Embedded systems and hardware architecture
An embedded system is a combination of hardware and software that is designed to perform a specific task. They are usually based on a microcontroller and microprocessors. In this section, we will take a quick look into different architecture elements of an embedded system and its hardware architecture including memory and communication between these devices. Pretty much everything that we use on a day-to-day basis are embedded devices, including mobile phones, DVD players, GPS systems, and intelligent voice assistants such as Alexa.
Embedded system basic architecture
The only difference between a micro-controller and a micro-processor is, micro-processors do not have RAM/ROM, which need to be added externally. Most of the embedded devices/systems today utilize micro controllers that have a CPU and fixed amount of RAM/ROM.
The following figure depicts the typical architecture components of a simple embedded device:
The components of an Embedded system...