Module 4

Embedded System Hardware

• Embedded system hardware is frequently used in a
loop (“hardware in a loop“):
Popular Microcontrollers
• Intel 8051
• Microchip PIC
• Atmel AVR
• ARM
Lots of manufacturers ship ARM products
Introduction to ARM processor and its
architecture
• The Arm architecture provides the foundations for the design of a processor or core,
things we refer to as a Processing Element (PE).
• The ARM architecture processor is an advanced reduced instruction set computing [RISC]
machine and it’s a 32bit reduced instruction set computer (RISC).
• The ARM architecture comes with totally different versions like ARMv1, ARMv2, etc.,
and, each one has its own advantage and disadvantages.
• The ARM cortex is a complicated microcontroller within the ARM family that has ARMv7
design.
• There are 3 subfamilies within the ARM cortex family :
• ARM Cortex Ax-series
• ARM-Cortex Rx-series
• ARM-Cortex Mx-series
• A, R, and M
• WIC – Wake up interrupt controller ;
• NVIC – Nested vectored interrupt controller
• ETM - The Embedded Trace Macrocell - interface enables you to
connect an external ETM unit to the processor for real-time code and
data tracing of the core in an embedded system.
• The ETM interface collects various processor signals and drives these
signals from the processor.
• DAP - The Debug Access Port (DAP) is an implementation of an ARM
Debug Interface version 5.1 (ADIv5. ...
• All the supplied components fit into the various architectural
components for Debug Ports (DPs), which are used to access the DAP
from an external debugger and Access Ports (APs), to access on-chip
system resources.
• Booth multiplier ; Barrel shifter ; Control unit ; Register file
ARM architecture versions
Architecture Family

ARMv1 ARM1
ARMv2 ARM2, ARM3
ARMv3 ARM6, ARM7
ARMv4 StrongARM, ARM7TDMI, ARM9TDMI
ARMv5 ARM7EJ, ARM9E, ARM10E, Xscale
ARMv6 ARM11, ARM Cortex-M
ARMv7 ARM Cortex-A, ARM Cortex-M, ARM Cortex-R
ARMv8 Will support 64-bit addressing + data

18
ATmega328 Microcontroller
Pin number
Pin name

Special
function
Embedded processors
(MicroControllers )
• Programmed once by manufacturer of system
• Executes a single program (or a limited suite) with few parameters
• Task-specific
• can be optimized for specific application
• Interacts with environment in many ways
• direct sensing and control of signal wires
• communication protocols to environment and other devices
• real-time interactions and constraints
Microprocessors and
Microcontrollers
• A microprocessor unit (MPU) is a processor on
one silicon chip.
• Microcontrollers are used in embedded
computing.
• A Microcontroller unit (MCU) is a
microprocessor with some added circuitry on
one silicon chip.
A Single Chip Microcontroller Contains
Typical general-purpose architecture
Display
CPU Memor (with
y dual-port
video RAM)

system bus

I/O
(serial line, Networ
Dis
keyboard, k
k
mouse) Interfa
ce

all the parts around the

standard processor are usually required
interfaces
Typical task-specific architecture

Microcontro
ller

I/O
custo
Interf ROM RAM
m
ace
logic

any of the parts around the

microcontroller are optional

standard
interface
 Introduction to Embedded Systems & Microcontrollers

MCU Types
• MCUs can be classified according:
• MCU bits (e.g. 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit)
• Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)

CSEN701: Embedded Systems 29

MCU Bit Definition

• The number of bits describing the data

path defines Microcontroller Bit Definition
 Brief History of Python
• Invented in the Netherlands, early 90s by Guido van Rossum
• Named after Monty Python
• Open sourced from the beginning
• Considered a scripting language, but is much more
• Scalable, object oriented and functional from the beginning
• Used by Google from the beginning
• Increasingly popular
[Link]
The Python tutorial is good!
Installing
• Python is pre-installed on most Unix systems,
including Linux and MAC OS X
• The pre-installed version may not be the most
recent one (2.6.2 and 3.1.1 as of Sept 09)
• Download from [Link]
• Python comes with a large library of standard
modules
• There are several options for an IDE
• IDLE – works well with Windows
• Emacs with python-mode or your favorite text editor
• Eclipse with Pydev ([Link]
IDLE Development Environment

• IDLE is an Integrated DeveLopment Environ-ment for Python, typically

used on Windows
• Multi-window text editor with syntax highlighting, auto-completion,
smart indent and other.
• Python shell with syntax highlighting.
• Integrated debugger
with stepping, persis-
tent breakpoints,
and call stack visi-
bility
The Python Interpreter
• Typical Python implementations offer
both an interpreter and compiler
• Interactive interface to Python with a
read-eval-print loop
[finin@linux2 ~]$ python
Python 2.4.3 (#1, Jan 14 2008, 18:32:40)
[GCC 4.1.2 20070626 (Red Hat 4.1.2-14)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> def square(x):
... return x * x
...
>>> map(square, [1, 2, 3, 4])
[1, 4, 9, 16]
>>>
Running Interactively on UNIX
On Unix…
% python
>>> 3+3
6
• Python prompts with ‘>>>’.
• To exit Python (not Idle):
• In Unix, type CONTROL-D
• In Windows, type CONTROL-Z + <Enter>
• Evaluate exit()
Running Programs on UNIX
• Call python program via the python interpreter
% python [Link]
• Make a python file directly executable by
• Adding the appropriate path to your python
interpreter as the first line of your file
#!/usr/bin/python
• Making the file executable
% chmod a+x [Link]
• Invoking file from Unix command line
% [Link]
Example ‘script’: [Link]
#! /usr/bin/python
def fact(x):
"""Returns the factorial of its argument, assumed to be a posint"""
if x == 0:
return 1
return x * fact(x - 1)
print
print ’N fact(N)’
print "---------"
for n in range(10):
print n, fact(n)
Python Scripts
• When you call a python program from the command line the
interpreter evaluates each expression in the file
• Familiar mechanisms are used to provide command line arguments
and/or redirect input and output
• Python also has mechanisms to allow a python program to act both
as a script and as a module to be imported and used by another
python program
Example of a Script
#! /usr/bin/python
""" reads text from standard input and outputs any
email
addresses it finds, one to a line.
"""
import re
from sys import stdin
# a regular expression ~ for a valid email address
pat = [Link](r'[-\w][-.\w]*@[-\w][-\w.]+[a-zA-Z]{2,4}')
for line in [Link]():
for address in [Link](line):
print address
results
python> python [Link] <[Link]
bill@[Link]
gates@[Link]
steve@[Link]
bill@[Link]
python>
The Basics
A Code Sample (in IDLE)
x = 34 - 23 # A comment.
y = “Hello” # Another one.
z = 3.45
if z == 3.45 or y == “Hello”:
x=x+1
y = y + “ World” # String concat.
print x
print y
Enough to Understand the Code
• Indentation matters to code meaning
• Block structure indicated by indentation
• First assignment to a variable creates it
• Variable types don’t need to be declared.
• Python figures out the variable types on its own.
• Assignment is = and comparison is ==
• For numbers + - * / % are as expected
• Special use of + for string concatenation and % for string
formatting (as in C’s printf)
• Logical operators are words (and, or, not)
not symbols
• The basic printing command is print
Basic Datatypes
• Integers (default for numbers)
z = 5 / 2 # Answer 2, integer division
• Floats
x = 3.456
• Strings
• Can use “” or ‘’ to specify with “abc” == ‘abc’
• Unmatched can occur within the string: “matt’s”
• Use triple double-quotes for multi-line strings or
strings than contain both ‘ and “ inside of them:
“““a‘b“c”””
Whitespace
Whitespace is meaningful in Python: especially
indentation and placement of newlines
• Use a newline to end a line of code
Use \ when must go to next line prematurely
• No braces {} to mark blocks of code, use consistent
indentation instead
• First line with less indentation is outside of the block
• First line with more indentation starts a nested block
• Colons start of a new block in many constructs, e.g.
function definitions, then clauses
Comments
• Start comments with #, rest of line is ignored
• Can include a “documentation string” as the first
line of a new function or class you define
• Development environments, debugger, and other
tools use it: it’s good style to include one
def fact(n):
“““fact(n) assumes n is a positive
integer and returns facorial of n.”””
assert(n>0)
return 1 if n==1 else n*fact(n-1)
Assignment
• Binding a variable in Python means setting a name to hold a reference to
some object
• Assignment creates references, not copies
• Names in Python do not have an intrinsic type, objects have types
• Python determines the type of the reference automatically based on what data is
assigned to it
• You create a name the first time it appears on the left side of an
assignment expression:
x=3
• A reference is deleted via garbage collection after any names bound to it
have passed out of scope
• Python uses reference semantics (more later)
Naming Rules
• Names are case sensitive and cannot start with a number. They can
contain letters, numbers, and underscores.
bob Bob _bob _2_bob_ bob_2 BoB
• There are some reserved words:
and, assert, break, class, continue, def, del, elif,
else, except, exec, finally, for, from, global, if,
import, in, is, lambda, not, or, pass, print, raise,
return, try, while
Naming conventions
The Python community has these recommend-ed naming conventions
• joined_lower for functions, methods and, attributes
• joined_lower or ALL_CAPS for constants
• StudlyCaps for classes
• camelCase only to conform to pre-existing conventions
• Attributes: interface, _internal, __private
Assignment
• You can assign to multiple names at the same time
>>> x, y = 2, 3
>>> x
2
>>> y
3
This makes it easy to swap values
>>> x, y = y, x
• Assignments can be chained
>>> a = b = x = 2
Accessing Non-Existent Name
Accessing a name before it’s been properly created
(by placing it on the left side of an assignment),
raises an error

>>> y

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "<pyshell#16>", line 1, in -toplevel-
y
NameError: name ‘y' is not defined
>>> y = 3
>>> y
3
Sequence types: Tuples,
Lists, and Strings
Sequence Types
1. Tuple: (‘john’, 32, [CMSC])
∙ A simple immutable ordered sequence of
items
∙ Items can be of mixed types, including
collection types
2. Strings: “John Smith”
• Immutable
• Conceptually very much like a tuple
3. List: [1, 2, ‘john’, (‘up’, ‘down’)]
∙ Mutable ordered sequence of items of mixed
types
Similar Syntax
• All three sequence types (tuples, strings, and lists) share
much of the same syntax and functionality.
• Key difference:
• Tuples and strings are immutable
• Lists are mutable
• The operations shown in this section can be applied to all
sequence types
• most examples will just show the operation performed on
one
Sequence Types 1
• Define tuples using parentheses and commas
>>> tu = (23, ‘abc’, 4.56, (2,3),
‘def’)
• Define lists are using square brackets and commas
>>> li = [“abc”, 34, 4.34, 23]
• Define strings using quotes (“, ‘, or “““).
>>> st = “Hello World”
>>> st = ‘Hello World’
>>> st = “““This is a multi-line
string that uses triple quotes.”””
Sequence Types 2
• Access individual members of a tuple, list, or string
using square bracket “array” notation
• Note that all are 0 based…
>>> tu = (23, ‘abc’, 4.56, (2,3), ‘def’)
>>> tu[1] # Second item in the tuple.
‘abc’

>>> li = [“abc”, 34, 4.34, 23]

>>> li[1] # Second item in the list.
34

>>> st = “Hello World”

>>> st[1] # Second character in string.
‘e’
Positive and negative indices
>>> t = (23, ‘abc’, 4.56, (2,3),
‘def’)
Positive index: count from the left, starting with 0
>>> t[1]
‘abc’
Negative index: count from right, starting with –1
>>> t[-3]
4.56
Slicing: return copy of a subset
>>> t = (23, ‘abc’, 4.56, (2,3),
‘def’)

Return a copy of the container with a subset of the

original members. Start copying at the first index,
and stop copying before second.
>>> t[1:4]
(‘abc’, 4.56, (2,3))
Negative indices count from end
>>> t[1:-1]
(‘abc’, 4.56, (2,3))
Slicing: return copy of a =subset
>>> t = (23, ‘abc’, 4.56, (2,3),
‘def’)
Omit first index to make copy starting from
beginning of the container
>>> t[:2]
(23, ‘abc’)
Omit second index to make copy starting at first
index and going to end
>>> t[2:]
(4.56, (2,3), ‘def’)
Copying the Whole Sequence
• [ : ] makes a copy of an entire sequence
>>> t[:]
(23, ‘abc’, 4.56, (2,3), ‘def’)
• Note the difference between these two lines for
mutable sequences
>>> l2 = l1 # Both refer to 1 ref,
# changing one affects
both
>>> l2 = l1[:] # Independent copies,
two refs
The ‘in’ Operator
• Boolean test whether a value is inside a container:
>>> t = [1, 2, 4, 5]
>>> 3 in t
False
>>> 4 in t
True
>>> 4 not in t
False
• For strings, tests for substrings
>>> a = 'abcde'
>>> 'c' in a
True
>>> 'cd' in a
True
>>> 'ac' in a
False
• Be careful: the in keyword is also used in the syntax of for loops and list
comprehensions
The + Operator

The + operator produces a new tuple, list, or string whose value is the
concatenation of its arguments.

>>> (1, 2, 3) + (4, 5, 6)

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

>>> [1, 2, 3] + [4, 5, 6]

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

>>> “Hello” + “ ” + “World”

‘Hello World’
The * Operator

• The * operator produces a new tuple, list, or string that “repeats” the
original content.

>>> (1, 2, 3) * 3
(1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3)

>>> [1, 2, 3] * 3
[1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3]

>>> “Hello” * 3
‘HelloHelloHello’
 Mutability:
Tuples vs. Lists
Lists are mutable
>>> li = [‘abc’, 23, 4.34, 23]
>>> li[1] = 45
>>> li
[‘abc’, 45, 4.34, 23]

• We can change lists in place.

• Name li still points to the same memory
reference when we’re done.
Tuples are immutable
>>> t = (23, ‘abc’, 4.56, (2,3), ‘def’)
>>> t[2] = 3.14

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "<pyshell#75>", line 1, in -toplevel-
tu[2] = 3.14
TypeError: object doesn't support item assignment

• You can’t change a tuple.

• You can make a fresh tuple and assign its reference to a
previously used name.
>>> t = (23, ‘abc’, 3.14, (2,3), ‘def’)
• The immutability of tuples means they’re faster than
lists.
Operations on Lists Only
>>> li = [1, 11, 3, 4, 5]

>>> [Link](‘a’) # Note the

method syntax
>>> li
[1, 11, 3, 4, 5, ‘a’]

>>> [Link](2, ‘i’)

>>>li
[1, 11, ‘i’, 3, 4, 5, ‘a’]
The extend method vs +
• + creates a fresh list with a new memory ref
• extend operates on list li in place.
>>> [Link]([9, 8, 7])
>>> li
[1, 2, ‘i’, 3, 4, 5, ‘a’, 9, 8, 7]

• Potentially confusing:
• extend takes a list as an argument.
• append takes a singleton as an argument.
>>> [Link]([10, 11, 12])
>>> li
[1, 2, ‘i’, 3, 4, 5, ‘a’, 9, 8, 7, [10, 11, 12]]
Operations on Lists Only
Lists have many methods, including index, count, remove,
reverse, sort
>>> li = [‘a’, ‘b’, ‘c’, ‘b’]
>>> [Link](‘b’) # index of 1st
occurrence
1
>>> [Link](‘b’) # number of
occurrences
2
>>> [Link](‘b’) # remove 1st
occurrence
>>> li
[‘a’, ‘c’, ‘b’]
Operations on Lists Only
>>> li = [5, 2, 6, 8]

>>> [Link]() # reverse the list *in place*

>>> li
[8, 6, 2, 5]

>>> [Link]() # sort the list *in place*

>>> li
[2, 5, 6, 8]

>>> [Link](some_function)
# sort in place using user-defined comparison
Tuple details
• The comma is the tuple creation operator, not
parens
>>> 1,
(1,)

• Python shows parens for clarity (best practice)

>>> (1,)
(1,)

• Don't forget the comma!

>>> (1)
1

• Trailing comma only required for singletons others

• Empty tuples have a special syntactic form
>>> ()
()
>>> tuple()
()
Summary: Tuples vs. Lists
• Lists slower but more powerful than tuples
• Lists can be modified, and they have lots of handy operations and
mehtods
• Tuples are immutable and have fewer features
• To convert between tuples and lists use the list() and tuple()
functions:
li = list(tu)
tu = tuple(li)