The AVR core combines a rich instruction set with 32 general purpose working registers by Break AVR Microcontroller ATmel ATmega168. All the 32 registers are directly connected to the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), allowing two independent registers to be accessed in one single instruction executed in one clock cycle.
The resulting architecture is more code efficient while achieving throughputs up to ten times faster than conventional CISC microcontrollers. The ATmega48/88/168 provides the following features: 4K/8K/16K bytes of In-System Programmable Flash with Read-While-Write capabilities, 256/512/512 bytes EEPROM, 512/1K/1K bytes SRAM, 23 general purpose I/O lines, 32 general purpose working registers, three flexible Timer/Counters with compare modes, internal and external interrupts, a serial programmable USART, a byte-oriented 2-wire Serial Interface, an SPI serial port, a 6-channel 10-bit ADC (8 channels in TQFP and MLF packages), a programmable Watchdog Timer with internal Oscillator, and five software selectable power saving modes. The Idle mode stops the CPU while allowing the SRAM, Timer/Counters, USART, 2-wire Serial Interface, SPI port, and interrupt system to continue functioning.
The Power-down mode saves the register contents but freezes the Oscillator, disabling
all other chip functions until the next interrupt or hardware reset. In Power-save mode, the asynchronous timer continues to run, allowing the user to maintain a timer base while the rest of the device is sleeping. The ADC Noise Reduction mode stops the CPU and all I/O modules except asynchronous timer and ADC, to minimize switching noise during ADC conversions when Break AVR Microcontroller ATmel ATmega168.
In Standby mode, the crystal/resonator Oscillator is running while the rest of the device is sleeping. This allows very fast start-up combined with low power consumption. The device is manufactured using Atmel’s high density non-volatile memory technology.
The On-chip ISP Flash allows the program memory to be reprogrammed In-System through an SPI serial interface, by a conventional non-volatile memory programmer, or by an On-chip Boot program running on the AVR core. The Boot program can use any interface to download the application program in the Application Flash memory.
Software in the Boot Flash section will continue to run while the Application Flash section is updated, providing true Read-While-Write operation. By combining an 8-bit RISC CPU with In-System Self-Program mable Flash on a monolithic ch ip, the Atmel ATmega168 is a powerful microcontroller that provides a highly flexible and cost effective solution to many embedded control applications.
The ATmega48/88/168 AVR is supported with a full suite of program and system development tools including: C Compilers, Macro Assemblers, Program Debugger/Simulators, In-Circuit Emulators, and Evaluation kits.