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What Is Vector Table In Microcontroller Direct

This is the most important entry. When the MCU is powered on or reset, the hardware automatically looks at this specific memory address. It contains the starting address of your main program. Without a reset vector, the CPU is "blind" and won't know where the first line of code is. 2. The Stack Pointer (Initial Value)

The ARM Cortex-M series has a standardized Vector Table.

In a microcontroller, the "highway" is the program that's running, and the "exits" are interrupts that occur, such as a timer expiring, a button being pressed, or data arriving on a serial interface. When an interrupt occurs, the microcontroller needs to know what to do next. what is vector table in microcontroller

Hardware-level signals from peripherals (like a timer expiring or data arriving on a serial port). How It Works: The "Phone Book" Analogy

A periodic timer used by Operating Systems (RTOS) to manage tasks. 4. Peripheral Interrupts This is the most important entry

While the exact layout depends on the architecture (ARM Cortex-M, AVR, PIC, etc.), most vector tables follow a similar hierarchy: 1. The Reset Vector

Each entry in this table is called a . A vector is simply a pointer—a memory address—that tells the CPU where to jump when a particular event occurs. These events are generally categorized into two types: Without a reset vector, the CPU is "blind"

// These are external variables defined in your linker script and code extern unsigned long _estack; // End of RAM address for the stack void Reset_Handler(void); // Your entry point or main() void NMI_Handler(void); void HardFault_Handler(void); void USART1_IRQHandler(void); // Your serial port handler

| Aspect | Description | | :--- | :--- | | | A fixed table of function pointers at a known memory address. | | Primary Role | To provide the CPU with the address of the correct interrupt handler. | | Critical Entries | Initial Stack Pointer, Reset Vector, Fault Handlers. | | Why it matters | Enables fast, deterministic response to real-time events (interrupts). | | Where it lives | Typically at the start of flash memory (e.g., 0x00000000 ). |

You look at the "Fire Alarm" entry in your book, see it says "Go to Page 100," and you immediately jump to Page 100 to start the evacuation procedure.

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