This module lays the groundwork by introducing the fundamental building blocks of the C language, specifically tailored for embedded systems. Learners will understand the role of C in microcontroller programming, with a detailed walkthrough of data types, variables, constants, expressions, and statements. This section also includes the compilation and execution flow of a C program — from writing code to flashing it onto hardware. Visual Code is introduced as development tools, giving learners a modern, industry-preferred coding environment. Special focus is placed on understanding how C behaves differently in embedded contexts compared to desktop applications. By the end of this module, learners will be able to write and compile their first embedded C program and understand how it communicates with a microcontroller through memory-mapped registers.
This module focuses on how microcontrollers interact with the physical world — through input and output. Students will explore various methods to read input data from sensors, buttons, and serial interfaces, as well as write data to actuators, displays, and serial terminals. The module covers formatted input/output using scanf() and printf(), and distinguishes between standard I/O (like a computer's console) and hardware-mapped I/O (such as GPIO). This foundational knowledge is crucial because embedded systems often run without screens or keyboards, and all input/output must be managed programmatically. Understanding this enables learners to implement device control, diagnostics, and user feedback systems through LEDs, buzzers, displays, and serial monitors.
Operators are the core of logic in C. This module explores a wide variety of operators including arithmetic, assignment, increment/decrement, relational, logical, conditional (?:), bitwise, and sizeof. These are not just mathematical tools but form the basis of decision-making and hardware-level manipulation in embedded systems. Students will learn to build complex expressions and understand operator precedence. In parallel, they’ll learn how to structure control flows using if, else, switch, for, while, do-while, break, continue, and goto statements. In embedded systems, these are essential for creating time-sensitive logic, reading sensor values conditionally, or performing repetitive tasks like polling hardware states.
Functions are critical in writing clean, maintainable embedded code. In this module, learners will understand how to define and call functions, pass parameters by value or by reference, and use recursive functions. The concept of variable scope — local vs global — will be emphasized with examples of how memory is utilized in embedded systems. Additionally, students will explore the four C storage classes (auto, register, static, extern) and their impact on memory and performance. One of the key topics, especially for embedded development, is the use of the volatile keyword, which is necessary for working with real-time hardware data (e.g., status flags, hardware registers). The module ends with how to structure a real project using modular code.
This module delves deep into memory management and data structures in C. Learners will start by exploring 1D and 2D arrays, and understand how they’re used to store sensor readings, keypad matrices, or lookup tables. Then, they’ll work with strings (character arrays) to handle serial input/output, including user prompts and commands. A major portion of this module is dedicated to pointers, including pointer arithmetic, pointers with arrays and functions, and pointer dereferencing. Special focus is given to how pointers interact with memory-mapped I/O, making them essential in embedded programming. Students will also learn about NULL pointers and pointer safety, vital to avoid system crashes in embedded environments.
Structures and unions allow data grouping and efficient memory use in embedded systems. Students will learn to define structures for sensor data, system states, and configuration registers. They’ll understand how to use nested structures, pointers to structures, and how unions help save memory when variables are used alternatively. This module also introduces bit-level operations essential for manipulating control registers and flags. Topics include setting, clearing, toggling, and checking bits, along with understanding bit fields. Memory mapping of variables and register-level programming will also be covered, offering a deep view of low-level embedded development.
