This article presents an embedded active vibration suppression system featuring real-time explicit model predictive control (EMPC) that is implemented on a microcontroller unit (MCU). The EMPC controller minimizes the tip deflection of an aluminum cantilever beam driven by piezoceramic actuators, gaining its feedback from direct position measurements. The output and input performance of the EMPC method is compared to an analogously tuned positive position feedback (PPF) controller. An extensive analysis is provided on the cycle timing and memory needs of the explicit predictive vibration control scheme. The results demonstrate that the EMPC controller may achieve the same vibration suppression results compared to PPF with less input effort, while inherently respecting process constraints. Furthermore, we show that EMPC task execution timing is comparable in the random access memory (RAM) and read only memory (ROM) alternatives, suggesting that numerous current microcontrollers are suitable for EMPC based active vibration control, in case the prediction model is kept simple. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.