Embedded Systems

Research Equipment

Embedded Systems Defined

The British IEE defines embedded systems as "...devices used to control, monitor or assist the operation of equipment, machinery or plant". Many of these devices are, in fact, computers, though capable of only a limited repertoire of operations. Since the operations they perform are often programmed in a read-only memory, they may not require access by the operator of the equipment. Accordingly they are often embedded deep within the system (hence the name) with little to indicate their presence.

Embedded systems which are likely to be Y2K non-compliant contain clocks, and clocks usually require batteries as a back-up power supply. Thus the presence of a battery is a strong clue indicating the presence of an Y2K-impacted embedded system, though not an infallible clue.

If you want or need to know more about embedded systems, we suggest:

An introductory article on the subject.
A discussion of how hard it is to find embedded system.
An extensive discussion of embedded systems by the British IEE.
The British IEE also has compiled more than one hundred examples of Y2K problems found in embedded systems.

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