00:00Okay, so you're getting into prototyping and you need an MCU chip, but the options are honestly
00:05kind of overwhelming. Well, good news, I went down the rabbit hole and found the best deals
00:10for the top 5 integrated circuit MCU chips for prototyping. These are all tested, popular,
00:16and cheap enough that you won't cry if you fry one. First up, the STM32G0B1 from ST,
00:22this is the modern pick and honestly my top recommendation for anyone starting fresh.
00:27It's a 32-bit ARM Cortex-M0 Plus running at 64 MHz, with plenty of flash and peripherals,
00:33and it comes in multiple package options like LQFB so you can pick what fits your board.
00:38At just $1.84 with almost 4,800 sold, this thing is an absolute steal, you're getting
00:44serious ST quality for pocket change, and the toolchain support is fantastic.
00:50Next, a legend, the Z80 CPU, part number Z84C0006 PC, in a classic DIP40 package.
00:58You're getting 5 of them for $8.90, which works out to under 2 bucks each.
01:04This is the chip that powered a generation of computers, and if you're into retro computing
01:08or just want to understand how processors really work at the bus level, nothing beats wiring up a
01:13Z80 by hand. It's rated 4.7 stars with over 4,400 sold, so the community clearly still loves it.
01:22Third, we've got the STC15W202S, a tiny 16-pin SOP chip that's perfect when you need something
01:28small and simple. It runs on a wide voltage range, has built-in RC oscillator, and needs
01:34almost no external components, which makes breadboarding ridiculously easy.
01:385 pieces for $6.26, rated 4.8 stars across nearly 4,000 sales.
01:45If you're building small sensor nodes or learning 8,051 architecture, this is a great little
01:50workhorse. Coming in fourth is the STC15W404S, the bigger brother of the last one, with more
01:58flash and RAM and the same SOP-16 footprint. What I love here is the price, just $2.10 for
02:04an authentic chip, and it's sitting at a 4.8 rating with 3,774 sold. This is the chip you
02:11grab when your project outgrows a tiny MCU but you don't want to redesign your board or
02:15learn a whole new toolchain. And finally, number 5, the Atmega 328 PPU, the chip that made
02:22Arduino possible. This is the exact microcontroller on the classic Uno, in a DIP28 package so you
02:28can drop it straight into a breadboard. $2.02, 4.7 stars, over 3,100 sold. If you've ever
02:37used an Arduino, you already know how to program this, and having a few loose ones around means
02:42you can build permanent projects without sacrificing your Uno board. So there you go 5 solid MCU chips
02:48for prototyping, all under $9. Links to every single one are in the description below, so go
02:55check the prices before they change. If this helped you out, smash that like button and
03:00subscribe for more component roundups and I'll see you in the next one.
