What is System on Chip (SoC)?
As the name suggests, SoC is a complete system on a single chip. It consists of various components/peripherals which are used in computing.
It consists of basic components like RAM (Random Access Memory) also known as Main memory, ROM (Read Only Memory), CPU (Central Processing Unit), internal storage.
It has its own OS (Operating System).
Voltage regulators and power management circuits.
Timing sources such as phase lock loop control systems or oscillators.
It has many interfaces like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, Firewire, etc.
It has real-time clocks, counter timers and power-on-reset generators.
It also has digital-to-analog converters and analog-to-digital converters.
All of these peripherals are connected together on one small chip.
Basic structure of SoC
Credites : Wikipedia
What is the need for SoC?
We needed a system which can run on its own, on less power and even in remote areas (e.g. jungle).Issues faced for creating such systems are portability, connectivity, battery consumption.
SoC is a low power device which can be used to perform more than one task simultaneously.
SoC provides us various connective interfaces.
It is a low power device and can manage power of other components e.g. It will switch on the camera when any motion is detected.
What are SoC advantages?
SoC has its own OS, which allows developers to interact with it in the most efficient way.
It runs on low power.
It is low cost.
It can be used to create a network of sensors and actuators for monitoring and gathering data along with this it can make change in the environment using actuator.
As the name says SoC is a complete system on a single chip. This chip is portable and can work on its own even in remote places.
SoC help is power management of other components like sensor and actuator.
It gives you best performance even in low power.
It provides us to connect with it using various interfaces.
It can transmit data in real time.
Application of SoC
- Monitoring system
- Management System e.g. traffic management system
- Security system
- Smart home appliancesÂ
- Smart mobile devices
Real System On Chip
RIMO
“RIMO is the code name of the SHAKTI C-class based SoC that has been taped-out at Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) at Chandigarh using 180 nm process technology. The 144 sq.mm. chip has been tested to operate at a frequency of up to 70 MHz. The chip has been packaged on a 208-pin Ceramic Quad Flat Pack (CQFP).”[3]
Raspberry Pi 3B
“The Raspberry Pi 3 Model B is the earliest model of the third-generation Raspberry Pi. It replaced the Raspberry Pi 2 Model B in February 2016. See also the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, the latest product in the Raspberry Pi 3 range.” – raspberrypi.org
Arduino uno
“Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328P (datasheet). It has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz ceramic resonator (CSTCE16M0V53-R0), a USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header and a reset button.” – Arduino
BeagleBone Rev C
“BeagleBone Black is a low-cost, community-supported development platform for developers and hobbyists. Boot Linux in under 10 seconds and get started on development in less than 5 minutes with just a single USB cable.” – beagleboard.org
References
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