> 💁 When searching the Internet for microcontrollers be wary of searching for the term **MCU** as this will bring back a lot of results for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not microcontrollers.
> 💁 When searching the Internet for microcontrollers be observant of searching for the term **MCU** as this will bring back a lot of results for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, not microcontrollers.
Microcontrollers are designed to be programmed to do a limited number of very specific tasks, rather than being general-purpose computers like PCs or Macs. Except for very specific scenarios, you can't connect a monitor, keyboard and mouse and use them for general purpose tasks.
@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ Microcontroller developer kits usually come with additional sensors and actuator
### Single-board computers
A single-board computer is a small computing devices that has all the elements of a complete computer contained on a single small board. These are devices that have specifications close to a desktop or laptop PC or Mac, run a full operating system, but are small, use lower power, and are substantially cheaper.
A single-board computer is a small computing device that has all the elements of a complete computer contained on a single small board. These are devices that have specifications close to a desktop or laptop PC or Mac, run a full operating system, but are small, use less power, and are substantially cheaper.
![A Raspberry Pi 4](../../../images/raspberry-pi-4.jpg)
@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ Like a microcontroller, single-board computers have a CPU, memory and input/outp
> 🎓 You can think of a single-board computer as a smaller, cheaper version of the PC or Mac you are reading this on, with the addition of GPIO (general-purpose input/output) pins to interact with sensors and actuators.
SIngle-board computers are fully-featured computers, so can be programmed in any language. IoT devices are typically programmed in Python.
Single-board computers are fully-featured computers, so can be programmed in any language. IoT devices are typically programmed in Python.