Embedded Engineering

Abstract

Embedded Systems Engineering is a very exciting field of engineering where devices capable of interacting with the “real world” are designed and programmed. Embedded processors form a core component of an enormous range of systems, from avionics, passenger cars, communication and navigation equipments, defense, and medical equipment, to robotics, gaming devices, DVD players, Electronic gadgets and home appliances. The growth in the power and features of processors has helped to drive the semiconductor industry from start-up some 50 years ago to more than $200 billion in annual revenue today. The embedded market is now estimated to be worth around 100x the "desktop" market, and is forecast to grow exponentially over the next decade. Embedded Engineering is an amalgamation of "Computer Science Engineering", "Electronics Engineering", “Electrical Engineering", “Networking” and “Instrumentation”.

Objective

This course is designed to ensure that students of Engineering College with academic capabilities will have the skill set needed to deal with the challenges involved in real-world Embedded Technologies to meet the needs of industries both today and in the future.

The course considers programming and device design techniques which can help to ensure that single-processor embedded systems are reliable.

The course is taught mainly using the 8051 assembly,C programming language, hardware design, ARM Based Board and a PC emulated as an embedded device.

Pre-requisites

• General understanding about Microprocessors, Operating System Concepts and C Programming Language is assumed.
• A prior knowledge or exposure to Linux operating system would be an added advantage.
  

Agenda

• The course is split into Eleven modules
• Data Structures with C Read More

  C is a general-purpose computer programming language developed between 1969 and 1973 Dennis Ritchie at the Bell Telephone Laboratories for use with the UNIX operating system. C is one of the most popular programming languages of all time and there are very few computer architectures for which a C compiler does not exist.

  C is often used for "system programming", including implementing operating systems and embedded system applications, due to a combination of desirable characteristics such as code portability and efficiency, ability to access specific hardware addresses, ability to pun types to match externally imposed data access requirements, and low runtime demand on system resources. One consequence of C's wide acceptance and efficiency is that compilers, libraries, and interpreters of other programming languages are often implemented in C.

  The goal of this module is to teach the basics of computer programming and software engineering, as well as the C programming language and Data Structures using free and open source tools available to users on all operating systems.

  • By the end of this module you Should be:
    • Comfortable with respect to programming in C.
    • Able to Implement and use Data Structures using C.
    • Proficient in Advanced C.
    • Efficient in System C.
    • Having good understanding about gcc compiler.
    • Able to debug complex C programs.
    • Ready for System Programming using C.
• Embedded C with Keil Read More

  Keil C51 is the industry-standard toolchain for all 8051-compatible devices, it supports classic 8051, Dallas 390, NXP MX, extended 8051 variants, and C251 devices.

  The use of C language to  program  microcontrollers is becoming too common. And most of the time its not easy to buld an  application in assembly which instead you can make easily in C. So Its important that you know C language for microcontroller which is commonly known as Embedded C

  • By the end of this module you Should be:
    • Able to Explain the design Constraints and development environment for embedded software
    • Efficient with Compiling C programs and Link object files
    • Able to Relocate Executable files
    • Able to Implement and Explain the downloading and debugging process between the host and target hardware
    • Able to interact with Hardware Devices directly from the application program
    • Able to implement efficient programming techniques fro code efficiency and effieicient usage of memory
• Electronic Circuits Read More

  An electronic circuit is composed of individual electronic components, such as resistors, transistors, capacitors, inductorsand diodes, connected by conductive wires or traces through which electric current can flow. The combination of components and wires allows various simple and complex operations to be performed: signals can be amplified, computations can be performed, and data can be moved from one place to another. Circuits can be constructed of discrete components connected by individual pieces of wire, but today it is much more common to create interconnections by photolithographic techniques on a laminated substrate (a printed circuit board or PCB) and solder the components to these interconnections to create a finished circuit.

   Breadboards, perfboards or stripboards are common for testing new designs. They allow the designer to make quick changes to the circuit during development. 

   An electronic circuit can usually be categorized as an analog circuit, a digital circuit or a mixed-signal circuit.

  • By the end of this module you Should be:
    • Having Understanding about individual electronic components
    • Able to understand Analog and Digital Electronic Circuits
    • Able to Design Circuit for Embedded Devices
• Embedded Micro-controllers 8051
• Interfacing with various ICs Read More
  • By the end of this Module you should be able to do:
    • Interfacing with a single LED.
    • Interfacing with Switches ( Keypad Interfacing)
    • Interfacing with Seven Segments
    • Interfacing with LCD
    • Interfacing with various types of relays
    • Interfacing with ADC (8 bit)
    • Interfacing with various Sensors (Electronic Nose, LDR’s)
    • Interfacing with Strain Gauge.
    • Interfacing with RTC’s
    • Interfacing with Memories
    • Interfacing with Stepper Motor’s
    • Interfacing with DC Motors with H-bridge.
    • Interfacing with PC through Serial and Parallel Communications
    • Interfacing with various Controller’s through Serial and Parallel methods.
    • Interfacing with RF Communicators
    • Interfacing with Zig-Bee.
    • And many more
• Shell Scripts Read More

  A shell script is a script written for the shell, or command line interpreter, of an operating system. It is often considered a simple domain-specific programming language. Typical operations performed by shell scripts include file manipulation, program execution, and printing text.

  Many shell script interpreters double as command line interface, such as the various Unix shells, Windows PowerShell or the MS-DOS COMMAND. Others, such as AppleScript or the graphical Windows Script Host (WScript.exe), add scripting capability to computing environments without requiring a command line interface.

  In their most basic form, a shell script can provide a convenient variation of a system command where special environment settings, command options, or post processing is applied automatically, but in a way that allows the new script to still act as a fully normal UNIX command.

  In their most basic form, a shell script can provide a convenient variation of a system command where special environment settings, command options, or post-processing is applied automatically, but in a way that allows the new script to still act as a fully normal Unix command.

  Shell Scripts are usually used for Batch jobs, Generalization, verisimilitude, System Administration and Programming.

  • By the end of this module you should be:
    • Able to Understand Bash Shell Basics.
    • Able to do Command Line Editing.
    • Efficient with Basic Shell Programming.
    • Good Understanding about Flow Control, Command Line Options.
    • Implementing Input – Output and Command Line Processing.
    • Doing Process Handling.
    • Able to write Optimized Shell Scripts.
    • Able to Debug Shell Scripts.
• Linux Internals and System Programming Read More

  Linux is the generic name for a UNIX-like operating system that can be used on a wide range of devices from supercomputers to wrist-watches. The Linux kernel is released under an open source license, so anyone can read and modify its code. It has been modified to run on a large variety of electronics. Although estimates suggest it is used on only 0.5-2% of all personal computers, it has been widely adopted for use in servers and embedded systems (such as cell phones). Linux has superseded UNIX in most places, and is used on the 10 most powerful supercomputers in the world. Linux is used in some commonly used operating systems, such as Ubuntu, fedora and Google's Android.

  Linux Internals is the study of the Linux Kernel, its configuration and its various modules.

  • By the end of this module you should be:
    • Able to do Linux System Programming with ease.
    • Comfortable with Linux 2.6.xx version and any flavor.
    • Having good understanding about Linux Internals.
    • Able to Customize and Install Linux for Development.
    • Understanding and doing Linux System Administration.
• Linux Device Drivers Read More

  In computing, a device driver or software driver is a computer program allowing higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device.
  A driver typically communicates with the device through the computer bus or communications subsystem to which the hardware connects. When a calling program invokes a routine in the driver, the driver issues commands to the device. Once the device sends data back to the driver, the driver may invoke routines in the original calling program. Drivers are hardware-dependent and operating-system-specific. They usually provide the interrupt handling required for any necessary asynchronous time-dependent hardware interface.

  A device driver simplifies programming by acting as translator between a hardware device and the applications or operating systems that use it. Programmers can write the higher-level application code independently of whatever specific hardware device.

  • By the end of this module you should be:
    • Able to understand Loadable Kernel Modules and its Interfaces.
    • Understanding architecture for any kind of Device Drivers.
    • Able to Add or remove LKMs into the Kernel.
    • Implement LKMs or Device Drivers from scratch.
    • Implementing few Basic Device Drivers during the training from scratch.
    • Understanding and implementing Some Advanced Device Drivers during the training from scratch.
    • Able to interpret the data-sheets and implement Device Drivers accordingly.
    • Able to Debug and optimize Device Drivers for any devices.
• ARM Micro-controllers Read More

  ARM is a 32-bit RISC processor architecture and it is currently being developed by

  the ARM corporation. ARM processors possess a unique combination of features that makes ARM the most popular embedded architecture today. ARM cores are simplest general-purpose processors, which means that they can be manufactured using small number of transistors, leaving large space on the chip for application-specific macrocells.

  ARM ISA and pipeline design are aimed at minimizing energy consumption. The ARM architecture is highly modular,the only mandatory component of an ARM processor is the integer pipeline. All other components, including caches, MMU, floating point and other co-processors are optional, which gives a lot of flexibility in building application-specific ARM-based processors. While being small and low-power, ARM processors provide high performance for embedded applications.

  • By the end of this module you Should be:
    • able to Understand ARM Architecture
    • able to understand ARM Programmers model
    • able to understand advanced features of ARM for configuring Embedded OS
• Embedded & Network Protocols Read More

  There are rules governing how data is transferred, how they are compressed, how they are presented on the screen and so on. These set of rules are called protocols. There are many protocols, each one governing the way a certain technology works.

  An agreed-upon format for transmitting data between two devices. The protocol determines the following:

  • the type of error checking to be used
  • data compression method, if any
  • how the sending device will indicate that it has finished sending a message
  • how the receiving device will indicate that it has received a message

  There are a variety of standard protocols from which programmers can choose. Each has particular advantages and disadvantages.

  • By the end of this module you Should be:
    • Able to understand and implement various protocols
    • Comfortable with FTP, SPI, RS232, I2C, CAN, TCP/IP, USB and Bluetooth protocols.
• Embedded Linux with ARM Read More

  The ARM is a 32-bit reduced instruction set computer (RISC) instruction set architecture (ISA) developed by ARM Holdings. It was known as the Advanced RISC Machine. The ARM architecture is the most widely used 32-bit ISA in terms of numbers produced. The relative simplicity of ARM processors made them suitable for low power applications. This has made them dominant in the mobile and embedded electronics market, as relatively low cost, and small microprocessors and microcontrollers.

  Embedded Linux is the use of Linux in embedded computer systems such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants, media players, set-top boxes, and other consumer electronics devices, networking equipment, machine control, industrial automation, navigation equipment and medical instruments.

  Linux has been ported to a variety of processors not always suited for use as the processor of desktop or server computers, such as various CPUs including ARM, AVR32, ETRAX CRIS, FR-V, H8300, IP7000 , m68k, MIPS, mn10300, PowerPC,SuperH, or Xtensa processors, as an alternative to using a proprietary operating system and toolchain.

  The advantages of embedded Linux over proprietary embedded operating systems include no royalties or licensing fees, a stable kernel, a support base that is not restricted to the employees of a single software company, and the ability to modify and redistribute the source code.

  There are non-proprietary embedded operating systems that share the open-source advantages of Linux, without the memory requirements that make Linux unsuitable for many embedded applications.

  We would try to port Linux onto ARM Based Boards.

  • By the end of this module you should be:
    • Able to make choices for Embedded Linux.
    • Equipped to setup an ARM based Platform.
    • Able to understand the Linux Boot Process and Boot Loader.
    • Able to build your own Tool chain for ARM.
    • Be Able to Make your own Root File system for ARM based Embedded Linux.
    • Be able at Install Standard Applications for Embedded Linux.
    • Able to configure and Compile your own Linux kernel for Linux on ARM.
    • Able to customize, configure and port your own Embedded Operating System.
    • Write your own applications for Embedded Linux on ARM.
• After the training is over, you should be:
• Efficient with respect to programming in C, Data Structures, Advanced C, System C using gcc and Linux.
• Efficient in Embedded C and Keil.
• Able to understand and Design the Hardware for the Embedded Device.
• Able to understand the 8051 Micro-controllers Architecture.
• Able to Program Controllers using assembly and C.
• Able to write Shell Scripts.
• Able to understand Linux Internals and Linux System Concepts in depth.
• Able to do Linux System Programming.
• Able to interpret the Data-sheet for the given Hardware.
• Able to write device drivers from scratch using Linux.
• Able to accomplish writing a pseudo driver, character driver, block driver, serial port driver, parallel port driver, Ethernet network driver USB driver.
• Having architecture level understanding of the ARM Embedded Processors.
• Having good understanding about Embedded and Network protocols.
• Able to configure and customize Linux for ARM based boards.
• Able to Port Linux (Embedded O.S.) onto the ARM Based Boards.
• Understand the complete Life Cycle of the Embedded Device Design and Development.
• The Duration of Training is:
• 80 Classroom Sessions and 80 Lab Sessions.
• The Training must complete in 150 Days.