Appendix A: Programming Watchdog Timer - Lanner LEC-7230 User Manual

Appendix A:
Programming Watchdog
Timer
A watchdog timer is a piece of hardware that can be
used to automatically detect system anomalies and reset
the processor in case there are any problems. Generally
speaking, a watchdog timer is based on a counter that
counts down from an initial value to zero. The software
selects the counter's initial value and periodically restarts
it. Should the counter reach zero before the software
restarts it, the software is presumed to be malfunctioning
and the processor's reset signal is asserted. Thus, the
processor will be restarted as if a human operator had
cycled the power.
For sample watchdog code, see Watch dog in the Driver
and Manual CD