What is Watchdog Timer?

A watchdog timer (WDT) is a computer hardware timing device that performs a specific operation after a certain period of time if something goes wrong with an electronic system and the system does not recover on its own. For example, to trigger a system reset if the main program hangs, or neglects to regularly service the watchdog. So the intention of WDT is to bring the system back from the hung state into normal operation.

A WDT contains a digital counter that counts down to zero at a constant speed from a preset number. If the counter reaches zero before the computer recovers, a signal is sent to designated circuits to perform the desired action

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