How to Analyze a Three-Op-Amp Instrumentation Amplifier
The three-op-amp instrumentation amplifier gives you high input impedance, improved net bandwidth, and much lower sensitivity to resistor mismatch than a single-op-amp differential stage. Jason M. Sachs walks through the algebra, numeric examples, and historical notes to show how the preamp isolates common-mode, why splitting gain boosts bandwidth, how overall gain can be set with one resistor, and what practical limits to watch.
How to Achieve Deterministic Behavior in Real-Time Embedded Systems
Ensuring deterministic behavior in real-time embedded systems is paramount for their reliability and performance. The ability to predict precisely how a system will respond to various inputs at any given time is crucial in critical applications such as medical devices, aerospace systems, and automotive safety mechanisms. Achieving deterministic behavior involves meticulous design, stringent testing, and adherence to strict timing constraints.
How to Design Reliable Reset Circuits for Embedded Microcontrollers
In the world of embedded systems, the reset circuit is a critical component that ensures the microcontroller starts up correctly and recovers gracefully from unexpected events like power fluctuations or software crashes. A poorly designed reset circuit can lead to erratic behavior, system lockups, or even permanent damage to the microcontroller. For embedded engineers, designing a reliable reset circuit is essential for ensuring the stability and robustness of the system.
Supply Chain Games: A Warning on Tariffs
Jason Sachs warns that the 2025 tariff surge could amplify an existing semiconductor inventory glut and destabilize automotive and industrial supply chains. He lays out why steep, rapid tariff changes cannot be absorbed by years-long fab lead times, sticky proprietary ICs, or quick part substitutions. Read this to understand practical risks, likely timing, and what engineers and buyers should watch over the next two to three years.
Hidden Gems from the Embedded Online Conference Archives - Part 3
Jack Ganssle shows us what we can learn by studying previous failures - and why this is essential for anyone working in embedded systems.
Working with Microchip PIC 8-bit Interrupts
This fifth and final post of the Getting Started with Microchip PIC 8 Bit Development series looks at interrupts on 8-bit PIC microcontrollers. After a review of basic interrupt functionality, an actual implementation is explored with the development of a four bit counter driven via Timer0 interrupts whose value is displayed through four LEDs on Microchip's Curiosity HPC Development Board.
Hidden Gems from the Embedded Online Conference Archives - Part 2
A look back at a deep dive into the Mars Perseverance flight software from one of the technical leads at JPL.
Hidden Gems from the Embedded Online Conference Archives - Part 1
Discussion of a "hidden gem" from the Embedded Online Conference archives!
Optimizing Hardware Design: Reducing Iterations with DSM
Often, product teams curate feature roadmaps that fail to account for the interdependencies in product components. For this article, I wrote about how system architecture tools like Design(dependency) Structure matrix (DSM) can be used to evaluate feature roadmaps to avoid the purgatory of change propagation and accompanying endless Iteration loops. These iteration loops are sometimes affordable (manageable) in software development (Agile saves lives), but for hardware teams - especially small product teams and startups - the lost time, and money is the stuff of which product graves are made.
Implementing State Machines
Stephen walks through a practical state machine example using a dish-washing analogy to expose common implementation pitfalls and fixes. Starting from a straightforward superloop design he shows how blocking loops, global state, and interrupt races can break behavior, then refactors the code to use scoped enums, non-blocking state actions, and a simple interrupt flag to make embedded state machines safer and more maintainable.
3 Tips for Developing Embedded Systems with AI
Explore how to leverage AI in developing embedded systems with three practical tips, learn why documenting your workflows, supercharging testing and debugging, and adopting AI-assisted code generation can save time, reduce errors, and boost performance in your projects, and discover actionable insights to streamline development in resource-constrained environments, this blog explains how to prepare for AI integration while keeping the expertise of experienced engineers intact, offering real-world examples that show how even incremental AI adoption can revolutionize your development process, whether you’re new to AI or seeking to enhance existing practices, these strategies provide a clear roadmap to build smarter, more efficient embedded systems using AI.
Introduction to Microcontrollers - Interrupts
Interrupts are not magic, they are the practical tool that lets a microcontroller respond in microseconds while still doing background work. This introduction explains what an interrupt and an ISR are, how return addresses and CPU state are saved, and why ISRs must be short and carefully written. AVR and STM32 external-interrupt examples show real configuration steps and key gotchas to watch for.
Linear Feedback Shift Registers for the Uninitiated, Part XVIII: Primitive Polynomial Generation
Jason Sachs walks through how to find primitive polynomials for GF(2) LFSRs, moving from naive exhaustive checks to smarter synthetic constructions. The article compares sieve and constructive methods, shows practical optimizations like parity checks and companion-matrix updates, and demonstrates decimation plus Berlekamp-Massey to generate all primitives from one seed; it also teases a novel Falling Coyote Algorithm for additional speedups.
Already 3000+ Attendees Registered for the Upcoming Embedded Online Conference
More than 3,000 engineers have already signed up for the Embedded Online Conference, and free registration closes at the end of February. Stephane Boucher highlights four practical tracks—DSP and machine learning, FPGA, embedded systems programming, and embedded systems security—and notes that every talk will be available to stream on demand from May 20. If you prefer no-travel learning or want flexible access to world-class talks, register now.
Skills For Embedded Systems Software Developers
Embedded development demands a broad, practical skillset, and this post lays out the core knowledge employers expect across software, hardware, and tooling. It highlights essential languages like C, low-level concepts such as interrupts and RTOS, plus hardware skills like debugging with JTAG and using oscilloscopes. You also get realistic timelines, hands on study advice, and resource pointers to build a portfolio that proves you can ship reliable firmware.
Free Goodies from Embedded World - Full Inventory and Upcoming Draw Live-Streaming Date
Stephane came back from Embedded World with a massive haul of development kits, tools and swag and decided to give it away to multiple winners. Read the full inventory, learn how to enter by liking or sharing the LinkedIn and Twitter posts, and tune in Friday March 29 at 1pm EST on EmbeddedRelated.tv for the live draw where winners will pick their prizes.
Getting Started with (Apache) NuttX RTOS - Part 1
NuttX RTOS is used in many products from companies like Sony, Xiaomi, Samsung, Google/Fitbit, WildernessLabs and many other companis. So, probably you are already using NuttX even without knowing it, like the you was using Linux on your TV, WiFi router more than 10 years ago and didn't know too! Today you will have the chance to discover a little bit of this fantastic Linux-like RTOS! Are you ready? So, let's get started!
Modern C++ in Embedded Development: (Don't Fear) The ++
While C is still the language of choice for embedded development, the adoption of C++ has grown steadily. Yet, reservations about dynamic memory allocation and fears of unnecessary code bloat have kept many in the C camp. This discourse aims to explore the intricacies of employing C++ in embedded systems, negotiating the issues of dynamic memory allocation, and exploiting the benefits of C++ offerings like std::array and constexpr. Moreover, it ventures into the details of the zero-overhead principle and the nuanced distinctions between C and C++. The takeaway? Armed with the right knowledge and a careful approach, C++ can indeed serve as a powerful, safer, and more efficient tool for embedded development.
Return of the Delta-Sigma Modulators, Part 1: Modulation
Jason Sachs returns to delta-sigma modulators with a hands-on, code-first treatment that focuses on the DAC side of things. Part 1 walks through first- and second-order kernels, linearized analysis, spectra, and practical coefficient choices while illustrating results with Python simulations. Expect clear rules of thumb for A, R, and B, a derivation of noise shaping behavior, and a useful error bound for RC filtering.
10 Software Tools You Should Know
Embedded work gets a lot easier when you have the right software stack, and Jason Sachs lays out the tools he leans on every day. From revision control and file comparison to build systems, scripting, analysis, documentation, QA, and command-line utilities, he focuses on practical picks that save time and reduce mistakes. The list is opinionated, but it is full of the kind of workflow advice that helps engineers stay productive.
Endianness and Serial Communication
A single wrong byte order can cost you a day of debugging, and Stephen Friederichs walks through how to avoid that when sending multi-byte data over a byte-oriented serial link. He demonstrates an ATmega328P sending 16-bit ADC readings, capturing raw bytes with RealTerm, and plotting with Octave, showing how swapped endianness can produce plausible but incorrect results. The post gives practical steps to capture, test, and verify byte order.
Byte and Switch (Part 1)
Driving a 24V electromagnet from a 3.3V microcontroller looks trivial, but Jason Sachs shows how that simple switch can fail spectacularly. He walks through the cause of MOSFET destruction when an inductive load is turned off, and explains the practical fixes you actually need: a flyback diode, a gate series resistor, and a gate pulldown to keep the transistor well behaved.
Introduction to Microcontrollers - Timers
Time is everything in embedded systems, and Mike Silva walks through how microcontroller timers turn clock pulses into dependable events. He covers prescalers, counter bit widths, overflow versus compare modes, atomic multi-byte register access, the "-1 rule", input capture and compare leapfrogging, with concrete AVR and STM32 code that highlights common pitfalls and reliable patterns for precise ticks.
How to Build a Fixed-Point PI Controller That Just Works: Part I
Jason Sachs digs into the implementation choices that make a fixed-point PI controller reliable in real embedded systems. He focuses on practical fixes rather than tuning: prefer scale-then-integrate, fold the timestep into the integral gain, and apply anti-windup so saturations and sensor noise do not break the loop. Part I covers discrete-time pitfalls and sets up fixed-point scaling issues for Part II.
Important Programming Concepts (Even on Embedded Systems) Part V: State Machines
State machines are not glamorous, but they solve a lot of real embedded problems. Jason Sachs uses a motorized couch example to show how FSMs and Harel statecharts expose corner cases, simplify timing constraints, and make behavior easier to specify and review. The article walks through hand-rolled switches, tabular implementations, the state pattern, libraries like QP and Boost, and tool tradeoffs.
Supply Chain Games: What Have We Learned From the Great Semiconductor Shortage of 2021? (Part 3)
Jason Sachs pulls back the curtain on Moore's Law and the foundry business to explain why the semiconductor shortage exposed brittle economics. He traces how roadmaps, depreciation schedules, and node mix force foundries to juggle expensive new fabs and mature capacity, and shows why leading-edge nodes punch above their volume share in revenue. Engineers get practical insight into how capacity and timing decisions ripple through the supply chain.
Ten Little Algorithms, Part 3: Welford's Method (and Friends)
Jason Sachs takes a practical look at Welford's method, a numerically stable online algorithm for computing mean and sample variance without storing large batches. He demonstrates Python implementations, shows why the naive sum and sum-of-squares approach suffers catastrophic cancellation, and why Welford is a better fit for memory- and CPU-constrained embedded systems. Jason then turns Welford into simple filters for tracking time-varying noise and discusses heuristic fixes and tradeoffs.
10 Circuit Components You Should Know
Jason Sachs pulls together ten underrated but highly practical circuit components that every embedded engineer should know. From multifunction logic gates that act like a Swiss Army knife for glue logic to TL431 shunt regulators and tiny charge-pump inverters, each item is presented with real-world use cases and caveats. Read this to expand your parts toolbox and simplify future designs.
An overview of Linux Boot Process for Embedded Systems
Booting Linux on embedded hardware collapses PC boot stages into a single bootloader, and understanding the early steps helps troubleshoot low-level failures. Kunal Singh breaks down the sequence from the bootstrap firmware and primary/secondary bootloaders through zImage decompression, MMU and page table setup, start_kernel, and the initrd pivot to the root filesystem. Practical focus favors ARM examples.
ESC Boston's Videos are Now Up
Stephane Boucher shares the videos he produced from ESC Boston, including a short highlight montage, a booth video for DLOGIC, and full talk clips from the conference. He also reflects on what he learned shooting on the show floor, especially the challenge of getting engineers on camera. It’s a quick behind-the-scenes look at technical event videography, with a preview of his next stop in Germany.
Back from ESC Boston
Stephane nearly skipped ESC Boston, but going turned into a productive mix of networking, informal meetups, and on-the-floor filming. He captures candid encounters with speakers and vendors, learns how small shows differ from larger expos, and outlines practical follow-ups like booth highlight videos and speaker hospitality suggestions. The post is an encouraging read for engineers weighing the value of regional conferences and DIY event coverage.
Launch of Youtube Channel: My First Videos - Embedded World 2017
Stephane Boucher turned his Embedded World 2017 trip into a debut YouTube series of short booth highlight videos. He walks through the steep learning curve of trade-show filming, the specific gear he bought and rented to cope with low light and noise, and the practical mistakes he plans to fix. The post lists filmed vendors and asks readers for feedback to improve future episodes.
Who else is going to Embedded World 2017 in Nuremberg?
Stephane Boucher is gearing up for Embedded World 2017 in Nuremberg, and he wants the EmbeddedRelated community to help shape what he covers. He plans to roam the show floor, film standout demos, and report back on vendors and products that matter most to engineers who cannot attend. If you're going, he is also floating the idea of an informal meetup in Nuremberg.
New Comments System (please help me test it)
DSPRelated just got a practical upgrade, Stephane Boucher has released a new comments system built from his earlier forum work. It supports drag-and-drop or Insert Image uploads, MathML, TeX and ASCIImath rendered by MathJax, syntax-highlighted code via highlight.js, and in-place editing and deletion of comments. Improved email notifications alert authors and commenters to replies, and readers are invited to post test comments and report problems.
3 Good News
Stephane Boucher reports three quick wins for the EmbeddedRelated community: two sponsors have seeded a $1,000 rewards pool, the site now serves all pages over HTTPS, and the new forums have their first active discussions. If you want a share of the sponsor-funded rewards, jump into the forums and check the Vendors Directory for opportunities. Stay tuned for more updates.
The New Forum is LIVE!
The EmbeddedRelated forum just got a major interface refresh, and Stephane Boucher is rolling it out in beta. The new editor makes it easier to drop in images and files, add LaTeX equations with MathJax, and publish highlighted code snippets with highlight.js. Access is gated by approval for now, mainly to keep trolls, spammers, and bots out.
Helping New Bloggers to Break the Ice: A New Ipad Pro for the Author with the Best Article!
Breaking the ice can be tough. Over the years, many individuals have asked to be given access to the blogging interface only to never post an article.
Welcoming MANY New Bloggers!
A big influx of new voices just joined DSPRelated, and Stephane Boucher introduces the growing roster of contributors and their backgrounds. The post lists dozens of newly approved bloggers, highlights the range of DSP and embedded expertise they bring, and asks readers to leave constructive feedback on posts. It also explains why some applicants may not have been accepted yet and how to apply properly.
Recruiting New Bloggers!
EmbeddedRelated is expanding its blogging team, and Stephane Boucher is inviting engineers, students, hobbyists, and researchers to contribute. He points to the success of earlier contributors and says the community has already read their articles more than 1,250,000 times. If you have knowledge to share, this post explains how to pitch a topic and get started.
