What is Embedded System Design: Steps in the Design Process

An Embedded system is a controller which controls many electronic devices. It consists of both embedded hardware and software. There are two types of embedded systems: they are microprocessors and micro-controller. In an embedded system, hardware and software work together. Embedded systems exist within lots of products – simple and complex. A cell phone charger has an embedded system that tells when the phone has a full charge. Modern automobiles have numerous embedded systems.   

What is Embedded Design?  

An embedded systems design is a process that combines hardware and firmware design to build a system and achieve specific functions. It involves many steps, including building a schematic, PCB design, firmware coding, and programming into the microcontroller.  

Therefore, the design process of embedded systems is typically a hardware system with firmware embedded in it. Let's learn about how an embedded system is designed.  

Step 1: Understanding Project Requirements  

The first step in embedded systems design is to understand the project's specific requirements by communicating with customers and then converting the ideas into specifications. We need to determine the applications and operating environments in addition to the I/O count because an embedded system used indoors differs from one used outside.  

Step 2: Document detailed technical specifications   

Engineers should create a document with the product's technical specs. Those will include functions the product must perform, environmental conditions, and manufacturing requirements, among other things.  

Step 3: Building Schematic   

In this step, hardware designers start building the schematic. It involves the selection of microcontrollers and other components, which is an essential step since the microcontroller is the key to an embedded system. It is necessary to consider processing speed, memories, power consumption, and cost before choosing the correct options.  

Step 4: PCB Design  

PCBs are the essential components of many modern electronic solutions, including embedded systems. You can build a virtual model to test your electronic designs without using actual electronics once you have a design that outlines the necessary electronic components and how they are organized and connected to the PCB. A PCB with all of its electronic components can be created using a variety of more modern technologies (such as 3D printing) when PCB design has been proven safe and effective.  

Step 5: Prototype  

This is one of the most important steps in the embedded system design process. Prototyping means creating a device (MVP) with your embedded system(s) to drive and test your product in real-life environments. Implementing your embedded system usually involves seamless integration with other embedded systems in the device so they can cooperate smoothly.     

Step 6: Firmware Development 

Firmware development is a process that takes time to finish. Even a slight mistake can result in hours of debugging. Firmware is low-level code used to immediately operate the embedded system, while any software on higher levels can be integrated with firmware or embedded system components to receive data and hardware abstractions.   

Step 7: Testing and Acceptance 

Testing the embedded system design before deployment is the final yet crucial phase. The test includes a wide range of competent testing and bug-fixing before it is introduced to end users.  

Step 8: Maintenance 

When a product with embedded systems is finally released to the market, customer feedback should be monitored, and all necessary product maintenance should be provided to end users if required.