Embedded Systems Architecture: Microcontrollers — Brains Behind the Operation
The key to embedded systems architecture is its microcontroller.
Sometimes referred to as the microcontroller unit (MCU), it is typically a single integrated circuit containing the processor, RAM, flash memory, serial receivers and transmitters, and other core components.
Some microcontrollers are dedicated to specific applications and exposing a particular set of interfaces to communicate to peripherals and to the outside world. Others are focused on providing solutions with reduced hardware costs, or with very limited energy consumption.
Still, there are usually a certain set of components hardcoded into almost every microcontroller. These include:
In addition, some microcontrollers in embedded systems architecture can provide either well-established standards, such as Ethernet or Wi-Fi interfaces, or specific protocols specifically designed to meet the constraints of embedded systems, such as Sub-GHz radio interfacesor?Controller Area Network?(CAN) bus, being partially or fully implemented within the IC.
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All modern embedded systems platforms also have at least one mechanism (such as JTAG) for debugging purposes, and to upload the software to the flash.
When the debug interface is accessed from the host machine, a debugger can interact with the breakpoint unit in the processor, interrupting and resuming the execution, and can also read and write from any address in memory.
A significant part of embedded programming is the communication with the peripherals, using the interfaces that the MCU exposes. Embedded software development requires basic knowledge of electronics, the ability to understand schematics and datasheets, and confidence with the measurement tools, such as logic analyzers or oscilloscopes.
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