Embedded Systems
Microprocessor vs Microcontroller
Architecture differences (Von Neumann vs Harvard).
Design Life Cycle
Waterfall model, V-model.
Hardware Software Co-design
Partitioning tasks.
ARM Cortex-M Architecture
M3/M4 pipeline, bus matrix.
Programmers Model
Registers R0-R15, xPSR.
Stack Memory
MSP vs PSP stacks, operation.
Memory Map
Code, SRAM, Peripheral bit-band regions.
Instruction Set
Thumb-2 instruction set highlights.
Exception Handling
Entry/Exit sequences, tail-chaining.
GPIO Programming
Pin configuration, input/output modes, pull-up/down.
Interrupts and NVIC
Nested Vectored Interrupt Controller concepts.
Interrupt Priority
Preemption priority vs sub-priority.
External Interrupts
EXTI line configuration.
Timer Basics
Up/Down counting, pre-scaler, auto-reload.
SysTick Timer
System timer for OS heartbeats.
Input Capture
Measuring pulse width and frequency.
Output Compare
Generating precise delays and signals.
PWM Generation
Pulse Width Modulation for motor control, LED dimming.
Watchdog Timer
Independent vs Windowed watchdog.
Real Time Clock
RTC features and backup domain.
UART
Asynchronous serial protocol, baud rate, framing.
SPI
Synchronous serial, master-slave, clock polarity/phase.
I2C
Two-wire interface, addressing, acknowledgement.
CAN Bus
Controller Area Network, arbitration ID.
USB Basics
Enumeration, endpoints, pipes.
ADC Types
SAR, Flash, Sigma-Delta architectures.
ADC Interfacing
Sampling rate, resolution, reference voltage.
DAC Interfacing
R-2R ladder, PWM filtering.
Temperature Seniors
LM35, Thermistors, interfacing.
Accelerometers
MEMS sensor basics, I2C interface.
Interfacing LCD
16x2 Character LCD 4-bit mode.
Interfacing Keypad
Matrix keypad scanning.
IoT Architectures
Edge, Fog, Cloud computing.
IoT Wireless Protocols
WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee comparison.
BLE
Bluetooth Low Energy GATT/GAP.
MQTT Protocol
Publish-Subscribe model for IoT.
CoAP
Constrained Application Protocol.
RTOS Concepts
Real-Time Operating System vs GPOS.
Task Management
TCB, states (Ready, Running, Blocked).
Task Scheduling
Preemptive vs Cooperative scheduling, Round Robin.
Inter-Task Communication
Queues, Semaphores, Mutexes.
Priority Inversion
Problem and inheritance protocol solution.
Deadlocks
Conditions and prevention.
Low Power Design
Sleep modes, clock gating.
Bootloader
Startup code, firmware update process.
PCB Design Basics
Schematic to layout, layers, EMI rules.
Embedded Systems Overview
Definition, constraints, design metrics.