various platforms in embedded systems

[krishnabose]

hello,
recently i got job in embedded field.
right now, i am working on FPGAS & MICRO CONTROLLERS.
i want to know about what are various fields in embedded, apart from FPGA.
how will be the future for this field.
and if i want to become a successful engineer in this field..what sort of knowledge i should gain??.... that means ...i should be familiar with????
please help me out by answering these questions....thanking you....

 

[mandar_mahajan]

Hey man , same feild.....

how will be the future for this field??

Don't exactly know?? But one of the senior person in this feild tells that, needy people go out with lalteen in search for engineers.....


and if i want to become a successful engineer in this field..what sort of knowledge i should gain??.... that means ...i should be familiar with????

U should be familier with 8051 family(spi,i2c,timers.interrupts,etc..) , c lang, basic assembly lang, theory related to 8051 family processors && use mazidi book for referance....



Regards
mandar

 

[bobcat1]

HI

For allmost 10 years I serve as an expert in the filed of embedded system.

I have worked with "allmost all" microcontroller & processor known in the world.

From my point of view there are several category in this field and each has its own special needs.

1) Hi end machine who use Power full microprocessor,FPGA and DSP for signal processing in the range of 600MHz and up to 2GHz - like the INTEL ATOM , MARVEL and some hi real DSP like the TI TMS320x6 (top of the range embedded)

2) Mid range system who need lower processing rate in the range 150MHZ - 600MHZ (ARM9,Blackfin best microprocessor)

3) Low range 32 bit microcontroller (no more microprocessor) like the ARM7,9,Cortex,PIC32,

4) Mid low range With the 16 bit microcontroller like the MSP430,MAX-Q,PIC24,AVR32

5) lowest range of 8 bit micro like the 8051,PIC16,18 , AVR,etc

Depnd on the level of salary you are asking to get - you should get experience the the field you choose to work in.

As complicated the field is as a gerter salary you will get ( mostly with the software design - less in hardware design)

All the best

Bobi

The microcontroller specialist

 

[mandar_mahajan]

Hi Bobi,
it feels really good knowing about ur vast knowledge .
What u told is exactly right.

I am just a beginner(1 year experience) in this vast world & works on 8 bit 8051 family processor.

 

[JoKKeR]

Hi !

Seems that you have a great knowledge about talk you talk, had much experience and made a remarkable progress in this field of area, a embedded systems, a field you are so good at.

There is a great possibility that i may need some help, an advise maybe .... from someone experienced as you are, Bobi. Id be very grateful

Iv had very little experience in a area, id like to be part of and to take on a project for a company im working at, school where im learning and for myself as a experience i so much need.
---

The project...
I was given a opportunity to design a "new model" "heat system automatic regulator". The existing one got some disadvantages, because it is based on OP amps, it takes too much time to calibrate and to produce.

The purpose of this devise is to operate a valve considering data coming from sensors. ( i have added a image: a body of devise )



I have some experience writing a program for MCU. Because of that, i bealive that i can manage a program, a coding part, but i got almost no experience in a hardware part.

I badly need help to make choices for a value based product complication/design. Choices like: Which MCU to choose, will it handle the application, could it be a bottleneck in application work flow ... and so on.

Here are some "must be" features and functions.

-----   3 ADC + V ref* maybe it would be good idea to change sensor, atm. it is a calibrated rtd.

-----   1 IO pin to drive MOSFET to drive DC motor with gear mechanism ( probably wont change) 

-----   2 or 3 IO pins for manual communication with master controller


----------[b] NO UI. [/b]---------

------ 4 ADC for potentiometers for setup purpose. 

------ 1 or 2 pin/s for indication leds 


--------- [b]IF GLCD  or Char. LCD[/b]---------

----- At least 14 pins to drive GLCD

----- At least 5 pins for UI, some push buttons maybe.


--------- [b]IF GLCD with touchscreen[/b] ----- 

----- Touchscreen controller :(
----- No need for buttons.

So much more and more better could be done using user interface.

...................................................

There is already something done, it is very little, barely started project and there was already a problem ... There were some progressive floating point calculations used, (dont know why, have seen it), but the bottleneck was RAM. I really have no idea why mcu cant do a OP amp. application job and im not sure it was done as good as it might be done.

Previously i had no experience with GLCD, so i got no idea, will 8bit PIC MCU hande UI or not.

.......................................................

Im still very unsure about many, many things. Im not sure that i gave description clear enough, not sure about what i want, what i need and how will i accomplish whole thing.

Id be very grateful and appreciated if you & you people will be even a smallest part of this project.
Even if it is just a opinion, Your way of doing it, small advise or a comment about things you know about, I do not.

"All i know,i know nothing" So, Please, be so good and contribute anything, anything i may find useful even for smallest bit.

I really want it, i really want this project to be done as good as possible. Id try as hard as i need to achieve that AND I believe that i can do it with Your help and appreciation

For my my side ill do all i could. Ill try to reply as fast and as good as i can.
Ill definitely send, to You later, a updates about progress i made as pm or mail, just considering you as interested, to hear about it and fact what you were a part IN it.


Have a Good day !

 

[bobcat1]

HI

Search ATMEL site for micro controller application note - you will find an application for PID system

As far as i remember the code was written in C language so you can basically use it on any micro controller

All the best

Bobi

The microcontroller specialist

 

[JoKKeR]

Thank you !

PID algorithm is what i definelty need ...

Do you have any experiance using it or something like it.

Maybe you can superficially tell how much RAM library like it will consumbe on operation cycle ?

 

[bobcat1]

Hi

I don't believe RAM is an issue when deigning PID control loop

But you will surely need some 100 byte for averaging the A/D value (depend on your A/D sample time and speed)

And some more byte for the main PID loop

All the best

Bobi

The microcontroller specialist