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

Introducing KiCad

The KiCad suite installs a set of applications that perform the following functions:

  • Schematic entry: Schematic entry is the process of describing an electrical circuit using a diagram that shows the circuit components and the connections between them. In KiCad, you select from a palette-based set of tools to choose electrical components, arrange them on the drawing canvas, and connect them together with lines that represent wires.
  • Component definition: KiCad includes a large set of definitions for common electrical components. Additional libraries are available for free from a variety of online sources. Despite the availability of a large set of predefined devices, you will occasionally need to define a component that isn't in the library. KiCad provides tools to describe the electrical connections of a device in terms of pins and their functions, and to define a footprint for the device. The footprint of an electrical component describes the connections...