How much more difficult is embedded development than microcontroller development?

huaqingyuanjian

How much more difficult is embedded development than microcontroller development? [Copy link]

 

A single chip microcomputer is a single module that can perform calculations, logic control, communication and other functions. A single chip microcomputer is a single module that can perform calculations, logic control, communication and other functions. Generally speaking, embedded refers to embedded systems. Embedded systems are systems that combine application programs, operating systems, and computer hardware. They are application-centric, based on computer technology, with customizable software and hardware. They are dedicated computer systems that target user applications with special requirements for functions, reliability, cost, size, power consumption, and usage environment.

Compared with the performance parameters, the processing power of the single-chip microcomputer is relatively low, and the main frequency is mostly around tens of M, which is quite different from the processing speed of hundreds or thousands of M of embedded systems. In addition, the single-chip microcomputer does not have the processing capability of the graphical interface, that is, the lack of GPU makes it almost impossible for the single-chip microcomputer to drive the graphical interface.

The storage space of the MCU is not at the same level as that of the embedded processor. The MCU usually has only a few KB of on-chip storage, and due to the limitation of peripherals, it is unlikely to increase the peripheral eMMC on a large scale. The embedded processor usually has hundreds of megabytes of RAM. Such a huge difference makes it almost impossible for the MCU to run the operating system like the embedded processor, and even the TCP/IP protocol stack and USB protocol stack cannot run. Some high-end MCUs, such as ST's STM32 series, may be able to run some lightweight system OS and embedded network protocol stacks, such as the IwIP protocol stack.

The rich and powerful performance of the embedded processor determines that it can complete more applications that the single-chip microcomputer cannot complete, such as network communication functions, video transmission processing functions, etc. When the peripheral storage is increased, the embedded processor can easily run various Linux systems and graphical GUI interfaces.

There is also a big difference between MCU and embedded system in the development method, that is, the difference in the compilation process. MCU is mainly developed under graphical interface such as Windows. There are many mature IDE tools at present, so it is very quick to get started.

Embedded development is generally carried out under Linux. The C code must be compiled on the host computer, and then the compiled file must be burned into the development board through the system image or uboot boot. In addition, there is no IDE like Windows under Linux, which means that compilation and linking of source code must be done by the developer himself, which also increases the difficulty of embedded development.

damiaa

It's all the result of time.

lugl4313820

Compared with the performance parameters, the processing power of the single-chip microcomputer is relatively low, and the main frequency is mostly around tens of Mbps, which is quite different from the processing speed of hundreds or thousands of Mbps of embedded systems.

Now many MCUs can run at 600M, and the progress has been very rapid in recent years.

beyond_笑谈

I have written microcontroller programs before. If it is just a simple program, it would take a few days. But after a few days, I can't figure out how to get started with Linux.

秦天qintian0303

I feel that the development of embedded systems is also application development on the operating system, but there is an additional underlying firmware development.

lugl4313820

Embedded development is generally carried out under Linux. The C code must be compiled on the host computer, and then the compiled file must be burned into the development board through the system image or uboot boot. In addition, there is no IDE like Windows under Linux, which means that compilation and linking of source code must be done by the developer himself, which also increases the difficulty of embedded development.

Wildfire has released RK3588, which has 16G memory and 256GSSD, and is more powerful than ordinary computers. It can run and compile directly on them.

netzx

A single-chip microcomputer system can be an embedded system, but an embedded system includes more than just a single-chip microcomputer system.

dql2016

lugl4313820 published on 2024-5-19 10:53 Embedded development is generally carried out under Linux. The C code must be compiled on the host, and then the compiled code must be booted through the system image or uboot...

There is no IDE for Linux? Laymen, please don't mislead others.

Hasawi

Embedded development is like building a building, which requires a lot of structure and details to be considered; while MCU development is like setting up a small tent, which is relatively simple and direct. However, both building a building and setting up a tent require professional knowledge and skills.

lugl4313820

Hasawi posted on 2024-5-19 23:47 Embedded development is like building a building, with many structures and details to consider; while MCU development is like setting up a small tent, which is relatively simple and direct. But not...

This explanation is concise and clear, great job!

lanhua

netzx posted on 2024-5-19 15:18 A single-chip microcomputer system can be an embedded system, but an embedded system does not only include a single-chip microcomputer system.

summary:

A single-chip microcomputer system can be an embedded system, but an embedded system includes more than just a single-chip microcomputer system.

鬼脸嘟嘟

Embedded system development requires hardware platform support, and hardware costs are often a major expense in development. In addition, the use of professional embedded development tools and software also requires corresponding licensing fees. When developing a single-chip microcomputer, you also need to purchase a single-chip microcomputer chip development board, debug and simulate, which are all costs.

Will-Gao

The main reason is that compared with the single-chip system, the embedded system has added Linux OS and the chip hardware and firmware features supporting the OS. At this time, Linux OS has become a platform (single-chip can be understood as a chip hardware platform only). All development will not only need to follow the constraints of the chip, but also the constraints of LInux OS. At the same time, to accommodate such a large OS, the kernel and storage system architecture must be changed; boot also needs to be changed. In addition, with the help of the powerful Linux ecosystem and the improvement of chip capabilities, more subsystems will be added to the platform, such as network, multimedia, AI, GPU graphics acceleration, etc. Therefore, embedded systems need to know more, follow more constraints, and have more complicated development tools. But single-chip microcomputers are not impossible to do. It can be seen that with the improvement of process nodes, more functional modules are also integrated into single-chip microcomputers. Putting aside the OS, these hardware IPs need to know more about the underlying layer to use, and have a clearer understanding of their hardware operations and operating environment.

皓月星光

Multi-core operating systems are indeed much more complicated

wangxiangtan2

I have learned a lot. I have always thought that embedded systems are about single-chip microcomputers, such as 51 and ARM.

If you are talking about controllers like Rockchip, Allwinner, and Qualcomm, they are equipped with 4GB of memory, 8GB of hard disk, and Android installed...

Verifone

Embedded systems are much more complex. MCUs are mainly used in environments with less demanding requirements. Real-time control is still mainly embedded systems.