The electric drive systems used in industrial applications require higher performance and reliability. The DC motor is used in many industrial applications requiring variable speed and load characteristics due to its ease of controllability. Microcontrollers can provide easy control of DC motor. In this research work, implementation of the ATmega8L microcontroller for speed control of DC motor fed by a DC chopper has been investigated. The chopper is driven by a high frequency PWM signal. Controlling the PWM duty cycle is equivalent to controlling the motor terminal voltage, which in turn adjusts directly the motor speed. A prototype of permanent magnet DC motor speed control system using the microcontroller is developed and tested.