Small Wonder Computers

When we think of computers, normally an image of a PC or a laptop comes to our mind and it is a very instant thought, apart from the football sized primitive computers of the 1960s and 70s that also knock on the doors of our mind. But the image of small, yet powerful, single board computers rarely comes to our mind even if someone who has been asked this question is sitting right in front of it!

Now the question is, what is a single board computer? And is it different from the modern PC that we use on a regular basis or, for that matter, our very own friendly laptops? The single board computer is a computer build on a single printed circuit board with microprocessors, input/output (IO), memory, clock, and other features that are generally there in a normal computer. It has everything that any other functional computer has but at half of its size and almost double its speed. It closely resembles the motherboard of a PC but it has all the elements of a basic computer within its small periphery. this technology that is a single board computer has been used since the early 1980s in the industrial sector and in manufacturing computerized products. This technology was used to make high end technical products. The application of single board computers has its history. It is used as an application to many devices that we see even in our day to day lives but of which we’re not completely aware.

They are also commonly referred to as embedded single board computers. It is called embedded because it is used in manufacturing everything from airplanes and rockets to toys and even high end athletic shoes. The computer is a very powerful device if used along with some other electronic device. it is so powerful that it increases the efficiency and functionality of the device almost three times but the size of PCs and other normal computers does not support this application. It is for this reason that SBCs were invented. They have all the elements of a basic computer and because of the availability of these features within its small design it easily finds a place within some other device. And because of this application we are unaware of its existence.

Almost all devices today use a computer application - be it a fax machine, our very own indispensable mobile phones, cameras, and more; all use the embedded PC or SBCs. It takes less space and is also economical. However, before using this application just keep in mind its application necessity and cost, because normal SBCs do not always support all kind of devices and functionality; in some cases, special SBCs are required.

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photo credit: Stian Eikeland via photopin cc