Concept for a microcontroller based data acquisition device for use in nuclear environments measuring and monitoring

Microcontrollers, (which are a superset of microprocessors), usually include a microprocessor, RAM, non-volatile memory and an interface controller all on a single chip. Microcontrollers are widely used in what are known as `embedded systems'. An embedded system is designed for a specific function often in a larger overall system. Where the home PC is designed for flexibility and many different types of software applications, embedded systems are most often fixed in their functionality and typically will not change during the life of their implementation. By the same token, the software developed for a microcontroller will not typically change during device deployment and is therefore called `firmware'. A Data Acquisition (DAQ) microcontroller will also include an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) on the chip.