Embedded Firmware

Other System Components

Reset Circuit
 Reset Circuit is required to ensure that the device is not operating at a
voltage level where it is not guaranteed to operate, during system power on.
 It brings the internal registers and the different hardware systems to a
known state and starts the firmware execution from the reset vector
(normally 0x0000).
 Reset signal can be active high or low
 Reset signal can be applied at power on through an external passive reset
circuit comprising a capacitor and resistor or through a standard reset (Max
810 IC)
 Reset Pulse width can be adjusted by changing the resistance value R and
Capacitance C
 Other System Components
Reset Circuit

Since Processor operation is synchronized to a clock , reset pulse should be wide

enough to give time for clock oscillator to stabilize before the internal reset state
starts.
 Other System Components
Brown Out Protection Circuit
 Brown-out protection circuit prevents the processor / controller from unexpected
program execution behavior when the supply voltage falls below a specified
voltage which may lead to data corruption
 The Brown-out protection circuit holds the processor in reset state when the
operating voltage falls below the threshold, until it rises above the threshold
voltage
 Some Processors support built in brown out protection circuit to monitor internal
voltage supply and sometimes also connected externally
• The heart of this circuit is Zener diode DZ and transistor Q
• The transistor conducts always when the supply voltage Vcc is greater than that of
the sum of VBE and Vz the transistor conducts
• When the supply voltage falls below the sum of VBE and Vz , the transistor stops
conducting
 Other System Components
Brown Out Protection Circuit

Most useful in Battery operated devices

 Other System Components
Oscillator Circuit
 The instruction execution of a microprocessor or microcontroller occurs in
sync with a clock signal which is Analogous to the Heartbeat of living being
which synchronizes the execution of life
 Oscillator unit of the embedded system is responsible for generating the
precise clock for the processor
 Certain processors have inbuilt oscillator unit with external Ceramic /
crystal
 Quartz is normally mounted in hermetically sealed metal case with two
leads protruding out .
 For devices without inbuilt oscillator unit, Quartz crystal Oscillators are
available in the form of chips that can be used to generate the clock pulses
 Other System Components
Oscillator Circuit
 Other System Components
Oscillator Circuit

 Speed of operation of a processor is dependent on clock frequency

 The clock frequency is directly proportional to power consumption of the
total system
 The accuracy of the clock signal ensures accuracy of program execution
 The accuracy of the crystal oscillator or ceramic resonator is normally
expressed in terms of +/- ppm (Parts per million)
 Other System Components
Real Time Clock

 Real-Time Clock (RTC) is a system component responsible for keeping track

of time and is interfaced to Processor / Controller of the system
 RTC holds information in terms of time in 12/24 hour, Date, Month, Year
 It is intended to work even in absence of power
 RTCs are available in the form of Integrated Circuits which contain time and
date related information and has a battery backup
 For OS based ES, RTC is used for synchronizing the operations of OS Kernel
 RTC can interrupt OS kernel by asserting interrupt line of Processor
 RTC can be configured to interrupt the processor at predefined intervals or
to interrupt the processor when RTC register reaches a specified value