Save money on your Microcontrollers. Just as you can save money by replacing expensive standard logic with a microcontroller, you can save money on microcontrollers by using smaller, less expensive versions in your projects.
But if you pick a chip that's too small--too little memory, not enough I/O--for your project, you can end up stopped midway in, held up because you didn't start with enough to finish the job. How do you avoid this?
The trick is to develop for a larger version of your favorite microcontroller first. Then, once you've got your application working, you can see exactly what you need and move the app to a smaller, less expensive IC that has enough memory, I/O, and the right peripherals for what you're doing.
For example, I often develop small applications on the ATMega8 AVR microprocessor. It has 8K of flash, 1K of SRAM, and 512 bytes of EEPROM as well as a good selection of peripherals like UART, ADCs, and timers.
This gives me a lot of room for a small application. Then, when the app is done, I see what I need and put it on the appropriate ATTiny controller. The cost of an ATTiny can cut the cost of the chip to a fraction of the cost of an ATMEGA. The shift is quick and easy, I usually end up with a better version of the code when I move it since it gives me a chance to make some changes I thought of after writing the app on the big chip.
Then the big chip gets wiped, ready for the next app to be developed.
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