Why are counters in a PIC or other MCU called timers?

A real timer counts time elapses, timer don't have bits, so to speak.

They are really just counters, 8-bit or 16-bit presettable counters. All electronic parts with such function are correctly called counters, like 7490, 4040 or 4060...., have anyone ever seen a 4-bit binary timer? I have a frequency counter, it also measure time interval, but it is never called a timer.

And the fact that a "timer" cannot be used to measure counts.
If something measure counts, it is by definition a counter.

It's basically just two applications of the same hardware, if you go back to the 6502 and 6522 PIA days, they called them 'counter/timers'.

Just wondering if it is "politically correct" to call a 7490, 4040 or 4017 as a timer.

Anyway, this is a silly question and the answer is "who cares".

Originally Posted by eblc1388

Just wondering if it is "politically correct" to call a 7490, 4040 or 4017 as a timer.

Not on it's own, but the 'timer' in a PIC isn't just a counter, it has extra hardware as well - so those counter chips, plus others, could be called a 'timer'

Anyway, this is a silly question and the answer is "who cares".

It's not as silly as many of the threads!