel, does it seem far from our lives? Sorry, you’re really overthinking it. The microcontroller was born in 1971, which is older than us. Saying it is far from us – you encounter it many times a day, from the breakfast seller to the card-swipe machine, elevators taking you to class, the library access control blocking you and then letting you in, and the automatic flushing after using the toilet, all these are actually the silent work of microcontrollers. Since its inception in 1971, microcontrollers have developed in various aspects, becoming richer in types, higher in integration, cheaper in price, and more powerful in functionality. General books and online materials will say that microcontrollers have wide applications in instruments and meters, industrial control, home appliances, medical devices, aerospace, and more. Industrial control is mainly because the stability of microcontroller operation is the highest and most stable, such as the control of industrial robots or assembly lines, which require stable repetitive work, so a microcontroller is embedded in this system to execute the pre-edited program. Embedded systems have the highest stability, with very few occurrences of crashes or program failures, so elevators, amusement park roller coasters, and flying wheels are all controlled by microcontrollers. There are many home appliances, for example, an automatic washing machine. You input a number, and it knows how long to wash. After finishing, it automatically rinses with clean water and spins dry. All these are done by the microcontroller following the pre-written program. Moreover, smart home technology is a hot topic now, allowing your entire home to be smart, including floors and windows. There are numerous examples here; just searching on Baidu will yield a lot, so I won’t elaborate further. Because microcontrollers are small, have strong control functions, low power consumption, strong environmental adaptability, flexible expansion, and ease of use, they are relied upon in navigation, control, measurement and control, communication, and various fields.

(The image shows the working scene of a robot-themed restaurant in Harbin)— Why should we learn this? In fact, there is no need to say you must learn it; no one requires you to learn. Learning is something you must want to do yourself, and only then can you learn well and persist. Here, I just want to say that this thing is quite good, whether you learn it or not is your own decision. It’s not about saying that learning it will be good for you; I think that’s a form of seduction, very despicable. I don’t know what everyone feels; actually, I think what stays in your heart in university are the things you like and learn by yourself. What teachers teach often just helps with exams and doesn’t leave much of an impression. This is not surprising, for example, coming into contact with microcontrollers, learning and seeing it is quite interesting, you start to like it, you check books and materials on your own, you start to work on it, sell components, consult others, create works, discover and solve problems. This learning process is multidimensional, not only gaining knowledge but also enhancing comprehensive problem-solving ability, which is much stronger than the one-dimensional learning method where teachers directly impart knowledge in class. Moreover, in class, most of the time, we are complying with exam-oriented education under non-voluntary and coercive circumstances. Schools sometimes say, “Our students have solid foundational knowledge and can adapt quickly at work.” This is clearly nonsense; what does quick adaptation rely on? It relies on ability. Exams, knowledge, and ability are three different matters. Just because everyone has worked hard to achieve good exam results does not mean they have mastered knowledge, nor does it mean that knowledge has been transformed into ability. In real life, what is directly used is ability. So how many books do you need to read to learn how to make dumplings? I believe the theme in university campuses is not youth, nor struggle, but confusion. Everyone doesn’t know why they need to do well in every subject, why they need to take exams for graduate school or go abroad, or what they want to do and can do. It’s probably all for someone else’s praise, or even for a better future that may or may not come. If something seems uninteresting and meaningless to you, it’s best not to learn it. If you are genuinely interested, then hopefully, through this learning experience, you can liberate your initiative and enthusiasm for learning from the rigid, zombie-like education in large classrooms. Do not succumb to the seductive false promises of a beautiful future from teachers, parents, or society, nor yield to the persecution of exam-oriented education and the punishment of failing. Just simply learn something, regardless of its usefulness, simply because you want to, without needing a reason.