Professional Embedded ARM Development

Chapter 2

ARM Embedded Systems

WHAT’S IN THIS CHAPTER?

• Understanding the concept of an embedded system
• Understanding why ARM processors are used in embedded systems
• Choosing the right processor for the job
• Getting the necessary tools
• Knowing the different products used for embedded development

Imagine you’re scheduled for a big project, one of the company’s strategic sales. You’ve just finished a project, and you take the weekend off to relax. On your way home, you go to the store to pick up one of the latest computer games you’ve heard about. On the box, you see the system requirements — a guide to what is needed to play the game in optimal conditions. Looks like your home computer is up to it, so you buy the game and go home. Sure enough, the game does run, but on the box it says that the game requires 4 gigabytes of memory, but 8 is recommended. You have only 4, and you can feel that it is a little slow from time to time. Never mind, the shop is only 5 minutes away! You return and buy another 4 gigabytes of memory. When you return, you open up the computer, install the memory, and turn the computer back on. The system beeps, the screen flickers, and within a few seconds, the screen tells you that you now have 8 gigabytes of memory. The operating system fires up, and after a few seconds, you can run your game. And yes, it is much faster; you have no excuse not getting past the first level!

A lot has happened here. A few months ago, a team of developers were creating this game. ...