Gururaj Engineers Private Limited

A watchdog timer (WDT) is a timer that monitors microcontroller (MCU) programs to see if they are out of control or have stopped operating. It acts as a “watchdog” watching over MCU operation.

A microcontroller (MCU) is a compact processor for controlling electronic devices. Integrated into a wide variety of electronic devices, MCUs come pre-loaded with program software whose commands are used to control electronic devices.
This makes safeguarding normal MCU operation essential. Should the MCU program, for some reason, run out of control or stop running altogether, the electronic device may behave erratically, which in the worst case could cause damage or an accident.

To proactively prevent such incidents, it falls to the role of the watchdog timer to constantly watch over the MCU to ensure it is operating normally.

The watchdog timer function can be inside the MCU, but here we are introducing “external” watchdog timers, the safer kind.