Book Image

Architecting High-Performance Embedded Systems

By : Jim Ledin
4 (1)
Book Image

Architecting High-Performance Embedded Systems

4 (1)
By: Jim Ledin

Overview of this book

Modern digital devices used in homes, cars, and wearables contain highly sophisticated computing capabilities composed of embedded systems that generate, receive, and process digital data streams at rates up to multiple gigabits per second. This book will show you how to use Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and high-speed digital circuit design to create your own cutting-edge digital systems. Architecting High-Performance Embedded Systems takes you through the fundamental concepts of embedded systems, including real-time operation and the Internet of Things (IoT), and the architecture and capabilities of the latest generation of FPGAs. Using powerful free tools for FPGA design and electronic circuit design, you’ll learn how to design, build, test, and debug high-performance FPGA-based IoT devices. The book will also help you get up to speed with embedded system design, circuit design, hardware construction, firmware development, and debugging to produce a high-performance embedded device – a network-based digital oscilloscope. You’ll explore techniques such as designing four-layer printed circuit boards with high-speed differential signal pairs and assembling the board using surface-mount components. By the end of the book, you’ll have a solid understanding of the concepts underlying embedded systems and FPGAs and will be able to design and construct your own sophisticated digital devices.
Table of Contents (15 chapters)
1
Section 1: Fundamentals of High-Performance Embedded Systems
5
Section 2: Designing and Constructing High-Performance Embedded Systems
10
Section 3: Implementing and Testing Real-Time Firmware

Designing system-level tests

At this point in the system development process, we will assume that our high-performance embedded device has been designed and constructed, and that an initial checkout of its basic functionality indicates everything appears to be working properly. It is time to subject the system prototype to a comprehensive set of tests to ensure it behaves as intended under all anticipated operating conditions, as well as in response to all forms of valid and invalid user input.

While this may seem straightforward, it is in fact a formidable challenge. As a simple example, consider a system that merely accepts as input a text string entered by the user. If the length of the string is not restricted, the universe of potential inputs is effectively infinite. It will never be possible to test all possible inputs the system might receive. Even for a simple system such as this, we must carefully decide what kinds of tests are needed and how much testing is enough.

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