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...
VHDL tutorial - A practical example - part 2 - VHDL coding
In part 1 of this series we focused on the hardware design, including some of the VHDL definitions of the I/O characteristics of the CPLD part. In part 2, we will describe the VHDL logic of the CPLD for this design.
With any design, the first step to gather the requirements for the job at hand. From part 1 of this article, I have copied two sections that address some of the requirements for the CPLD design.
The data acquisition engine has the...
Tracing code and checking timings
Debugging resource limited systemsApplications writers that write code on large systems have it easy. Well, perhaps not easy, but certainly easier. There are some things that they don't have to worry about and there is a huge array of tools available to them when it comes time to debug. The have choices in their toolsets, lots of choices. They also have a large selection of available methods for getting debugging information out to them such as log files, proc entries, pop up dialog boxes or...
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...
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...
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'...
Bringing up Baby - product development thoughts
Things have just started to get exciting. After months of defining, specifying and designing my latest product, I finally have semi-functional prototypes. After a few side steps during the building and bring-up process, power is applied and most of the low level functions have been verified. Soon, software will meet hardware and debugging can begin in earnest.
Before jumping in and really enjoying the fun (besides I'm now waiting for some new parts to arrive), I thought it would be nice to...
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:
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...
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...
Stand-by or boot-up
Many factors affect the usability of devices - a key one is how long it takes to start up.
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...
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...
Lightweight hardware abstraction
Some lessons are tougher than others to master. You would think that hard fought battles would be easier to remember, but sometimes it just does not work that way. Recently, I was asked to pick-up a project that had been managed by another employee. The project was yet another cost reduction project. The hardware group was tasked with updating a currently shipping product, to reduce the existing failure rate, while at the same time to remove cost from the...
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.
Bringing up Baby - product development thoughts
Things have just started to get exciting. After months of defining, specifying and designing my latest product, I finally have semi-functional prototypes. After a few side steps during the building and bring-up process, power is applied and most of the low level functions have been verified. Soon, software will meet hardware and debugging can begin in earnest.
Before jumping in and really enjoying the fun (besides I'm now waiting for some new parts to arrive), I thought it would be nice to...
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...
Welcome to my life!
Hi folks!
As an electronic engineer the most of my work is about making new designs where a microcontroller is present in 99.9 % of the applications. Since 2003 I am self-employed and do consultants work for different companies. I have been traveling to different parts of the world doing work for DeLaval International, a company that makes automation equipment for the dairy industry. A lot of the things I have done for them involves use of different Atmel AVR...
A brief overview of flight control software
It has been a long time since the first drones appeared. If you are interested in such a topic, you may be confused about how and where to jump in. Since I went through the same phase, I'd like to write my findings here and help others.
For this blog post, I've created chart and table with all open source flight control programs I've been able to find.
The chart shows the course of development of the existing software. It is separated in years and you can see when which project...
“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”)...
Bringing up Baby - product development thoughts
Things have just started to get exciting. After months of defining, specifying and designing my latest product, I finally have semi-functional prototypes. After a few side steps during the building and bring-up process, power is applied and most of the low level functions have been verified. Soon, software will meet hardware and debugging can begin in earnest.
Before jumping in and really enjoying the fun (besides I'm now waiting for some new parts to arrive), I thought it would be nice to...
In the beginning, there was no code…
…and it was good.
Why is it that code starts out nice and deteriorates over time?
Welcome to my life!
Hi folks!
As an electronic engineer the most of my work is about making new designs where a microcontroller is present in 99.9 % of the applications. Since 2003 I am self-employed and do consultants work for different companies. I have been traveling to different parts of the world doing work for DeLaval International, a company that makes automation equipment for the dairy industry. A lot of the things I have done for them involves use of different Atmel AVR...
Embedded Space & Software Development Practices
Embedded Programmers (at least the ones I know) are mostly at liberty to ignore the basic software development best practices, thanks to the simplicity of embedded applications. But, as the embedded processors are becoming more and more powerful, this situation might change soon. In coming years the embedded software applications are bound to become more complex (some embedded segments have already seen this change). Embedded programmers need to realize this inevitable change and start...
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...
Unraveling the Enigma: Object Detection in the World of Pixels
Exploring the realm of embedded systems co-design for object recognition, this blog navigates the convergence of hardware and software in revolutionizing industries. Delving into real-time image analysis and environmental sensing, the discussion highlights advanced object detection and image segmentation techniques. With insights into Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) decoding pixel data and autonomously extracting features, the blog emphasizes their pivotal role in modern computer vision. Practical examples, including digit classification using TensorFlow and Keras on the MNIST dataset, underscore the power of CNNs. Through industry insights and visualization aids, the blog unveils a tapestry of innovation, charting a course towards seamless interaction between intelligent embedded systems and the world.
Stand-by or boot-up
Many factors affect the usability of devices - a key one is how long it takes to start up.
Review: Prototype to Product
Prototype to Product: A Practical Guide for Getting to Market, by Alan Cohen, is a must-read for anyone involved in product development, whether in a technical, management, or executive role.
I was reminded of it by Cohen's recent episode on Embedded.fm, 388: Brains Generate EMF, which is worth listening to a couple times through, especially if you're interested in medical device development. And in fact his first episode there,
Product quality: belief or proof?
Embedded software development is a challenging activity, so it is essential to have tools and IP that is of the best quality. However, assessing that quality can be, in itself, a challenge.
Video-Based STEM Embedded Systems Curriculum, Part 2
Contents:- Introduction
- Lesson Plan 1: Introducing Arduino
- Lesson Plan 2: Circuit Drawings With Fritzing
- Lesson Plan 3: Basic Electronics
- Coming Soon
This post continues from part 1. It contains the first three lesson plans.
Lesson Plan 1: Introducing ArduinoThis lesson is first because Arduino is the simplest programming environment, yet allows lots of interaction with hardware. In...
