Embedded Systems: microprocessors and microcontrollers
An embedded system is a type of computer that can perform a few specialized tasks. This design is contrary to the normal computer designed to perform many operations that are unrelated to each other in many cases. Embedded systems are present in many of the devices used today and act as their control units. The main issue with embedded systems is their optimality in terms of cost, space and power consumption, etc., as there is no focus on increasing the functionality of the device. The term embedded system can thus, be used to refer to devices that perform certain specific functions and cannot be used to perform others by loading applications on them. Typical features of embedded systems Many of the embedded systems have several hardware restraints as they have to process real-time inputs and be safe to use. Others may not have some of these constraints, and thus, a reduction in the cost of the hardware used is possible. The term embedded system does not refer to isolated devices but rather, they are a part of the device they control or perform some other task in. The software that is used in embedded systems is usually termed firmware. The…