Slide 2: About the Textbook

By: Dr. Mouaaz Nahas

Embedded Systems802455

Umm Al-Qura University

Electrical Engineering Department

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Book cover page:

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Background

Embedded system development includes hardware and software.

Hardware development mainly includes: – microcontroller design.– the circuits (and transducers) interfaced with the

microcontroller.

Software development includes programming the microcontroller using any appropriate language, e.g. Ada, Assembly or C.3

Preview of the book

The book covers both hardware and software developments.

For software, programming in both Assembler and C is covered.

It provides three example PIC microcontrollers: 16F84A, the 16F873A and the 18F242.

The book is not a manual on PIC microcontrollers. 4

Book features

The book combines practical and theoretical knowledge (most topics are illustrated by practical application).

The book is based on different projects, where the main one is the Derbot Autonomous Guided Vehicle (AVG).

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Required knowledge

Book readers are expected to have a reasonable knowledge of:

– Electronics: understanding the basic operation of transistors and diodes, and simple analog and digital electronic subsystems.

– Computer architecture: gained by an introductory course on microprocessors.

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Chapters 1 – 6

The first six chapters can be used for a short one-semester course, covering an introduction to microcontrollers and their programming in Assembler.

The PIC 16F84A microcontroller is chosen as the example for these chapters (it is an excellent introductory microcontroller, due to its simplicity).

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Chapters 7 – 11

Chapters 7–11 can form an intermediate course using Assembler to program more complex systems.

The PIC 16F873A microcontroller is chosen as the example for these chapters.

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Chapters 12 – 20

Chapters 12–20 can be used to form an advanced embedded systems course.

This part is based on using C and the 18F242 microcontroller, and leading up to use of the RTOS.

However, from Chapters 7–20, lecturers can choose between C or Assembler and between the different microcontrollers.

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Development environment

The reader is expected to have access to the Microchip MPLAB® Integrated Development Environment (IDE), available on the book CD.

MPLAB® IDE allows the example programs (in the book) to be simulated and then modified and developed.

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Book subjects

The first few chapters, on PIC microcontroller architecture, represent an intensive introduction for beginners.

In Chapter 4, programming and simulation begin. From here, hardware and software run in parallel.

For the final third of the book, the Microchip C18 C compiler should be used (student version is also available on the book CD).

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Book subjects (Cont.)

For Chapter 19, the ‘Lite’ version of the SalvoTM RTOS can be installed, again from the book CD.

Building a real embedded system requires access to electronic build and test facilities, whether at home, college, university or workplace.

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Author’s recommendation

To cover a wider background, author recommends the reader to read his earlier book “An Introduction to the Design of Small-Scale Embedded Systems” (published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2001)

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