Embedded systems are normally embedded in a bigger system to perform a specific job. So they are expected to consume power as minimum as possible. Any electronics device as such is designed to consume less power as they are expected to work with battery power supply too. Embedded systems again has to run with those little power supply provided for electronic devices.

Here are few tips to conserve energy:-

1. Avoid poll mode of operation
One should avoid polling of events and use interrupt instead. When the embedded system is not performing any task or just waiting for an event, it should always remain in power down mode with switching off all its unused peripherals.
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SMS ( short messaging service) can be used for SMS telemetry. SMS is a wonderful way of sending and receiving short information in wireless ( GSM and CDMA ) network. Though SMS is thought as a feature built in mobile phone, but there are other equipments too which can send and receive SMS. GSM modem is such product which uses a mobile SIM card, has a computer connectivity through USB or RS232 port.

GSM modems support AT commands as well as GSM specific commands like sending and receiving SMS. And it can be controlled by PC software through its RS232 ( USB ) port! So many applications like remote monitoring, remote activation, alerts could be developed using SMS!

It can also have application in remote monitoring of water level, temperature change alerts, same message to multiple recipient or broadcasting.

A typical example would be home security. Any burglar alarm could be connected to one GSM Modem and it would send an SMS to you apart from sounding alarm in police station even when you are away from home. Also, you could operate your washing machine, microwave oven, water pump remotely! How do you think about warming home from your office before you reach home remotely so that you enter into your ‘warm’ house ?

SMS has many potential application as it can exchange short messages ( upto 160 character per SMS) between two GSM modem.

Can PC be qualified as Embedded System ? How about a laptop ? And then there is SBC ( Single Board Computer).

According to me, A PC can also be a embedded system if it is used for specific job only. For example, if a PC is used for only word processing, there should not be any reason why it can not be called a embedded system for word processing! Though using word processing alone may not justify use of a PC, but that does not prevent terming a PC Embedded System for Word processing!

SBC : This is single board which contains all peripherals of a PC except the display! It contains, HDD, Processor, display cards, LAN etc. on a single board.

Laptop : Interestingly, laptop contains everything including battery back up or UPS too! So, by hardware or organisation, Laptop can be a embedded system.
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Most probably, many people will think DSP as deputy superintendent police. But in embedded world, DSP is one of those highly revered word and it is short form for digital signal processor. And also, for many electronics engineering students, it must have been one of those dreaded subjects, depending on which portion one sits in a class room. For people like us, who just scrapped through maths and electronics, it was topic to avoid.

But why DSP is so important today ? A simple statement may prepare you to appreciate power and importance of DSP, a simple DSP could be faster and more powerful than latest most famous general purpose chip P-IV at 3.8GHz! and while DSP might work at miserly 32MHz with as little as 50mA and 5V DC!
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Anyone who is related to the field of embedded system development must be aware about Starter Kits. It may mean many things in other fields, but it means almost literally in embedded systems. Starter Kits for any micro-controller, DSP contains essential tools required to learn and develop products, applications, solve real world problems using the particular MCU or DSP or FPGA!

Why Starter Kits ?
Without starter kits, it would have been difficult to learn about developing or writing programs for an MCU. Normally, a cycle of preparations takes place before you actually start writing codes for particular MCU or DSP.

1. Make small PCB with all required component to start up the MCU. Make various Test Points to test.
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DTMF ( Dualtone Multiple Frequency ) is one of the most widely used signaling in Telecom Domain. Though there are many chips available in the market for generating DTMF tones, here is an example how to generate DTMF using simple R2R ladder network and 8BIT I/O Port of an MCU.

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Where to start about embedded system ? The question is not clear! “Where to start learning embedded system development” might be the right question! For those embedded system enthusiasts! And for system integrators, most probably, “where to start using embedded system” is the correct question!

If some one wants to start learning how to develop embedded system, he must start with micro controllers and data sheet and than application notes.

Micro Controllers:
If one does not know about micro controllers yet, then most probably, he is reading the wrong article in wrong blog. Blame Google or Yahoo for landing you here!
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Since embedded system is a very specialised software used for specific tasks only, they have few common traits in them. Some of the common traits in all embedded software or embedded system are:
1. They perform one or few tasks.
2. They are constrained by size of the hardware, speed of processor as well as memory.
3. They work round the clock and has to recover automatically in case of any failure or unknown events.

There are several different types of software architecture in common use for any embedded system.

Simple control loop
In this design, the software simply has a loop. The loop calls subroutines, each of which manages a part of the hardware or software.
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There are many tools available for developing embedded systems. Just like any other software development process, embedded system developers use compilers, assemblers, and debuggers. There are other specific tools for developing embedded systems:

1. In circuit debuggers or emulators.
2. Utilities to add a checksum or CRC to a program, so the embedded system can check if the program is valid.
3. For systems using digital signal processing, developers may use a math workbench such as Scilab / Scicos, MATLAB / Simulink, EICASLAB, MathCad, or Mathematica to simulate the mathematics. They might also use libraries for both the host and target which eliminates developing DSP routines as done in DSPnano RTOS and Unison Operating System.
4. Custom compilers/Cross compiler and linkers may be used to improve optimisation for the particular hardware.
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Embedded Systems consist essentially of two main components
1. Hardware Component
Here, hardware component may not necessarily mean only electronic hardware like micro-controllers, other computing peripherals, but also it may mean various mechanical parts to do some real-world work/task or to solve real world problems.
2. Software Component
Now this may mean the embedded application or a complete computing environment with operating system, compiler/interpreter of programming languages and execution. Operating System used in embedded systems is called RTOS or real time operating system. Normally, embedded systems are constrained by size, speed and power supply too.
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