One of the characteristics of all hardware in embedded systems is uniqueness. Each board is designed for a specific purpose. Each board has its own component combination. The Bill of Materials (BoM) can include System on Chip (SoC), System on Module (SOM), microprocessors, microcontrollers, discrete memory, integrated peripheral devices, etc.

This unique purpose makes software equally specific, even if the underlying operating system is standard or ready-made. Developers operate at the layer of abstracting applications from the operating system and abstracting the operating system from the hardware platform.

Abstraction is not an easy task. The rapid advancement of technology and the demand for smarter and more interconnected devices have made embedded design increasingly complex.

This is where the Board Support Package (BSP) comes into play. BSP is a collection of software resources that support hardware goals, providing developers with a solid foundation for embedded software development.

You can imagine BSP as the foundation of a house. The data used in the foundation will be standard, but the shape of the foundation will depend on the floor area of the building. Once the foundation is in place, the construction process can begin.

What is inside BSP?

BSP, also known as Software Development Kit (SDK). When starting a microcontroller or embedded design project, developers can rely on BSP to simplify the software development process and improve overall efficiency. But what can developers find in a typical BSP?

A comprehensive BSP typically includes the following software components:

Initialize/Start Code

Initialization code, also known as startup code, is an important component of BSP. It plays a crucial role in the startup process of embedded systems. The startup code is responsible for initializing the basic hardware components of the target system, such as processors, memory, and peripheral devices.

Start the code to set the initial state and configuration of the main components, ensuring that they are ready to run. In addition, initialization code can also perform tasks such as configuring interrupt handlers, setting the stack, and enabling necessary system functions. Code is usually written in assembly language or low-level language to ensure direct control of hardware and provide a reliable and efficient boot process

Hardware abstraction layer

The Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) is the software layer that provides the interface between the hardware and software components of a system. Its purpose is to abstract the underlying details of hardware, enabling software to be written in a more portable and hardware independent pipeline.

HAL serves as a bridge between hardware specific functionalities and higher-level software components such as device drivers, operating systems, and application software. It provides a consistent and standardized set of functions, data structures, and definitions that software can use to interact with underlying hardware, regardless of the specific hardware implementation.

Device Drivers

BSP provides pre written device drivers to achieve seamless interaction between underlying hardware and software applications. These drivers handle low-level operations such as managing interrupts, memory, and peripheral devices, allowing developers to focus on more advanced features.

middleware

BSP typically includes middleware components that help integrate complex software stacks and protocols. This may include network stacks, file systems, graphical user interfaces (GUI), and communication protocols such as USB, Bluetooth, or Ethernet.

operating system

Many BSPs are bundled with embedded operating systems, such as FreeRTOS or Zephyr RTOS. These operating systems provide a solid foundation for running applications, managing resources, and supporting multitasking.

Toolchain and Library

BSP provides a set of development tools, compilers, debuggers, and libraries to help developers build and optimize their applications. These tools simplify the compilation, debugging, and deployment processes, thereby accelerating the development cycle.

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Developers can gain significant advantages from choosing the right BSP for their projects.

By using BSP, developers can gain the following advantages:

Accelerate development

BSP provides a ready-made software platform that frees developers from the daunting task of writing low-level code from scratch. This greatly reduces development time and allows developers to focus on application specific features.

Hardware abstraction

BSP abstracts the complexity of underlying hardware, allowing developers to write portable code that can run on different hardware platforms. This flexibility enhances the reusability of the code and simplifies the migration of applications to