I need some help being pointed in the right direction for what mcus to look at. So many are out there, I have no idea where to start. Well, I'd probably stick with the ATmega328P simply due to knowing that it would work. But optimization is something I'd like to move toward, in terms of size, capabilities, power consumption, and cost.
Let's say I wanted to make a 'wearable' 8x8 single color matrix.
Powered perhaps by an 18650, 14500, or some variety of 3.7v rechargeable lithium cell.
(Side question- If a mcu supports 16 I/O pins, and nothing else is in need of I/O pins, is there any point to using a MAX7219? Does the MAX7219 do anything that couldn't be handled by the mcu or does it more efficiently? Can the multiplexing be done just as effectively without the MAX7219? Is the sole purpose of the chip to conserve I/O pins?)
If the display only needed to show 10 or so 'stills' in a cycle, half a second apart or so , what kind of mcu memory figures are sufficient?
What kind of clock speeds are required? MAX7219 has 800Hz (corrected =D ) refresh, but moot point if that chip isn't even necessary.
Is programming them pretty similar or are some not very beginner friendly?
Are certain mcus exceptional to the cost/feature curve due to popularity? Like perhaps the 328P being used in the Arduinos cause an increase in supply and therefore lower cost, where very similar or lesser featured mpus cost the same or more?
I know it's probably a lot of disjointed questions, but just trying to open my eyes up to what's available out there instead of riding this Arduino tunnel vision thing.