Embedded Systems Foundations
What embedded systems are and the core ideas behind firmware: architecture, boot, memory, timing and reliability. Bare-metal programming, interrupts, RTOS basics and memory-mapped I/O have their own pages earlier in this subject.
This is an overview — pick a sub-topic below.
Sub-topics (14)
Embedded System Architecture
A dedicated computer inside a product: processor, memory, peripherals, sensors, actuators, power and firmware.
Microcontrollers in Embedded Systems
A single chip with CPU, flash, RAM and peripherals — the heart of most embedded products.
Microprocessors in Embedded Systems
CPUs that need external RAM and storage, typically running an operating system like Linux.
System on Chip (SoC)
A whole system on one die: CPU cores, GPU, memory controllers, radios and peripherals.
RTOS vs Bare Metal
Bare metal: one super-loop plus interrupts — simple and predictable. RTOS: tasks with priorities, timing services and inter-task communication.
Firmware
The software permanently stored in a device's non-volatile memory that controls its hardware.
Boot Process
What happens from power-on to `main()`: reset vector → startup code → clock setup → copy `.data`, zero `.bss` → constructors → `main`.
Memory Map
The address ranges where flash, RAM, peripherals and system registers live.
Polling
Repeatedly checking a status flag instead of using interrupts.
Hardware Timers
Counters clocked by the system clock that generate periodic interrupts, measure time, capture inputs and produce PWM.
Low-Power Design
Make battery devices last months or years: sleep modes, clock gating, duty cycling and efficient hardware.
Real-Time Constraints
Deadlines a system must meet: hard (missing = failure, e.g. airbag), firm or soft (degraded quality, e.g. audio glitch).
Determinism
The same input always produces the same timing and output.
Safety and Reliability
Design firmware that fails safely and keeps working: watchdogs, brown-out detection, redundancy, defensive coding.
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