Embedded Systems and Microcomputer Organization Quiz

Introduction to Embedded Computer Systems and Typical Microcomputer Organization

• Embedded computer systems are part of another system and range from remote controls to automobiles and aircrafts.
• Embedded systems are typically smaller in size compared to desktops.
• A basic computer system consists of the Central Processing Unit (CPU), the memory unit, and the input and output units interconnected with buses.
• The Central Processing Unit consists of the arithmetic/logic unit (ALU), registers, and a control unit.
• The ALU performs arithmetic and logical operations on binary data while registers are used for storing data, addresses, or instructions.
• The Control Unit directs the operation of all other units and provides timing and control signals.
• The Memory Unit contains a large number of memory cells, usually RAM and ROM, and is used to store instruction sequences or programs and data resulting from processing.
• Input devices supply the data needed for processing or to tell the program how to operate on data.
• Output devices allow results of the computer operations to be supplied to the user.
• Input/output devices are also known as peripherals, and input/output ports are the interface circuits that provide appropriate electrical connections.
• The CPU is linked to other parts of the system by buses, which include the address bus, data bus, and control bus.
• The Address Bus is used by the CPU to send out the address of a memory location that is to be read from or written into, or the address of a particular input or output port. The Data Bus is bidirectional, and the Control Bus is used to carry signals that synchronize the activities of the separate blocks of the computer system.

Advancements in Computing Power and Processor Architecture

• Demand for computing power has increased due to the use of image and video data and analytics, which require large addressing space and the use of fractional or floating point numbers.
• Sophisticated control algorithms like fuzzy logic, neural networks, and statistical signal processing use a large amount of floating point numbers and matrix operations.
• Increases in performance can come about through processing speed, address manipulation, data precision, and changes in architecture.
• Manipulating data like sound, images, and video requires large storage and high speed, which can be achieved through the use of 32-bit addresses and 64-bit addresses that are becoming available.
• A unit of data manipulated is typically 8 bits or a byte, but more sophisticated manipulations require many more bits to prevent loss of precision.
• Changes in processor architecture can make data flow more efficiently, such as having two or more processing units that allow simultaneous fetching and processing of data.
• The Intel series of microprocessors became popular due to the IBM PC, and programs used then can still be run on today's desktop systems.
• Intel allowed later processors to run in Real, Protected, and Virtual 86 modes to provide compatibility with older programs.
• The use of the PC has brought about many thousands of hardware and software applications, leading to quick application development for sophisticated applications.
• ARM processors, which use reduced instruction set computing, were introduced in 1983 and are popular in mobile devices due to their low power consumption.
• ARM processors are designed by their parent company and licensed to other companies who customize the design by adding in hardware and peripherals, resulting in systems on a chip (SoC).
• SoC can include hardware like GPUs, analog radio frequency processing, and more, and the Broadcom version is used in the Raspberry Pi series of processors.