EEE 204

Introduction to Embedded
Systems
Asst. Prof. Dr Mahmut AYKAÇ

INTRODUCTION
Course Content and Schedule
1. Introduction to Embedded Systems (Lecture 1)
2. Number Systems and Data Formats (Lecture 2)
3. Microcomputer Organization (Lecture 3 and 4)
4. Assembly Language Programming on Embedded Processor (Lecture 5, 6 and 7)
5. Fundamentals of Interfacing (Lecture 7)
6. Embedded Programming Using C (Lecture 7 and 8)
7. Introduction to Interrupts (Lecture 9)
8. Pull up/down resistors, timers and counters (Lecture 10)
9. Analog to Digital Converters (Lecture 11)

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 Reference Books & Grading
1. Introduction to Embedded Systems Using Microcontrollers and the MSP430, Manuel
Jiménez, Rogelio Palomera, Isidoro Couvertier
2. Embedded Circuit Desing Using MSP430 series, Chris Nagy
3. Embedded System Design using MSP430 LaunchPad Development Kit, Texas
Instrument Company
4. Embedded Systems Design Using the MSP430FR2355 LaunchPad, Brock J. LaMeres

Score = Midterm Exams (20%+20%) + Laboratory 20% + Final Exam 40%

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Embedded System?
There are many definitions for this. Here are some…

 An embedded system is a special‐purpose computer system designed to perform one or a

few dedicated functions with real‐time computing constraints include hardware, software
and mechanical parts. OR….

 An embedded system is a microprocessor‐based system that is built to control a function

or range of functions and is not designed to be programmed by the end user in the same
way that a PC is. OR…
 An embedded system can be broadly defined as a device that contains tightly coupled
hardware and software components to perform a single function

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 Early Forms of Embedded Systems
The concept of an embedded system is as old as the concept of a an electronic
computer, and in a certain way, it can be said to precede the concept of a general
purpose computer. If we look a the earliest forms of computing devices, they
adhere better to the definition of an embedded system than to that of a general
purpose computer.

Fig. 1 Control panel and paper tape transport view Fig. 2 Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC), was part of
of a Colossus Mark II computer, used to break the guidance and navigation system used by NASA
encrypted teleprinter German messages during in the Apollo program for various spaceships.
WorldWar II
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Birth of Modern Embedded Systems
The beginning of the decade of 1970 witnessed the development of the first
microprocessor designs. By the end of 1971, almost simultaneously and
independently, design teams working for Texas Instruments, Intel, and the US Navy
had developed implementations of the first microprocessors.
The i4004 recognized as the first commercial, stand‐alone single chip
microprocessor, was launched by Intel in November 1971.

Figure Intel 4004

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Birth of Modern Embedded Systems
Gary Boone from Texas Instruments was awarded in 1973 the patent of the first
single‐chip microprocessor architecture for its 1971 design of the TMS1000. This
chip was a 4‐bit CPU that incorporated in the same die 1K of ROM and 256 bits of
RAM to offer a complete computer functionality in a single‐chip, making it the first
microcomputer‐on‐a‐chip (also known as microcontroller).

Figure TMS1000

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Evolution of Modern Embedded Systems
 Microprocessor designs soon evolved from 4‐bit to 8‐bit CPUs. By the end of the
1970s, the design arena was dominated by 8‐bit CPUs and the market for
microprocessors‐based embedded applications had grown to hundreds of millions
of dollars.

 The list of initial players grew to more than a dozen of chip manufacturers that,
besides Texas Instruments and Intel, included Motorola, Zilog, Intersil, National
Instruments, MOS Technology, and Signetics, to mention just a few of the most
renowned.

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Evolution of Modern Embedded Systems
 Remarkable parts include the Intel 8080 that eventually evolved into the famous
80×86/Pentium series, the Zilog Z‐80, Motorola 6800 and MOS 6502. The evolution
in CPU sizes continued through the 1980s and 1990s to 16‐, 32‐, and 64‐bit
designs, and now‐a‐days even some specialized CPUs crunching data at 128‐bit
widths. In terms of manufacturers and availability of processors, the list has grown
to the point that it is possible to find over several dozens of different choices for
processor sizes 32‐bit and above, and hundreds of 16‐ and 8‐bit processors.

Fig.1 Intel 80x86 Fig.2 Zilog Z‐80 Fig.3 Motorola 6800 Fig.4 MOS 6502

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 Contemporary Embedded Systems
To better illustrate the case, consider the application illustrated in Figure, corresponding to a generic multimedia player. The
system provides audio input/output capabilities, a digital camera, a video processing system, a hard‐drive, a user interface
(keys, a touch screen, and graphic display), power management and digital communication components.

Figure Generic multi‐function media player

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Contemporary Embedded Systems (Examples)
A ventilator is a machine that provides mechanical ventilation by moving
breathable air into and out of the lungs, to deliver breaths to a patient who is
physically unable to breathe, or breathing insufficiently

Figure A ventilator system design

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Contemporary Embedded Systems (Examples, cont…)
Popular video game consoles…

Figure 1 Xbox One Figure 2 Play Station 2

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Structure of an Embedded System
 Regardless of the function performed by an embedded system, the broadest view
of its structure reveals two major, tightly coupled sets of components: a set of
hardware components that include a central processing unit, typically in the form
of a microcontroller; and a series of software programs, typically included as
firmware, that give functionality to the hardware.

Figure General view of an embedded system

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Structure of an Embedded System
 Typical inputs in an embedded system are process variables and parameters that
arrive via sensors and input/output (I/O) ports.

 The outputs are in the form of control actions on system actuators or processed
information for users or other subsystems within the application. In some
instances, the exchange of input‐output information occurs with users via some
sort of user interface that might include keys and buttons, sensors, light emitting
diodes (LEDs), liquid crystal displays (LCDs), and other types of display devices,
depending on the application.

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Hardware Components
When viewed from a general perspective, the hardware components of an
embedded system include all the electronics necessary for the system to perform
the function it was designed for.
Three core hardware components are essential in an embedded system:
1. The CPU executes software instructions to process the system inputs and to
make the decisions that guide the system operation.
2. Memory stores programs and data necessary for system operation.
3. The I/O ports allows conveying signals between the CPU and the world external
to it.

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Hardware Components
In addition to core hardware components…
1. Communication ports for serial and/or parallel information
2. User interfaces to interact with humans
3. Sensors and electromechanical actuators
4. Data converters (Analog ‐ to ‐ Digital (ADC) and/or Digital ‐ to ‐ Analog (DAC))
5. Diagnostics and redundant components
6. System support components
7. Other sub‐systems to enable functionality, that might include Application
Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC)

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Software Components
The software components of an embedded system include all the programs
necessary to give functionality to the system hardware.
The major components identified in a system software include:
1. System Tasks. The application software in embedded systems is divided into a
set of smaller programs called Tasks. Each task handles a distinct action in the
system and requires the use of specific System Resources. (Application software
such as Word, Excel, WinRAR etc.)
2. System Kernel. The software component that handles the system resources in
an embedded application is called the Kernel. System resources are all those
components needed to serve tasks. These include memory, I/O devices, the
CPU itself, and other hardware components (Core of System Software such as
Linux).
3. Services. Tasks are served through Service Routines. A service routine is a piece
of code that gives functionality to a system resource (Device drivers such as
Ethernet and Graphics card driver software).
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Software Components
Following figure illustrates the software structure in a typical embedded system

Figure Software structure in an embedded system

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Classification of Embedded Systems
Small Embedded Systems
This class is typically centered around a single microcontroller chip that
commands the whole application These systems are highly integrated, adding only
a few analog components, sensors, actuators, and user‐interface, as needed. These
systems operate with minimal or no maintenance, are very low cost, and produced
in mass quantities.

Figure LCD brightness control using Arduino UNO

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Classification of Embedded Systems
Distributed Embedded Systems
These are typically board‐level systems where, although robustness is not a
critical issue, maintenance and updates are required, and include some means of
systems diagnosis. Applications might require high‐performance operations.
Applications like video processors, video game controllers, data loggers, and
network processors are examples of this category.

Fig.2 A video game controller

Fig.1 A car

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Classification of Embedded Systems
High‐Performance Embedded Systems
These systems usually require dedicated ASICS (Application‐Specific Integrated
Circuits), are typically distributed, might include DSPs (Digital Signal Processors)
and FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) as part of the basic hardware. They
are produced in small quantities and their cost is very high. These are the type of
embedded systems used in military and aerospace applications, such as flight
controllers, missile guidance systems, and space craft navigation systems.

Figure From NASA’s Space Communication and

Navigation Program
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The Life Cycle of Embedded Designs
Embedded systems have a finite lifespan throughout which they undergo different
stages, going from system conception or birth to disposal and in many cases,
rebirth. We call this the Life Cycle of an Embedded System. Five stages can be
identified in the cycle: Conception or Birth, Design, Growth, Maturity, and Decline.
Figure illustrates the sequence of these stages, and the critical phases that
compose each stage.

Figure Life cycle of an embedded system

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The Life Cycle of Embedded Designs
• An embedded design is first conceived by the identification of a need to
solve a particular problem, or the opportunity to apply embedded
technology to an old problem.
• In the design stage, the system goes first through a phase of functional
design, where proof‐of‐concept prototypes are developed. This phase
allows to tune the system functionality to fit the application for which it
was designed.
• The growth stage initiates with the production of the system to supply an
estimated market demand.
• In the maturity stage, the product is kept functional and up to date. This
involves providing technical support, periodic maintenance, and servicing.
• In the decline stage, system components become obsolete and difficult to
obtain, driving the cost of maintenance, service, and upgrades to levels
that approach or exceed those of replacing the whole system at once.

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Design Constraints
These are systems with a high cost sensitivity to the resources included in a design due to the
high volumes in which they are produced. Moreover, designs need to be completed,
manufactured and launched in time to hit a market window to maximize product revenues.
These constraints shape the design of embedded applications from beginning to end in their life
cycle.
Functionality: The system ability to perform the function it was designed for.
Cost: The amount of resources needed to conceive, design, produce, maintain, and
discard an embedded system.
Performance: The system ability to perform its function on time.
Size: Physical space taken by a system solution.
Power and Energy: Energy required by a system to perform its function.
Time to Market: The time it takes from system conception to deployment.
Maintainability: System ability to be kept functional for the longest of its mature life.

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