What is the working principle of a development board

1. The definition of a development board is as follows

A development board is a platform used to house various electronic components and implement specific circuit designs. Made of insulating materials, typically a circuit board, it features numerous small holes that allow electronic components to be soldered or press-fitted into the board, connecting their pins to conductive traces on the board and forming a complete circuit. It integrates multiple electronic components, including CPUs, memory, I/O devices, data paths/buses, and interfaces for external devices. Development boards are primarily used in the development of embedded systems, where developers can design and customize the hardware components of the embedded system according to the requirements of the actual product. Additionally, development boards facilitate beginners in understanding and learning the hardware and software of embedded systems, with some providing basic integrated development environments and software source codes.

A development board is a circuit board used for the development of embedded systems, comprising a range of hardware components such as central processing units, memory, input devices, output devices, data paths/buses, and external resource interfaces. Generally, developers of embedded systems customize development boards according to their development needs, while users can also research and design them on their own. In the typical process of developing an embedded system, the hardware is commonly divided into two platforms: a development platform (host) and a target platform (the development board).

2. The working principle of the development board

2.1 In terms of hardware

Development boards typically include components such as a central processing unit (CPU), memory, storage, sensors, and actuators. The central processing unit serves as the core of the development board, responsible for executing instructions and controlling the overall system operation. Memory is used to store programs and data, while storage is utilized for long-term data and file storage. Sensors and actuators are employed to interact with the external environment, enabling intelligent control and perception capabilities.

2.2 In terms of software

The software system of a development board typically consists of an operating system, driver programs, and applications. The operating system serves as the fundamental software of the development board, responsible for managing hardware resources, providing system services, and supporting the execution of applications. Driver programs act as a bridge between the hardware and the operating system, translating the instructions from the operating system into signals that the hardware can execute. Applications, on the other hand, are programs written by users that interact with the hardware through the operating system and driver programs to accomplish various functionalities.

The workflow of a development board generally comprises three phases: initialization, execution, and feedback. During the initialization phase, the operating system configures the hardware by setting the working frequency of the central processing unit, allocating memory space, and loading driver programs, among other tasks. In the execution phase, the operating system follows user instructions to execute the corresponding applications and controls the hardware through the driver programs to perform the desired operations. In the feedback phase, the development board outputs the execution results to users or other devices through the feedback signals from sensors or actuators.