A low-end versatile networked microcontroller embedded system for field control applications

There are several modern ICT applications which suffer from what we call overabundance of capabilities, that is the selection and use of systems with excessive capabilities than those required for the efficient execution and operation of applications and services. Embedded systems comprise a modern promising ICT technology which counteracts this fact via an alternative development paradigm, which can enable a great variety of applications running efficiently on low-end embedded devices that exploit heavily the restricted system hardware and resources. Embedded systems present several key advantages over legacy systems, such as lower power consumption, size and costs, and more sensible use of natural resources. This paper applies this thrift principle in the development of a low-end micro-processor embedded system which is efficient enough to address typical field control applications and enable sophisticated low budget projects involving many sites, achieving significant cost and energy savings. It further discusses the system components: the front- and the back-end, including a pool of monitoring tools.