This book is the first in a series of three books
that teach the fundamentals of embedded systems as
applied to ARM® Cortex™-M3 microcontrollers. The
first volume, now in its 2nd Edition, is an introduction
to computers and interfacing focusing on assembly
language and C programming. The second volume focuses on
hardware/software interfacing and the design of embedded
systems. The third volume focuses on real-time operating
systems, digital signal processing, and digital control
systems. This first volume is an introductory book that
could be used at the college level with little or no
prerequisites. An embedded system is a system that
performs a specific task and has a computer embedded
inside. A system is comprised of components and
interfaces connected together for a common purpose. This
book is an introduction to embedded systems. Specific
topics include microcontrollers, fixed-point numbers,
the design of software in assembly language and C,
elementary data structures, programming input/output
including interrupts, analog to digital conversion,
digital to analog conversion. This book employs many
approaches to learning. It will not include an
exhaustive recapitulation of the information in data
sheets. First, it begins with basic fundamentals, which
allows the reader to solve new problems with new
technology. Second, the book presents many detailed
design examples. These examples illustrate the process
of design. There are multiple structural components that
assist learning. Checkpoints, with answers in the back,
are short easy to answer questions providing immediate
feedback while reading. Simple homework, with answers to
the odd questions on the web, provides more detailed
learning opportunities. The book includes an index and a
glossary so that information can be searched. The most
important learning experiences in a class like this are
of course the laboratories. Each chapter has suggested
lab assignments. |
|