Smallest Microprocessor

Lyn,

Would you like to answer this one?

Oops. you caught me working.

I'd have to say the Intel Atom.

"Once the chip is built, its 47 million transistors, which are so minute that 2 million of them could sit on the period at the end of this sentence, switch on and off up to 300 billion times per second. If just one of them malfunctions, the entire processor spits up a hair ball."

Intel Atom: Intel Makes Its Smallest Chip Ever - Fast Company

What's it for? What do you want to do with it? How many do you want? How much are you willing to spend?

How about 1.9x2.2mm (and that was 2 years ago)

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Worlds-smallest-ARM-chip-is-the-size-of-a-grain-of-sand-made-to-be-swallowed_id40293

Yea, ok too small. What do you REALLY need?

Thanks Jack of all trades.

My typing fingers are getting blistered from doing all the googling for other people.

Vermin..... Click here!

Hi Jack,

I'm looking for a very small and very flat CPU. Memory needed (I'm guessing) could fit into a couple of kilobytes. Also, something that could possibly be run off the output of a small solar cell.

I'd Google it myself, but I haven't got a clue where to start. It's been years since I was running around in the chip market.

And don't forget to Google after each brushing.

Start with the Microchip website. Development tools are free and they have a huge user data base for support.

Small generally means surface mount, so you need to know how to solder very well.

There are many, many other microcontroller manufactures out there, but I am most familiar with Microchip.

Further to your excellent post, some of the Microchip PICs are sold with a proprietary version of BASIC installed that can be reprogrammed over a simple serial or USB connection to a PC, running a simple text editor.

They are still very fast, usually far more than fast enough.

They are also exceedingly cheap, the 8 pin versions (I believe also in surface mount and low power versions) start at under $2 each.....but none of them are expensive as they were originally developed with UK Government money as an aid to teach school children programming....but they have passed FAR beyond that today....

All software that you need is free to download and to use for ever. Regular updates and improvements are constantly being made.

All the manuals are free to download and use in pdf format.

There are online forums that give free ideas, projects, help and advice.

He should start here:-

rev-ed.co.uk

Join here:-

Picaxe Forum

That should keep him happy!!

Yea, best place to start is the manufacturer websites or the large component suppliers like RS components or Digikey, etc. Plenty of choices to suit virtually any application.

Also look at PIC microcontrollers, these are really popular now days and you can get small development boards and hardware really cheaply. For simple applications I would recommend looking at these first.

Vermin,

What kind of I/O do you need?

There is such an array of microprocessors out there that fit a multitude of applications, from 6 pins (thanks Daffy!) to hundreds of pins.

Types of I/O:

Digital Inputs*

Digital Outputs*

Analog Inputs

Analog Outputs

UART Serial Port

I2C Serial Port

SPI Serial Port

TWI Serial Port

PWM Outputs*

* Many microprocessors have pins that can be programmatically configured for digital input or output or PWM.

Even the smallest (lowest number of pins) would probably meet your 1K memory specification.

The 8-bit ATtiny4/5/9/10 mentioned by Daffy is in a SOT23-6 package:

(Dimensions in mm)

Or something like a 32-bit 64-pin PIC32MZ Embedded Connectivity microprocessor with 53 I/O pins, 24 of which can be analog inputs, from Microchip in a QFN package:

Bad resolution from snipping tool so find info here.

Hope this helps

Can anyone tell me what is the physically smallest microprocessor on the market these days?

Also, which one takes the least amount of power?

Here's a more appropriate lead-off response for both questions ...

What time is it?

The one that draws the least power is the one that is switched off!

Just a guess, but the interfacing would seem to be the biggest challenge. I am aware of one hurdle and that is the crystalline "bridging" between conductor elements.

I have fond memories of these power hogs.

hit "enter" and go to lunch....

load "$",8

Been there, done that... A lot!

How about something like this?

http://www.greenoptimistic.com/smallest-solar-powered-sensor-20100210/#.VZMb-_lViko

http://www.arm.com/products/processors/cortex-m/cortex-m3.php

http://www.arm.com/files/pdf/introToCortex-M3.pdf

Bonus....

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sodaq/autonomo-the-solar-powered-thing

http://wims2.org/publications/papers/IEEE801_8131303.pdf

Was looking for something similar the other day...

Try the ATMEL ATTiny series

ATTiny13

ATTiny4/5/9/10 available in a 6pin SOT23

How about a whole computer!

http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/tech-edge/4439854/World-s-smallest-computer-can-fit-on-the-edge-of-a-nickel

Damn that's small.