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In this course, we will start our journey into the strange yet spectacular world of embedded systems, the place where the software meets the hardware!
Here is a link to the lesson in written format for those of you who learn better through reading
https://embeddedinventor.com/introduction-to-embedded-systems-embedded-101-course-part-1-2/
Recommended Resources:
https://embeddedinventor.com/study-materials/recommended-study-materials-basics-of-embedded-systems/
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Hello inventors! Welcome back to our course on embedded system. Excited to get
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started? Alright so let's begin. Embedded system come in a wide variety of sizes
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and complexities and hence are a bit hard to define. Let's try to get a basic
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understanding of what an embedded system really is and how to classify them. A
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A simpler definition would be, an embedded system is a special purpose computer, custom
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built to serve a specific purpose. Let me quote an example for you
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A calculator is a special purpose computer as compared to a laptop
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So what are special purpose computers? To understand that, let's first look at the other end of the spectrum, which is general
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purpose computers general purpose computers are those that we use every day like our desktops laptops and Macs even our smartphone and tablets are more
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towards the general purpose end of the spectrum which means they have more than
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one specific purpose for example even though the smartphones main purpose is
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communication through emails text voice and videos they are designed for other
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purposes like hearing songs listening audiobooks seeing videos reading ebooks browsing over the internet we all do that gaming and my favorite taking pictures
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Now that we have seen what general purpose computers are, let's get back to special purpose ones
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Special purpose computers are very specific to serve a particular function. A popular example is a calculator
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It's one and only job is to do calculations. Now the question is, what is the need of a calculator when we have a computer
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What is the point of having a special purpose computer when we have general purpose ones
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Every year, millions of calculators are being sold worldwide because people don't have
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always a need of a general purpose computer. purpose computers are sometimes an overkill. If you're running a small grocery shop, it's better
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to use a calculator than a MacBook Pro. Yeah, that makes sense. General purpose computers are
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expensive. A simple calculator costs 10 bucks compared to a 400 bucks laptop or a PC. General
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purpose computers can't do everything. If you are serious about photography, then it's better to use
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dslr then a smartphone so that you can get better quality pictures who doesn't like a better quality
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pictures right embedded system can come in different flavors the embedded systems can be broadly classified into three categories Subsystems standalone systems networked systems Let first look at the class
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of the embedded system called as embedded subsystems. The term embedded means placed
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inside something bigger. This flavor of embedded system is usually a part of a larger system
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In fact, this is from where the term embedded system was originally coined
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A popular example include a digital dashboard in your car. Here, the car is the larger system
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and the display is embedded inside the car. Other examples include the timing and display circuits of your microwave
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ovens, washing machines, and dishwashers. Even part of a computer like keyboard and
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a mouse are basically embedded system. Independently these embedded systems are useless but they aid to a larger system to do their tasks. Next let's have a look
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at another class of embedded system called as standalone embedded system. What are these standalone embedded systems? It's a device that can perform
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its function independently as the name suggests Examples include USB drivers which are used to store data MP3 players which can play music digital cameras which can take pictures and digital watches which tells us the time Although they are not embedded into something
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bigger, the components used and the techniques used to build these systems belong to the same
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class as the subsystem class of embedded systems and hence are viewed as embedded systems too
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Lastly, we have the class of embedded system called as network embedded system
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A famous example of this type of system is home automation. Here, several sensors are placed throughout your home and their collective duty is to perform home automation
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This is the latest trend in this field. more products are developed in this class of embedded system which combine
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electronics programming and networking all together there is a special subclass of this class where this network spans throughout the globe this type of system
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is popularly known as the Internet of Things or IOT for short in the next part
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of this series, we will learn about the brain of the embedded system, that is, the embedded software
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If you liked this video, a like and subscribe would do wonders to tell the YouTube algorithm
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to spread this course to more cool inventors like you. Thank you for watching, I will see you in the
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next one
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