High-Level Firmware Design

Firmware is simply the name given to software running on embedded microprocessors or microcontrollers. What makes it ``firm'' is that it is typically loaded on to an EPROM or EEPROM, rather than a form of magnetic media, though this rule does not hold hard and fast. The exact function of firmware depends greatly upon the application. In standalone hardware, the firmware often contains elements of a user interface, application logic, etc. In peripheral or support hardware, the firmware often must handle communication with external devices in addition some of the aforementioned tasks. Both the mixer unit and the control board require firmware to handle the functions of the underlying hardware. Since both units are peripheral-style hardware, the firmware needs to handle all of the functions mentioned above. The control board is largely a user-interface device, while the mixer unit is largely a task-oriented device. Both interface with a host PC running custom software. The following subsections give an overview of the firmware design for the DACS control board and mixer unit. Later sections present the actual software architecture and source code.

Subsections

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Steve Richardson 2000-07-06

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