Embedded Software Creation II - European Normative & Legislation
In this post I will explain the European Normative. I will answer the main questions and I will be open to answer all the doubts any of you could have. Please leave a comment and I will answer if i could.
Why I need to look and accomplish some standards?The main reason is if you want to comercialize the product in the European Union, if exists any European Directive that cover the product, the product must be marked with the CE mark. For USA it work in the same way by the...
C++ on microcontrollers 4 – input pins, and decoding a rotary switch
This blog series is about the use of C++ for modern microcontrollers. My plan is to show the gradual development of a basic I/O library. I will introduce the object-oriented C++ features that are used step by step, to provide a gentle yet practical introduction into C++ for C programmers. Reader input is very much appreciated, you might even steer me in the direction you find most interesting.
So far I...
Modulation Alternatives for the Software Engineer
Before I get to talking about modulation, here's a brief diversion.
A long time ago -- 1993, to be precise -- I took my first course on digital electronics and processors. In that class, we had to buy a copy of the TTL Data Book* from Texas Instruments.
If you have any experience in digital logic design you probably know that TTL stands for Transistor-transistor logic (thereby making the phrase "TTL Logic" an example of RAS...
C++ on microcontrollers 3 – a first shot at an hc595 class with 8 output pins
This blog series is about the use of C++ for modern microcontrollers. My plan is to show the gradual development of a basic I/O library. I will introduce the object-oriented C++ features that are used step by step, to provide a gentle yet practical introduction into C++ for C programmers. Reader input is very much appreciated, you might even steer me in the direction you find most interesting.
In the first part of...
A true pioneer passes away... A farewell to Ritchie.
We all have our heroes. We all have people who were important to our professional developments. For me, Dennis Ritchie was one of those people. I was an early adopter of the C programming language. Back in the very early 80's a friend and neighbor had excitedly shared with me his copy of "The C Programming Language" by Kernighan and Ritchie. At first I was a non-believer. I had for several years been a happy and productive assembly language...
Using XML to describe embedded devices (and speak to them)
This article discusses one of the typical development cycles in embedded device and communication design and presents a possible, light weight solution using the free DClib/netpp framework.
The challengeAssume we're faced with the design of an embedded device, be it a simple SoC unit or a more complex, uC controlled engine with various attached peripherals. From first prototype to the market, the following development cycle is typically walked through:
C++ on microcontrollers 1 - introduction, and an output pin class
This blog series is about the use of C++ for modern microcontrollers. My plan is to show the gradual development of a basic I/O library. I will introduce the object-oriented C++ features that are used step by step, to provide a gentle yet practical introduction into C++ for C programmers. Reader input is very much appreciated, you might even steer me in the direction you find most interesting.
I am lazy. I am also a programmer. Luckily, being a lazy...
Kind of Buggy! The state machine fantastic//
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to experience a lot of different kinds of coding mistakes. There were many that most programmers are familiar with, counting errors, indexing errors (the infamous 'off by one' bug), memory space sharing errors (A threading issue) as well as numerous others. I ran into one recently that I wound up using an old trick to help find.
My current project is a Pan/Tilt camera that was, upon occasion, not homing properly in one axis. The camera is a...
Get your microcontroller and PC to talk
(and get it done free ‘n’ easy!)
The Need
Specifications can dynamically change during the product development cycle. Bosses/clients suddenly approach us with additional requirements, which, however simple, can put us in a fix. One such requirement could be to have a PC based design interface for a standalone microcontroller project.
On many occasions, the required PC software has to just behave like a slave...
Deeply embedded design example - Logic replacement
I have always believed that some of the low-cost, low-pin count, low-resource microprocessors would make an excellent choice for the replacement of discrete logic components. In these cases the deeply embedded microprocessor would become less of a general purpose computer and more of a logic replacement, providing a prescribed function with no connection to the outside world. In a world of bigger, faster and more expensive, it is a pleasant change of pace...
Is it a Bug or an Error?
Probably you’ve heard the story of how Adm. Grace Hopper attached a moth that was dislodged from a relay in the Harvard Mark II mainframe to an engineering notebook and labeled it the “First actual case of bug being found.”
Designers of electronics, including Thomas Edison, had been using the term bug for decades. But it was mostly after this amusing 1947 event hat the use of words like “bugs” and “debugging” took off in the emerging software realm.
So why is it that if a...
Who needs source code?
Many developers feel that the supplying source code is essential for licensed software components. There are other perspectives, including the possibility of it being an actual disadvantage. Even the definition of source code has some vagueness.
Embedded Systems Co-design for Object Recognition: A Synergistic Approach
Embedded systems co-design for object recognition is essential for real-time image analysis and environmental sensing across various sectors. This methodology harmonizes hardware and software to optimize efficiency and performance. It relies on hardware accelerators, customized neural network architectures, memory hierarchy optimization, and power management to achieve benefits like enhanced performance, lower latency, energy efficiency, real-time responsiveness, and resource optimization. While challenges exist, co-designed systems find applications in consumer electronics, smart cameras, industrial automation, healthcare, and autonomous vehicles, revolutionizing these industries. As technology advances, co-design will continue to shape the future of intelligent embedded systems, making the world safer and more efficient.
In the beginning, there was no code…
…and it was good.
Why is it that code starts out nice and deteriorates over time?
A true pioneer passes away... A farewell to Ritchie.
We all have our heroes. We all have people who were important to our professional developments. For me, Dennis Ritchie was one of those people. I was an early adopter of the C programming language. Back in the very early 80's a friend and neighbor had excitedly shared with me his copy of "The C Programming Language" by Kernighan and Ritchie. At first I was a non-believer. I had for several years been a happy and productive assembly language...
AI at the Edge - Can I run a neural network in a resource-constrained device?
Hello Related Communities,
This is my first time blogging since joining Stephane in November. He and I were at Embedded World together and he asked me to write about some of the important trends as they relate to all of you. I expect to post others in the near future, but the biggest trend in the embedded space was all of the activity around artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge.
This trend caught me a bit by surprise. I have been doing a lot of reading about AI over the last...
Parlez vous Fortran?
A look at the variety of programming languages that are [or have been] used for embedded and some thoughts on the future possibilities.
Configuration Management: Why Developers are Avert to
A few reasons why developers have aversion towards "Software Configuration Management Systems"
(1) They do not understand the importance of configuration management. - It is a common and logical reason. But, it is also a very dangerous sign for any organization. If their developers do not understand the importance of configuration management; then it is highly likely that developers even do not understand the other fundamentals of software development. The situation becomes worst...
It starts with an LED
And slowly builds up from there.
I have been an embedded software engineer for many years. I was programming when I was a teenager before then, as a high school student involved in an NSF program called "National Science Foundation Summer Science Training Program (for High School Students)" or as we would rattle off during that summer of exquisite learning, NSFSSTP. We were taught to program in Fortran and taught the fundamentals of Calculus. It was a very enriching experience.
When it...
Kind of Buggy! The state machine fantastic//
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to experience a lot of different kinds of coding mistakes. There were many that most programmers are familiar with, counting errors, indexing errors (the infamous 'off by one' bug), memory space sharing errors (A threading issue) as well as numerous others. I ran into one recently that I wound up using an old trick to help find.
My current project is a Pan/Tilt camera that was, upon occasion, not homing properly in one axis. The camera is a...
Building Linux Kernel for Desktops
Linux Development has made an amazing process in last decade. Different Linux Distributions come with specific tools which greatly ease down the build process for Linux Kernel.
Here is a good introduction to these build tools and build procedure for different Linux Distributions:
Embedded Software Creation I - Methodologies
The first knowledge we need it is to know the posibilities or methodologies that exists to create Software. Each methodology is used to develop diferent types of Software. The types usually are defined by the requeriments and the diferent normative that is related to the type of device. In the next post I will explain how to find the normative@ legislation (link), and how does it work.
Let's start with methodologies. There are lot's of methodologies and so many people that develop...
Remember Y2K?
There was fear that the turn of the century at the end of 1999 would cause problems with many embedded systems. There is evidence that the same issue may occur in 2038.
Parlez vous Fortran?
A look at the variety of programming languages that are [or have been] used for embedded and some thoughts on the future possibilities.
Who needs source code?
Many developers feel that the supplying source code is essential for licensed software components. There are other perspectives, including the possibility of it being an actual disadvantage. Even the definition of source code has some vagueness.
Software Prototyping
In my recent blog entry on the product development process (way down, near the end of the entry), I wrote the following:
"I continue these sorts of tests, building more and more complexity, until I am satisfied that my circuit is basically functional. Then, using the test code that I have created as a model, I begin to write the real software for my product. As my software grows, to complete the full functionality of my design, I sometime find it useful to drop back to my 'test software'...
Hello Android
Finally I could get Android Early SDK up and running on my Fedora Core-7 Machine.
The process was quite simple. However I had to struggle for a few days, because Fedora install the gnu version of Java and Android requires Java from Sun.
Here are the steps I had to follow:
(1) Install the eclipse IDE (if you do not have it already) with following command:
$> yum install eclipse-jdt eclipse-jdt-sdk (to be done as super user).
(2) now install the Android SDK and ADT plug-in for Eclipse...
Getting Started With Zephyr: DTS vs DTSI vs Overlays
Devicetrees can be daunting for traditional embedded software engineers that are new to Zephyr. In this blog post, I address these fears and show how navigating Devicetrees can be much easier if you understand that they represent the layered structure of the underlying hardware.
“Smarter” cars, unintended acceleration – and unintended consequences
In this article, I consider some recent press reports relating to embedded software in the automotive sector.
In The Times newspaper (London, 2015-10-16) the imminent arrival of Tesla cars that “use autopilot technology to park themselves and change lane without intervention from the driver” was noted.
By most definitions, the Tesla design incorporates what is sometimes called “Artificial Intelligence” (AI).Others might label it a “Smart” (or at least “Smarter”)...
Size matters - System success depends on initial design
Too many times during the initial phases of system design, opposing interests start fighting for valuable resources, sometimes without even knowing that they are. Case in point, a development project is starting up with a very simple product. For the user interface, Engineering wants to use a very simple character based LCD display and a couple of membrane switches, while Marketing wants a graphic display with a touch screen. The cost difference between these two items is...
