8-bit Microcontrollers Debate

Is there a decent middle ground that isn’t some obscure STM or PIC chip?

Why are 8bit microcontrollers still a thing?

What would you do with a tiny, tiny MCU?

Microcontrollers like Arm Cortex-M0 or ESP32.

I'm surprised to see the Pi in there; I would naively expect a microcontroller (my first thought today would be https://www.espressif.com/en/products/socs/esp32-c6 but there are options). Is this arrangement a matter of how easy it is to implement, age of the project (predating good MC options), or a harder technical/practical blocker?

Could you please name some of the microcontrollers that you are referring to?

A 6502 or 8051 can do the job but their prices haven't dropped a lot.You can get a 48 MHz RISC-V from WCH (a big 8051 supplier) or Cortex-M0 from Puya for $0.10 to $0.15 depending on whether it's an 8, 16, or 20 pin package. Both the CH32V003 has 2 KB SRAM and 16 KB flash, and the Puya 3 KB SRAM and 20 KB flash. You get the above prices for the WCH at qty 50 (i.e. $5 - $7) on their Aliexpress store, plus a couple of bucks shipping.Being "too powerful" for the job is irr

What do you mean?It's a comparison of a load of cheap micro controllers. How do you expect to use it?

An ARM might be overkill (and a bit expensive) for something that can be done with an 8051. A better choice might be something like an Atmel AVR or Microchip PIC(16 or 32 probably). Those are dirt-cheap, and specifically designed for microcontroller applications with features like on-board ADCs, comparators, timers, GPIOs, etc.

There are plenty. They're ridiculously cheap, so they get used everywhere. Checking DigiKey for the cheapest 8 bit and 32 bit micros: Atmel's ATTiny5-MAHR is $0.196 each at qty 100 (no further price breaks listed, full reel of 3000 is non-stock/call for price). The Cypress CY8C4013SXI-400T is $0.49 each at qty 2500 (full reel). 2.5x the price is a big difference, and matters a lot when you're producing thousands or millions of something. Tons of power supplies use an 8-bit (o