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

Prototyping the circuit board

A number of low-cost PCB prototype board vendors offer services to hobbyists and other small-scale clients. Some vendors require a set of Gerber files in industry-standard formats for production. Others will directly accept a KiCad project as their input, which saves some minor steps.

In this example, we will use OSH Park as the vendor. You can place orders with OSH Park at https://oshpark.com/. OSH Park produces prototype PCBs in a distinctive purple color directly from KiCad project files. The following figure shows the board top for the fifth revision of the oscilloscope project PCB:

Figure 6.27 – OSH Park PCB rendering for the oscilloscope project

At the time of this writing, OSH Park charges $10.00 per square inch to produce three copies of a four-layer PCB. Since our board is 2.5" x 2.5", the cost for three boards is $62.50 plus sales tax, and comes with a free shipping option.

When ordering a...