{"product_id":"microdot-a-four-bit-microcontroller-designed-for-distributed-low-end-computing-in-satellites-9781249401100","title":"Microdot: A Four-Bit Microcontroller Designed for Distributed Low-End Computing in Satellites","description":"\u003cp\u003e • Author(s): Anthony R. Woodcock\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher: Biblioscholar\u003cbr\u003e • Publisher Imprint: Biblioscholar\u003cbr\u003e • BISAC: General\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs satellites become more complex, the on-board processing capabilities must keep up. Many satellites are an integrated collection of sensors and actuators with many requiring dedicated real-time control to operate correctly. For single processor systems, adding more sensors requires an increase in computing power and speed to provide the multi-tasking capability needed to service each sensor. Faster processors are more costly and consume more power, which can tax a satellite's power resources and may lead to shorter satellite lifetimes. Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) electronic components are usually not acceptable for satellite design because they have not been hardened against the radiation environment of space. An alternative design approach is to use a distributed network of small and low power microcontrollers designed for space to handle the computing requirements of each individual sensor and actuator. The design of microdot, a four-bit microcontroller for distributed low-end computing, is presented. The design is based on previous research completed at the Space Electronics Branch, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL\/VSSE) at Kirtland AFB, NM, and the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright- Patterson AFB, OH. The Microdot has 29 instructions and a 1K x 4 instruction memory. The distributed computing architecture is based on the Philips Semiconductor I2C Serial Bus Protocol. A prototype was implemented and tested using an Altera Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The prototype was operable up to 9.1 MHz. The design was also targeted for fabrication using a radiation-hardened-by-design gate-array library from Mission Research Corporation. The gate-array library is designed for the TSMC 0.35 micrometer CMOS process.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Biblioscholar","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":46863264579735,"sku":"9781249401100","price":5118.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0666\/3471\/1191\/files\/9781249401100.webp?v=1769969592","url":"https:\/\/atlanticbooks.com\/products\/microdot-a-four-bit-microcontroller-designed-for-distributed-low-end-computing-in-satellites-9781249401100","provider":"Atlantic Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}