
What is an embedded system? 11
Examples
This section will go through some example embedded
systems and briefly outline the type of functionality that each
offers.
Microcontroller
Microcontrollers can be considered as self-contained sys-
tems with a processor, memory and peripherals so that in many
cases all that is needed to use them within an embedded system is
to add software. The processors are usually based on 8 bit stack-
based architectures such as the MC6800 family. There are 4 bit
versions available such as the National COP series which further
reduce the processing power and reduce cost even further. These
are limited in their functionality but ...