How to Learn Embedded Systems: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

Embedded systems are everywhere – from your smartphone and smartwatch to your microwave oven and car. These smart devices integrate microprocessors and other hardware components along with embedded software to carry out specific tasks. With the rapid growth of the Internet of Things (IoT), embedded systems have become more prevalent than ever. As such, there is huge demand for skilled embedded systems engineers to design and develop these complex products. If you want to break into this exciting field, learning embedded systems is key. But where do you start and what’s the best way to go about it? This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know to launch your embedded systems learning journey.

What Are Embedded Systems?

Before diving into how to learn embedded systems, let’s first make sure we understand what exactly they are.

An embedded system is a microprocessor-based computer hardware system that is designed to perform a specific dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electronic device. The embedded system comprises a microprocessor or microcontroller chip, memory chips, peripherals and embedded software coded specifically for that application.

Unlike a general-purpose computer like your laptop or smartphone, an embedded system performs pre-defined tasks as part of a larger system Some common examples of embedded systems include

• Engine control units and infotainment systems in automobiles
• Flight control systems in aircraft
• Appliance control systems in home appliances like microwaves, washing machines etc.
• Mobile phones, tablets and wearable devices
• Gaming consoles and multimedia players
• GPS navigation systems

As you can see, embedded systems are everywhere around us. They provide the smarts in our smart devices and systems, allowing them to sense, analyze, control and interact with the outside world.

Why Learn Embedded Systems?

There are several compelling reasons why you should consider learning embedded systems:

• In Demand Skillset: There is a huge shortage of skilled embedded systems engineers. Learning this skill can open up abundant career opportunities.

• Well Paying Jobs: Embedded systems engineers are some of the best paid hardware engineering professionals. The average salary for an embedded engineer in the US is over $100,000.

• Interesting and Challenging Work: Embedded systems work involves solving real-world problems across a wide range of domains from consumer electronics to aerospace systems. The work is complex, diversified and exciting.

• Opportunity to Work on Cutting Edge Technology: From IoT devices to self-driving cars, embedded engineers get the chance to work at the forefront of technology innovation.

• Chance to See Your Work Come to Life: It’s satisfying to see your code executing on a real embedded device and interacting with the physical world.

Learning Methodology

Now that you’re convinced embedded systems is worth learning, let’s look at the best way to go about it:

Learn the Fundamentals

Before doing hands-on work, it’s important to build a strong foundation in embedded systems fundamentals. Make sure you get clarity on basic concepts like:

• Embedded system design process
• Microcontroller architectures
• Memory technologies
• Basic electronics and circuits
• Sensors and actuators
• Communication protocols
• Real-time operating systems
• Cross-compilation

Spend time reading books, taking courses and watching tutorial videos on these topics. This will help you understand the embedded system anatomy.

Pick a Microcontroller and Development Board

There are many microcontroller architectures used in embedded systems like ARM Cortex-M, AVR, PIC, 8051 etc. For beginners, ARM Cortex-M is a good place to start since it powers most of the modern microcontrollers. Pick a popular microcontroller like STM32 and get a starter development board like Nucleo or Discovery. Having physical hardware to experiment with is crucial for progressing your embedded systems learning.

Learn Embedded C

The most common programming language used in embedded systems is C. It provides direct hardware manipulation capabilities without overhead like C++. Make sure you brush up on your C programming knowledge, especially topics like pointers, memory management, interrupts etc. that are very relevant to embedded systems.

Start by creating simple LED blinking programs and then move on to interfacing switches, sensors, displays, communication modules etc. This will help you get comfortable with reading and manipulating microcontroller registers using C.

Explore RTOS Concepts

Once you’ve got a grip over basic microcontroller programming, it’s time to level up and explore real-time operating system (RTOS) concepts that are integral to embedded systems. Learn about concurrency, task scheduling, inter-task communication, synchronization primitives like mutexes, semaphores, queues etc.

Try creating simple RTOS programs on your development board using free RTOS options like FreeRTOS or ChibiOS. This will reveal the real-time multitasking capabilities used extensively in embedded systems.

Work on Practical Projects

Theory and fundamentals will only take you so far. To accelerate your learning, start working on real-world practical projects. Some ideas to get you started:

• Home automation system
• Weather station
• Robotics projects
• IoT sensor devices that send data to cloud
• Remote controlled car or drone
• Smartwatch
• Automotive telematics device

Use your creativity and build gadgets that excite you! Applying your skills on practical projects will force you to find solutions to real engineering problems and learn much faster.

Learn From Open Source Code

There are thousands of open source embedded systems projects available online. Studying these projects gives you the chance to learn how experienced engineers structure and architect complex real-world applications.

Actively read through code of projects in fields that interest you. See how they use hardware peripherals, implement communication protocols, build device drivers etc. This will expand your knowledge and provide new ideas for your own projects.

Understand Toolchain and Debugging

While the software side of embedded systems may be portable across architectures, you need architecture specific toolchains to build and debug your programs. Make sure you understand the toolchain components like compilers, assemblers, linkers and debuggers, as well as how to use IDEs like Eclipse, Keil, IAR etc.

Learn how to analyze stack traces, do profiling, log data, visualize in waveform viewers etc. Mastering the toolchain and debugging process will boost your productivity significantly.

Talk to Experienced Engineers

Lastly, don’t just stick to books and online tutorials. Take every chance you get to talk to experienced embedded systems engineers. They can provide practical insights and share wisdom gained from years of experience. Attend local embedded systems meetups or connect with engineers on forums like Reddit, Quora and Stack Exchange. You’ll be surprised how much you can learn from these conversations.

That sums up a structured methodology to master embedded systems, along with some tips to accelerate your learning. Remember – learning any complex skill requires time, effort and perseverance. Be patient, believe in yourself and you’ll soon transition from beginner to expert embedded systems engineer. Power through the initial learning curve and enjoy an exciting career at the forefront of technology. Good luck!