We already introduced the basic concepts of real-time operating systems (RTOS) and now we will take a deeper look into one of the most important things when designing an embedded system using an RTOS - the scheduling of the tasks and the algorithms that are used. Scheduling Process Scheduling is the process of deciding which
Embedded systems are microcontroller-based systems that are designed to perform specific functions such as reading sensor data, responding to external events, communicating with other systems, controlling processes, etc. The tricky part is to make the distinction of what exactly qualifies such a system as real-time. Aren't all embedded systems operating in real-time? In order for
In the context of programming, there are many different definitions of what a function is, but in general, we can say that a function is a named piece of code that performs a specific task. Functions may have different names (e.g methods, subroutines, etc.) in some languages. The function itself is just a regular code,
Communication is crucial when it comes to embedded systems. Whether we are reading data from a sensor or sending information to another device we always rely on some type of communication interface (e.g I2C, SPI, UART, etc. ). In a perfect world, we would not have to worry about the factors that can make our
Algorithms are ubiquitous and are used in almost every aspect of our lives. Choosing the right algorithm for performing a specific task is no trivial matter. In the best case scenario, the algorithm not only performs its job, but it does it using the least amount of resources. The most relevant resources when it comes
One of the most common scenarios in embedded system design is the need for getting information from the surrounding environment. This is done by using various types of sensors (e.g temperature, humidity, pressure, etc. ). The data from these sensors always have some difference from the real true value being measured. Our goal as designers
In this article, we will explain the functionality of two very important electronic circuit elements: digital buffer and tri-state digital buffer. Buffer At first glance, the functionality of a digital buffer may seem very simple: the value at its input is propagated to its output. Fig. 1 Buffer symbol and truth table If the buffer
Microcontrollers use pins for interfacing with the outside world. In general, the pins are the physical points on the package of an integrated circuit (IC) where a connection can be made to the printed circuit board. Behind each pin (inside the IC) there is a special circuitry used for driving it. This circuitry (usually called a
Microprocessor instruction pipelining is a hardware implementation that allows multiple instructions to be simultaneously processed through the instruction cycle. This is enabled by the instruction cycle itself as it divides the operations that have to be performed on each instruction into standalone phases (e.g decode, fetch, execute). In the context of the pipeline, we call
Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) specifies the instructions that a microprocessor can execute. It can be viewed as a programmer's manual. It clearly defines everything needed for writing either a compiler or machine language program for a microprocessor supporting particular ISA. The ISA itself does not contain hardware implementations details. There can be microprocessors with different
