<h1 style="text-align: center;">5 Interesting Trends in Embedded Systems</h1>
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Through the years,embedded technologies are found in our society and swiftly evolve. It makes your lives simpler and efficient. You can already see and experience the power of embedded technology as you use your <a href="https://eduengteam.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3602&amp;action=edit&amp;classic-editor">mobile phone</a>,watch television,or do laundry.

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For instance,it also allows your home to become more secured through security and alarm systems. When something is wrong,such as fire,intruders,or noxious gases,the security system alerts you right away. 

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The embedded technologies greatly influenced our lifestyle. Although it also has downsides like any other thing. Check out below the latest trends that affect our society and may also directly affect you. 

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<h3>1. Rapid Growth of Wireless Connections </h3>
Nowadays,the <a href="https://wp.me/pcIXc0-Zp">Internet of Things (IoT)</a> has become more and more essential. Based on the <a href="https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-industrial-internet-of-things-iiot-market">Grand View Research</a>,by 2028,the Industrial Internet Of Things Market is anticipated to reach USD 1.11 trillion. The reason behind that data is because various companies recognized the benefits of embedded technologies as it enhances their production efficacy rate. 

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With this,the industries like manufacturing,retail,energy,smart cities,health care,transportation,and more,would further enhance their services. At the same time,it would be beneficial to us individuals.

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The internet speed would also be enhanced from 5G to 6G with a transmission speed of 20Gbps. And as the low-power wide-area networks (LPWANs),with the chips and devices,continue to be accessible,there would really be a rapid expansion of wireless connection.

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<h3>2. Speed to Market through technology</h3>
Speed is definitely everything,especially in the world of business. With this,embedded systems are constantly developing to be at par with the market.

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Thus,Intel and AMD keep pushing their processors from 8 to 16-core processors to 128-core processors. However,the Arm,an IP company,currently plans on developing a 5-nm-node–based <a href="https://www.techradar.com/news/arm-wants-to-obliterate-intel-and-amd-with-gigantic-192-core-cpu">192-core processor</a> aiming to outperform its competitors. With this,a GPU leader became interested in Arm's core processor and offered a US$40 billion price for it.

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As the IoT Industry continuously enhance their services,processors,the internet,and systems will shift from faster to ultrafast. Well,who wouldn't want that,right? 

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Distinctly,the mission of quantum computing is to produce faster computations for both scientific and machine learning. With this,quantum computing makes problem-solving quickly by just seconds instead of days. It uses a quantum bit,also known as a qubit,which represents 0 and 1 at the same time.

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However,measuring qubits is quite challenging. But a certain team from Aalto University in Finland was able to measures qubits with less energy,which makes technology move forward.

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 Also,researchers from the <a href="https://www.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)</a> and the <a href="https://www.cuny.edu/">City University of New York</a> in the U.S. proclaimed the creation and incorporation of quantum emitters directly in an aluminum nitride-based photonic IC platform.

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<h3>2. Speed to Market with the Help of Embedded Systems</h3>
Speed is definitely everything,especially in the world of business. Thus,<a href="https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/homepage.html">Intel</a> and <a href="https://www.amd.com/en">AMD</a> keep pushing their processors from 8 to 16-core processors to 128-core processors. 

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However,the <a href="https://www.arm.com/">Arm</a>,an IP company,currently plans on developing a 5-nm-node–based 192-core processor aiming to outperform its competitors. With this,a GPU leader became interested in Arm's core processor and offered a US$40 billion price for it.

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As the IoT Industry continuously enhance their services,processors,the internet,and systems will shift from faster to ultrafast. Well,who wouldn't want that,right? 

&nbsp;

Distinctly,the mission of quantum computing is to produce faster computations for both scientific and machine learning. With this,quantum computing makes problem-solving quickly by just seconds instead of days. It uses a quantum bit,also known as a qubit,which represents 0 and 1 at the same time.

&nbsp;

However,measuring qubits is quite challenging. But a certain team from Aalto University in Finland was able to measures qubits with less energy,which makes technology move forward. Also,researchers from the <a href="https://www.mit.edu/">Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)</a> and the City University of New York in the U.S. proclaimed the creation and incorporation of quantum emitters directly in an aluminum nitride-based photonic IC platform.

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<h3>3. Frequent and More Dangerous Cyberattack Cases</h3>
Nowadays,especially in this time of a pandemic,cyberattacks continue to rise and become more dangerous. Cyberattacks is a criminal act that assaults people. Cybercriminals often disable computers,steal data,installs malware,or use a breached computer in exchange for money. 

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The <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/23-04-2020-who-reports-fivefold-increase-in-cyber-attacks-urges-vigilance">World Health Organization (WHO)</a> announced the fivefold increase of cyberattacks. Ransomware attacks continue to emerge from different parts of the world. They attack businesses,the government,and even hospitals. 

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For instance,in Ukraine,200,000 people got disrupted due to the attack on Ukraine's power grid. Good thing that the control systems in Ukraine are completely secured and the power shortage lasted only for about one to six hours.

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Another critical case from a cyberattack is the death of a patient in Germany. Due to the ransomware attack,the patient who is in dire need of medical care was not able to get treated with the proper equipment needed. Although the patient got transferred to a hospital 20 miles away,unfortunately,was dead on arrival.

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Cyberattacks are one of the main disadvantages of having a faster internet speed. Still,governments in different places continue their mission to counterattack their scheme. Moreover,embedded security software and hardware are continuously being developed.

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<h3>4. Presence of Virtual Reality</h3>
Another embedded system trend in technology is the other world some people live in,Virtual Reality (VR). It is a computer-generated environment that allows us to clearly see objects and places that appear to be real,which makes users got absorbed with it.

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Throughout the development of VR,it advances into a profitable business. Now,it evolved into augmented reality (AR),mixed or merged reality (MR),and Extended Reality (XR),unceasingly expands into industrial and commercial applications.

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AR is beneficial in training,especially in the medical field. Users ear goggles where they vividly see superimposed information on the screen. With MR,it allows users to see both real and superficial situations. Then XR,the best feature,projects holograms that seem real.

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For instance,some hospitals use AR to make a trial run for their operations,which allows them to enhance their skills. It allows them to virtually hone their skills without critical risks and be prepared with operating an actual person.

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Recently,with the current pandemic restriction,businesses and schools maximize the use of the internet to connect and meet. With this,there is a high probability for VR innovations where holographic-like meetings,just like in the Star Wars Movie,may commence.  

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[caption id="attachment_3836" align="aligncenter" width="716"]<img class="wp-image-3836" src="https://eduengteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Microsoft-Hololens-2_Embedded-Trends-300x160.jpg" alt="TOP 5 Interesting Trends in Embedded Systems" width="716" height="382" /> Microsoft HoloLens mixed-reality smart glasses (Image: Microsoft)[/caption]

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<h3>5. Development of Embedded Designs of Artificial Intelligence</h3>
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a technology that is programmed to mimics the actions of humans. It has been constantly being developed with more embedded designs. It is a major advantage for businesses as it improved work efficiency because it reduces the work duration compared to humans.

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For instance,in the banking industry,AI can make transactions more secure. Flowchain,a blockchain organization in Taiwan,proposed a project to combine IoT,AI,and blockchain (electronic ledger) to create a safer data-mining approach. All Stakeholders will be informed and give their authorization for a transaction to take place.

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Moreover,there are several affordable AI hardware available on the market. With this,several companies are partnering with A,which includes collaborating with Nvidia and VMware. Most organizations investing in VR are on the top tier,which includes Microsoft,Google,and Intel,among others.

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[caption id="attachment_3835" align="aligncenter" width="671"]<img class="wp-image-3835" src="https://eduengteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Nvidia-Jetson-Nano-300x169.jpg" alt="TOP 5 Interesting Trends in Embedded Systems" width="671" height="378" /> Nvidia’s Jetson Nano 2GB (Image: Nvidia)[/caption]

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<h3>Moving Forward</h3>
The pandemic may have halted the operations of some industries,but it will never stop embedded technologies to grow. More and more innovations will rise and everything can be better. 

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The pandemic will not be there forever. The only constant thing in this world is change.

TOP 5 Interesting Trends in Embedded Systems You Need to Know

6 Reasons to Switch to Resistive and Capacitive Touchscreens
<img class="size-medium wp-image-3251 alignleft" src="https://www.eduengteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/6-Reasons-to-Switch-to-Resistive-and-Capacitive-Touchscreens-300x228.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="228" />
[embed]https://youtu.be/qmv5TWjwz_c[/embed]
Top reasons why companies are moving away from membrane switches and implementing resistive and capacitive touchscreens.
Resource: <a title="6 reasons to switch Resistive to capacitive touchscreen" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmv5TWjwz_c&amp;feature=emb_imp_woyt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">6 reasons to Resistive and Capacitive Touchscreen</a>
<h1>6  Reasons to “Switch to Resistive ”</h1>
Here are six reasons more why engineers and designers are increasingly turning to <a href="https://eduengteam.com/2020/11/resistive-and-capacitive-touchscreens.html">resistive and capacitive touchscreens</a>:
1. They’re the wave of the future. Membrane switches are made from antiquated technology,while touchscreens are state-of-the-art and modern. Much like the smartphones that many of us carry around in our pockets,the entire world is moving over to touch.
2. Good user interface flexibility. Because touchscreens are integrated,they can be overlaid onto an LCD or other background,thus creating a high level of user interface flexibility.
3. Simplification of the assembly process. If engineers standardize on certain sizes,they can use a single SKU across multiple different internal product lines. This will also allow them to scale back the list of items that they need to build their products.
4. Easy adaptation with plug-and-play. To help engineers and designers transition from membrane switches and over to a touchscreen solution,Clarus Vision Inc.,(CVI) creates component and circuit interfaces that are as close to being plug-and-play as possible. For example,to replace a current membrane switch,an engineer can simply remove a single piece and use an overlay to achieve that goal.
5. Fewer expensive components and labor costs. With touchscreens,companies can retrofit to develop product functionality within a matter of weeks. If,for example,engineers want to develop a new version of an existing product,the touchscreen serves up a much simpler interface for making those changes.
6. Weatherproof and good for outdoor use. Capacitive touchscreens are especially good for outdoor use,where they are effectively water repellant. Put simply,the water won’t trigger false “touches” on the wet screen.
 


<h2 id="what-are-resistive-touchscreens">What Are Resistive Touchscreens?</h2>



You should first be familiar with the principles of resistive touchscreens and how they work before we go into their advantages and disadvantages. A resistive touchscreen is a sort of touch-controlled device that is made up of two or more layers of electrically resistive material that face each other in two or more transparent layers. These two levels are separated by a layer of air or gas. Touching the interface presses the layers together,causing one layer to sense the other's voltage.







<figure class="wp-block-image size-full is-style-rounded"><img src="https://eduengteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/top-5-ways-to-use-touch-screens-at-events.jpg" alt="Switch to Resistive and Capacitive Touchscreens" class="wp-image-4310"/><figcaption>6 Reasons to Switch to Resistive and Capacitive Touchscreens</figcaption></figure>



<h3 id="pros-and-cons-of-resistive-touchscreens">Pros and Cons of Resistive Touchscreens:</h3>



Resistance is one of the most widely used touchscreen technology in the world,despite the fact that it is not as popular as capacitive. It's been used to power everything from smartphones and tablets to human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and smart wearables for decades. However,there are some benefits and drawbacks to resistive touchscreens,which you may read about further below.



Pros of Resistive Touchscreens:



Touchscreens that are resistant to damage have a level of sturdiness that is unrivaled. For this reason,they are frequently preferred over other types of touchscreens by manufacturing organizations,restaurants,and stores. Resistive touchscreens can survive dampness and stress without deterioration because of their long-lasting architecture.



A stylus or gloves can be used to manipulate a resistive touchscreen. The majority of capacitive touchscreens only record commands made with a single finger (or a special capacitive stylus). The capacitive touchscreen will not respond to your order if you tap it with a stylus or a gloved finger. However,all types of input are detected and responded to by resistive touchscreens. You can use a stylus,a bare finger,a gloved finger,or any other device to control them.



Cons of Resistive Touchscreens:



Resistive touchscreens still have a few drawbacks to consider. Resistive touchscreens are less sensitive than capacitive touchscreens. They're still sensitive,but for a resistive touchscreen to acknowledge your input,you'll have to tap or push the interface with more force.



The display resolution of resistive touchscreens is frequently lower than that of capacitive touchscreens. Of course,not every application necessitates a high-resolution monitor. Resolution should not be a concern in a retail environment if a touchscreen is utilized as a point-of-sale (POS) system.



Conclusion:



Resistive touchscreen technology,like other touchscreen technologies,has its own set of benefits and drawbacks. They're tough and long-lasting,and they're compatible with all kinds of touch instructions. Resistive touchscreens,on the other hand,have a lower sensitivity and display resolution than capacitive touchscreens.

6 Reasons to Switch to Resistive and Capacitive Touchscreens

<h3>Which microcontroller should I learn to work upon?</h3>
In this article,we will talk about the best Microcontroller learning to work upon.

<img class="alignnone wp-image-1519" src="http://www.eduengteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/integrated-circuit-441294_960_720-300x225.jpg" alt="Microcontroller learning to work upon" width="401" height="301" />

If you want to increase your knowledge in the core domain of electronics,then you need to increase your knowledge in Embedded System and start working. Let's talk about Embedded Systems.

You need to know certain things and go step by step to know how An Embedded System works.

1) Thoroughly learn C programming (Bit-wise Operator / Call by value / Call by reference / Pointer / Array / Function / Structure).

2) Electronics.

3) Learn Electronics (PDF you can find on the web) and Digital Electronics (Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory). 



4) Learn from basic to higher (AT89c51/Arduino / ARM / STM32F427) microcontroller. 

5) Learn the I2C / SPI / UART / CAN Communication Protocol.

6) Get hands-on experience in tools (KEIL uVision,AVR Studio,Arduino,STm32 Cube,Proteus) where you'll know how to write,debug and dump a microcontroller code. 

7) Build some DIY kits(Sensor Shield / GSM Shield / Ultrasonic Sensor).

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Another way to look at things.
Is your goal to build products for other people? Or to do prototypes yourself? That's kind of the key question.
If you're going to do embedded professionally,you'll need to graduate from Arduino sooner rather than later,because you won't fully learn the chip until you're programming in a regular development environment and building the lower-level parts yourself,and have a full toolset. Moreover,you can probably stick with Arduino and just learn from doing a bunch of projects and trying to write more of your own libraries.
Personally,I am not a huge AVR fan. If you decide what you are like to work on next,you should pick a processor family based on the available peripherals and vendor support. I'd tend towards an ARM Cortex-M0,M3,M4 or M7 from Cypress,Ambiq,SiLabs,TI,STM or NXP. But mostly,focus on what you need from the microcontroller beyond the core-- Bluetooth,Wi-Fi,ultra low power,high accuracy ADC,high I/O count,and low cost.
Cypress is my current favorite for their PSoC processors. I like their robust but easy to learn IDE,the reconfigurable analog and digital hardware and the approach of inserting library source code into your project rather than just to link it to a binary library or forcing you to use a particular RTOS.
But I can promise you have not "learned microcontrollers" yet. That takes many years and a lot of experience with multiple microcontrollers,system designs,and development environments. You're kind of just getting started,and there is plenty of fun ahead.
To read more articles like this visit <a href="http://www.Eduengteam.com">Eduengteam.com</a>

You can find more useful tutorials at <a style="color: #ff0000;" href="https://www.hackster.io">Click Here </a>

What is the best Microcontroller learning to work upon?

Unlocking Success: 7 Key Steps in Embedded Development

Interview Question for Embedded System Position: Here is the Top 100 Essential bonus.

<h1 style="text-align: center;">30 Examples of the Coolest Embedded Computers</h1>
<img class="aligncenter" src="http://www.timts.edu.in/images/embedded-system-banner/embedded1.png" alt="30 Examples of the Coolest Embedded Computers" width="594" height="374" />

Today,computers are used in every aspect of our lives. From the way,we shop,to the services we buy,to the cars we drive,and even the clothes we wear; every possible electronic gadget requires a computer chip to function. These chips are what make up an embedded computer.

Some embedded computers are not very noticeable at all because they're inside of everyday items like appliances and car dashboard screens. Other embedded computers can be found in devices like microwaves and printers.
<h2>What is an embedded computer?</h2>
Embedded computers are more powerful than personal computers. They’re smaller,cheaper,and run more efficiently. There are a lot of advantages to embedded systems. Embedded systems can utilize a wide range of sensors and actuators along with the ever-changing worlds of computer vision and machine learning. These new technologies need computing power that is more flexible and efficient than what is offered by the typical PC and they need an architecture that will allow them to quickly respond to external events.
<h2>Why are they better than PCs?</h2>
In today's market,you can find a PC at just about any store. In contrast,embedded computers are often only available through specialty stores,which often charge more for these devices as well. However,embedded computers have a lot going for them that PCs don't have. For example,they have a variety of input options and outputs,they have a longer battery life,and they require less storage space than a PC does.
<h2 style="text-align: left;">30 Examples of the Coolest Embedded Computers in daily life:</h2>
<ol>
 	<li>Digital alarm clocks</li>
 	<li>Lighting systems</li>
 	<li>GPS navigation devices</li>
 	<li>Heart rate monitors and pacemakers</li>
 	<li>CD players,iPods,and MP3 players</li>
 	<li>Parking lot ticket machines</li>
 	<li>Cash registers</li>
 	<li>Digital signature pads</li>
 	<li>Electronic toys</li>
 	<li>Refrigerators and freezers</li>
 	<li><a href="https://www.lifewire.com/an-introduction-to-smart-watches-3441381" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Smartwatches</a></li>
 	<li>Washing machines and dishwashers</li>
 	<li>Home security systems</li>
 	<li>Air-conditioners and thermostats</li>
 	<li>Electric stoves,pressure cookers,and tea/coffee machines</li>
 	<li>Traffic lights</li>
 	<li>Vending machines</li>
 	<li>Electronic parking meters and parking pay stations</li>
 	<li>Robotic vacuum cleaners</li>
 	<li>Fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors</li>
 	<li>Printers,photocopy,fax machines,and scanners</li>
 	<li>Digital and video cameras</li>
 	<li>Calculators</li>
 	<li>Remote control gate keys</li>
 	<li>Digital thermometers</li>
 	<li>Motion sensors</li>
 	<li>PDAs and hand-held computers</li>
 	<li>Electronic safes</li>
 	<li>WiFi routers</li>
 	<li>Automobile systems</li>
</ol>
You may not realize just how common <a href="https://eduengteam.com/2020/12/embedded-systems-technology-trends.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">embedded</a> computers are in your everyday life,but it is possible that you interact with one every day.

Also,They are designed to work with other devices to make them more useful

In addition to that different uses for embedded computers can be found in cars,toys,office equipment,cell phones,and even in our homes. Most of them are designed to be "add-ons" to a device. For example,a smartphone can run an embedded computer that is used to control the display and the speakers.

They are also common in toys. For example,the "VTech Kidizoom" is a smart toy that allows a child to capture images and sounds.

In the last decade,the development of small,low-power,and energy-efficient devices has increased the popularity of embedded computers.

While they are used in many different applications and are becoming smaller and cheaper every year. The progress in embedded computing is now bringing the dream of ubiquitous computing to reality. Cheap,powerful,and small embedded computers are now within reach of everybody.
<h3>In conclusion,</h3>
the future of computers is very bright. Manufacturing companies are using more lightweight material for the computer's casing and the CPU is getting faster every day. The best thing about this is that these new developments in technology not only make it easier to carry around a computer,but they also require less energy to power it.

30 Examples of the Coolest Embedded Computers

Want to Learn Programming and Microcontrollers?

<h2>The information age explained</h2>
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The Centre for Computing History looks to explore the historical and social impact of computing. Neil Tyler met up with its CEO and founder.
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Less than an hour by train from London,Cambridge has its University and is at the heart of the high-technology Silicon Fen. It’s also home to several notable museums,some of which are run by the University of Cambridge Museums consortium while others are independent of it.

Among the latter group is the Centre for Computing History,a little gem of a museum that can be found on a small industrial estate,just outside the center of the city.

The Centre was established as an educational charity to tell the story of the ‘Information Age’ through exploring and better understanding the historical,social,and cultural impact of developments in personal computing. Crucially,it looks to provide ‘inspirational learning opportunities for a wide range of audiences,from primary schools to university students,offering programming and electronics workshops.

It also delivers training sessions to teachers to give them the knowledge,skills,and importantly,the confidence,to teach computing to their students in an engaging way.

Jason Fitzpatrick is the founder and CEO of the museum and when New Electronics met with him,over the summer,he was celebrating the news that the museum had just received funding,worth £1million,from one of Arm’s founders and its CTO Mike Muller.

<img class="img-responsive" src="http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/article-images/image-library/93/yp_(272_of_278)_ece4d2e4.jpg" />

CEO and founder,Jason Fitzpatrick

“This is great news for the museum and will enable us to purchase the Cambridge premises. It means we now have a permanent home for the over 38,000 historically significant artifacts we have here.

“It’s transformative and will provide long-term security for the collection. It will allow us to concentrate on developing what we can offer to visitors and students,and helps us to develop our education program,” Fitzpatrick explained.

Commenting on his decision to support the museum Muller said,“I have been involved with the Centre for years,and am consistently impressed by how imaginative and ambitious the team is in their mission to tell the story of one of the world’s most important inventions - the computer.

“I hope that this investment will help the museum to continue on its trajectory and urge others in the industry to support it – the preservation of this history plays a key role in inspiring the next generation of tech talent.”

The Centre moved to its current site in 2013 and as an idea came about because Fitzpatrick believed that there was a need to tell the story about the impact of computers on society and politics.

“I’d always been interested in collecting computers and hoarding parts. I started buying a few items and overtime widened the pool to include other forms of computing devices. I’d always had a passion for computing and was intrigued by the industry and its development.

“What encouraged me to start the collection and ultimately create the museum,was that I realized that people had a real interest in the technology.

“People cared about their computers and remembered playing computer games for the first time,or when they first got to use a personal computer or used it to write a university thesis. This collection comes from a time when the stories about computing were more about the people who used them,and less about the machines themselves.

“The 1980s saw a generation of tech-savvy users emerge who went on to create a fantastic industry here in the UK- it was essentially an industry built-in people’s bedrooms and we’ll never see the likes of that again.”

The original collection was housed at Fitzpatrick’s place of work – he was a web developer - and it was only in 2013 that he decided,with the help of colleagues and friends he’d met and worked with over the years – including Mike Muller – to set the museum up in its current location.

“People said they’d be interested in a museum that looked to preserve technology and ensure that it was valued,celebrated,and secured for posterity,” he explained.

A significant collection
The Centre for Computing History has an internationally significant collection of vintage computers,memorabilia,artifacts,documents,and hands-on displays.

“It includes 1119 historic computers as well as 247 game consoles along with peripherals,video games,software packages,books,manuals,and magazines and we are continually adding to the collection,” said Fitzpatrick.

The video game designer David Jones,for example,donated his Tandy TRS-80 Model III computer to the museum.

“It was the machine that he used to create his classic games featuring ‘Magic Knight’,Finders Keepers and its sequels,which were released on cassette for home computers including the ZX Spectrum,Amstrad,and Commodore 64.

“David also donated a host of floppy disks and a 15-megabyte hard disk that contained the source code and assets for many of his games,” Fitzpatrick explained.

The collection is certainly vast but when pushed Fitzpatrick points out three particularly important exhibits.

“The first is the Altair 8800,which is commonly referred to as the world’s first personal computer. While that can be debated,its claim to fame is primarily the impact it had on two strands of computing. Firstly,on seeing it Bill Gates thought he would be able to write software for it and Microsoft was born; while when Steve Jobs used it he was encouraged to develop the first Apple computer. I’d argue that it was pivotal in the development of the computing industry that we have today.”

<img class="img-responsive" src="http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/article-images/image-library/93/altair_8800_9d36606c.jpg" />

The Altair 8800 computer

The Altair 8800 sold in huge numbers. It had no screen or keyboard,data had to be toggled in,and it was programmed and answers were received in binary. But despite all that it inspired a generation.

Another key object in the collection is the LEO,which is described as the world’s first business computer.

“The museum and the LEO Computers Society have been awarded a £100,000 development grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to bring together,preserve,archive and digitize a range of LEO Computers artifacts,documents,and personal memories.”

LEO appeared in the 1940s and was the result of a decision by J. Lyons &amp; Co.,the country’s largest caterer at the time,to invest in the computer developments being made at the University of Cambridge.

“From this collaboration,LEO (Lyons Electronic Office) appeared and went on to revolutionize how businesses were run. It is now acknowledged as the world’s first business computer,” said Fitzpatrick.

The preservation of LEO is important and reflects the museum’s ambition to preserve the rich history of computing for future generations.
According to Fitzpatrick,“We recognized the importance of the giant ‘electronic brains’ of the early days of computing as a result of a successful LEO Computers exhibition held in 2017.

“Following that exhibition we realized how much important documentation the LEO Computers Society had and we resolved to make sure the archive was protected for the long term.

“The funding will help to raise public awareness and pride in this important and uniquely British heritage.”

The funding will be used to train staff who will learn practical heritage skills to preserve and digitize LEO material which will then be made freely available via digital archives,wide-ranging learning resources,events,and a film,while also exploring the recreation of the first LEO machine using cutting-edge virtual reality technology.

The final key exhibit identified by Fitzpatrick is the Sinclair ZX Spectrum prototype,the “absolute original build of the Sinclair Spectrum that dates back to 1981/2 and which became the first games console.”

The prototype machine has a full travel keyboard with the commands handwritten on the top and all the chips are labeled – the underside of the board is all hand wrap wiring.

<img class="img-responsive" src="http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/article-images/image-library/93/dankzrvwsaaxac3_292609a8.jpg" />

Accreditation
A significant development for the Centre has been the awarding of ‘Full Accreditation status by the UK Arts Council,which sets out nationally-agreed standards,which in turn helps to inspire confidence in the museum not only with the public but with other funding and governing bodies.

“That accreditation was the culmination of 3 years of hard work in implementing documented cataloging systems,preservation processes,development plans,and working procedures,demonstrating that the organization works to a high standard both in our preservation efforts and as a visitor attraction,” Fitzpatrick explained.

“Our vision for the museum was for it to be completely hands-on and interactive,and at that time,to my knowledge,there were no other museums with the same ambition. A computer consists of hardware and software,and the only way to experience the software is to physically use the hardware. So to me,a museum with working and usable exhibits was the only way.”

That approach raised the suggestion that the museum was not focused on preserving the artifacts properly.

“Nothing could have been further from the truth,” retorted Fitzpatrick. “An essential and ongoing developing area of the museum’s work is the understanding of the chemical make-up of component materials used in computers. Plastics break down relatively quickly,sometimes seen as ‘yellowing’,over time. There is also the interaction of different types of plastics when in contact with each other. Known as ‘cable burn’,certain PVC sleeved cables will,under the right condition,‘melt’ the ABS plastic that it is in contact with. At the same time,some plastics will generate harmful gasses that can negatively affect other materials.

“Another problem area is batteries. Many vintage computers have internal batteries that store configuration information. Some will ‘leak’ over time causing harmful acids to damage the surrounding electronic circuits,so the museum is making a concerted effort to remove them and protect the machine from potential harm.

“The accreditation highlights our work in maintaining the collection to a high standard and will help us to get the funding we need from the various pots of money that are available including a full National Lottery grant.”

Education
One of the most important aspects of the museum is its engagement with schools via group visits and its outreach program.
“We’ve had over 104 schools visit the museum in the past year,” said Kirkpatrick,but the Centre is also heavily involved in an outreach program that brings the museum and parts of its collection to the schools themselves.

“We can bring a mini-version of the museum to them!”

According to Muller one of the key reasons behind his decision to provide the £1million funding boost to the Centre was its commitment,through its displays and activities,to support the teaching of computing.

“The team behind the museum is full of passion and commitment and it’s great to be here when it’s full of kids learning.

“It’s a unique facility with a huge collection of artifacts which are supported by demonstrations and a broad range of activities.

“In the foyer,there’s the Mega processor,which is a computer processor made very large that helps explain what a computer is and does. But once kids have had a chance to look at the collection they can then join a workshop and find out how to program a Raspberry Pi to control a device.

“If we can broaden students’ experience and motivate them to develop new skills and develop an interest in computing,then I think it’s a job well done.

“I put that money into the center because I want it to thrive and it brings a degree of stability which will enable the museum to focus on the exhibits and on developing its educational program.”

With its long-term future secured the Centre for Computing History can provide visitors with a wonderful opportunity to better understand the impact of computing in a rapidly changing world.

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