Page 276 - Embedded Microprocessor Systems Real World Design

Standard Hardware
Off-the-shelf interface boards simplify hardware design. Boards that need software
drivers usually come with them, simplifylng development.

User Interface

If the application needs a graphics display or keyboard input from the user, a PC
already has the pieces in place.

Development Environment
Standard debugging software is available. The development language is not limited
by the hardware. A huge base of development software is available from a number
of vendors. On the hardware side, the PC ISA (industry standard architecture) bus
is well defined and easy to interface to. Even the PCI bus is a known standard,
although more difficult to design for.

Flexibility
Adding features or options can be as easy as plugging in a board and adding the
necessary software.

Easy Updates
Software updates involve loading new software from a floppy disk or CD-ROM.
If a passive-backplane system is used, processor upgrades are simply a matter of
plugging in a new CPU board (and, maybe, appropriate software).

Product Cost
If your product is manufactured in relatively low volumes, it can be expensive to
build your own CPU boards and other system components. By using off-the-shelf
parts, you take advantage of the volume advantage that the board vendor has. The
vendor is selling the same board to numerous other users, so the total production
volume can be high enough to make the purchased boards cheaper than boards
built in-house.

CPU Hardware

With the PC architecture, you typically get a Pentiumclass or better CPU. This
brings with it all the Pentium-level hardware advantages, such as protected mode
programming, hardware memory management, debug registers, and 1/0 protec-
tion. These improvements simplify multitasking and debugging.

Industry-Standard Embedded Platfornzs 257