The difference between plc and microcontroller is: different structure, different use, different principle.
1, the structure is different
PLC is a product built on top of a microcontroller, which is an integrated circuit.
2, the use of different
Microcontroller can constitute a variety of applications, from micro, small to medium and large can be, PLC is a special case of microcontroller application system.
3, the principle of different
Different manufacturers of PLC has the same principle of operation, similar functions and indicators, there is a certain degree of interchangeability, quality assurance, programming software is moving towards standardization. This is the basis for PLC to be widely used, while microcontroller applications are of varying quality and difficult to learn, use and maintain.
Microcontroller
Microcontrollers (Microcontrollers) is a kind of integrated circuit chip, is the use of ultra-large-scale integrated circuit technology with data processing capabilities of the central processor CPU, random memory RAM, read-only memory ROM, a variety of I / O ports and interrupt systems, timers / counter and other functions (may also include display driver circuits, pulse width modulation circuits, analog multiplexers, A/D converters and other circuits) integrated into a silicon chip constitutes a small but perfect microcomputer system, widely used in various fields.
A small but perfect microcomputer system, widely used in various fields.
Such as cell phones, automotive electronics, industrial stepper motors, machine arm control, etc., can be seen in the figure of the microcontroller. Microcontrollers are characterized by relatively complex programming and maintenance, commonly programmed in C or assembly language, low cost, and relatively limited I/O interfaces.
Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia-Microcontroller