From Baremetal to RTOS: A review of scheduling techniques
Transitioning from bare-metal embedded software development to a real-time operating system (RTOS) can be a difficult endeavor. Many developers struggle with the question of whether they should use an RTOS or simply use a bare-metal scheduler....
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, actual implementation is explored through implementation of a four bit counter driven via Timer0 interrupts whose value is displayed through four LEDs on Microchip's Curiosity HPC Development Board.
OS influence on power consumption
Power consumption of an embedded system may be influenced in software in general, but selection of an operating system can be key.
BusyBox; The Swiss Army Knife of Embedded Linux
In this article we cover the BusyBox, how it's designed to be optimized for embedded targets, and how to configure and build it in different ways, we also covered the license and limitation, which led to the development of ToyBox, I hope you enjoyed the article, please leave a comment for any correction or suggestions.
How to Build a Fixed-Point PI Controller That Just Works: Part II
In Part I we talked about some of the issues around discrete-time proportional-integral (PI) controllers: various forms and whether to use the canonical form for z-transforms (don't do it!) order of operation in the integral term: whether to...
MSP430 Launchpad Tutorial - Part 2 - Interrupts and timers
What is an "interrupt"? It is a signal that informs our MCU that a certain event has happened, causing the interruption of the normal flow of the main program and the execution of an "interrupt routine", that handles the event and takes a...
An absolute position encoder VHDL core
Let's consider motorized systems controlled by electronics. A closed loop architecture looks like this:
C to C++: 5 Tips for Refactoring C Code into C++
The article titled "Simple Tips to Refactor C Code into C++: Improve Embedded Development" provides essential guidance for embedded developers transitioning from C to C++. The series covers fundamental details necessary for a seamless transition and emphasizes utilizing C++ as a better C rather than diving into complex language features. The article introduces five practical tips for refactoring C code into C++. Replace #define with constexpr and const: Discouraging the use of #define macros, the article advocates for safer alternatives like constexpr and const to improve type safety, debugging, namespaces, and compile-time computation. Use Namespaces: Demonstrating the benefits of organizing code into separate logical groupings through namespaces, the article explains how namespaces help avoid naming conflicts and improve code readability. Replace C-style Pointers with Smart Pointers and References: Emphasizing the significance of avoiding raw pointers, the article suggests replacing them with C++ smart pointers (unique_ptr, shared_ptr, weak_ptr) and using references
Working With ESP-C3-32S-Kit Dev Board
Introduction The ESP-C3-32S-Kit is a small dev board made by Ai.Thinker, containing an ESP-C3-32S SoC module, supporting WiFi and BLE: Development for the board uses the Espressif IoT Development Framework...
Square root in fixed point VHDL
We will design and implement a fixed point square root function in VHDL. The algorithm is based on the recursive inverse square root algorithm based on Newton Raphson and offers parametrizable pipeline depth, word length and the algorithm is built on records and procedures.
Quaternions and the spatial rotations in motion enabled wearable devices. Exploiting the potential of smart IMUs attitude estimation.
Have you always wondered what a quaternion is? this is your post. Attitude or spatial orientation analysis is a powerful element in wearable devices (and many other systems). Commercially available sensors can provide this information out-of-the-box without requiring complex additional implementation of sensor fusion algorithms. Since these are already on-chip solutions devices can serve as a way to explore and analyze motion in several use cases. Mathematical analysis for processing quaternion is presented along with a brief introduction to them, Although they are not really easy to visualise, a couple fairly simple examples are provided which may allow you to gain some intuition on what's the logic behind them.
From Embedded Software Engineer to Musician
In his first blog post on EmbeddedRelated, Jean Labrosse, the author of the uC/OS series and founder of Micrium, discusses his transition from an embedded software engineer to a musician.
Jumping from MCUs to FPGAs - 5 things you need to know
Are you a microcontroller expert beckoned by the siren song of the FPGA? Not long ago, that was me. FPGA-expert friends of mine regularly extolled the virtues of these mysterious components and I wanted in. When I made the leap, I found a world seemingly very familiar, but in reality, vastly different. I found that my years of C programming and microcontroller use often gave pre preconceived interpretations of FPGA resource material which resulted in eye-roll class mistakes in my code. I’ve gleaned five things of vital importance to help you make that transition faster than I did.
Assembly language is best - except when it isn’t
A look at why writing in C often produces more efficient code than hand-written assembly language.
C to C++: 5 Tips for Refactoring C Code into C++
The article titled "Simple Tips to Refactor C Code into C++: Improve Embedded Development" provides essential guidance for embedded developers transitioning from C to C++. The series covers fundamental details necessary for a seamless transition and emphasizes utilizing C++ as a better C rather than diving into complex language features. The article introduces five practical tips for refactoring C code into C++. Replace #define with constexpr and const: Discouraging the use of #define macros, the article advocates for safer alternatives like constexpr and const to improve type safety, debugging, namespaces, and compile-time computation. Use Namespaces: Demonstrating the benefits of organizing code into separate logical groupings through namespaces, the article explains how namespaces help avoid naming conflicts and improve code readability. Replace C-style Pointers with Smart Pointers and References: Emphasizing the significance of avoiding raw pointers, the article suggests replacing them with C++ smart pointers (unique_ptr, shared_ptr, weak_ptr) and using references
Getting Started With Zephyr: Devicetrees
This blog post provides an introduction to the "Devicetree", another unique concept in The Zephyr Project. We learn about the basic syntax of a device tree and how its structure and hierarchy mirror hardware, from the SoC to the final board. We also see how hardware described in a devicetree can be referenced and controlled in the source code of a Zephyr-based application.
NULL pointer protection with ARM Cortex-M MPU
This post explains how you can set up the ARM Cortex-M MPU (Memory Protection Unit) to protect thy code from dragons, demons, core dumps, and numberless other foul creatures awaiting thee after thou dereference the NULL pointer.
Bellegram, a wireless DIY doorbell that sends you a Telegram message
A wireless button that uses the M5 STAMP PICO and Mongoose to send a Telegram message when pressed. The code is written in C
BusyBox; The Swiss Army Knife of Embedded Linux
In this article we cover the BusyBox, how it's designed to be optimized for embedded targets, and how to configure and build it in different ways, we also covered the license and limitation, which led to the development of ToyBox, I hope you enjoyed the article, please leave a comment for any correction or suggestions.
++i and i++ : what’s the difference?
Although the ++ and -- operators are well known, there are facets of their operation and implementation that are less familiar to many developers.
How to Implement Image Processing Algorithms in FPGA Hardware
Recognized for their parallelism and reconfigurability, FPGAs prove ideal for real-time processing in medical imaging and computer vision. The step-by-step approach starts with understanding FPGA basics, emphasizing their reconfigurable nature and parallel processing. It guides users in algorithm selection based on factors like processing speed, resource utilization, and adaptability, then highlights designing modular and scalable algorithms. The process includes simulation for verification, synthesis using tools like Xilinx Vivado and Intel Quartus Prime, interfacing with image sensors, and testing on real hardware. The conclusion underscores FPGA's advantages in image processing, presenting ongoing opportunities for innovation in diverse industries.
C to C++: 5 Tips for Refactoring C Code into C++
The article titled "Simple Tips to Refactor C Code into C++: Improve Embedded Development" provides essential guidance for embedded developers transitioning from C to C++. The series covers fundamental details necessary for a seamless transition and emphasizes utilizing C++ as a better C rather than diving into complex language features. The article introduces five practical tips for refactoring C code into C++. Replace #define with constexpr and const: Discouraging the use of #define macros, the article advocates for safer alternatives like constexpr and const to improve type safety, debugging, namespaces, and compile-time computation. Use Namespaces: Demonstrating the benefits of organizing code into separate logical groupings through namespaces, the article explains how namespaces help avoid naming conflicts and improve code readability. Replace C-style Pointers with Smart Pointers and References: Emphasizing the significance of avoiding raw pointers, the article suggests replacing them with C++ smart pointers (unique_ptr, shared_ptr, weak_ptr) and using references
Linear Feedback Shift Registers for the Uninitiated, Part VI: Sing Along with the Berlekamp-Massey Algorithm
The last two articles were on discrete logarithms in finite fields — in practical terms, how to take the state \( S \) of an LFSR and its characteristic polynomial \( p(x) \) and figure out how many shift steps are required to go from the...
Peripheral Interaction Without a Linux Device Driver Using Spidev
Overview When integrating a new peripheral onto an embedded Linux platform, we might think we always need to implement a kernel module to serve as a device driver. However, as we all know, absolutes such as “always” and “never” are...
Absolute Beginner's Guide To Getting Started With Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi is a great little computer for learning programming in general, as well as embedded systems. It runs a version of the Linux OS (Operating System) called Raspberry Pi OS (formerly called Raspbian, so you'll see that name a lot,...
StrangeCPU #1. A new CPU
Summary: In this multi-part series I will share with you a design, implementation notes and code for a slightly different kind of a CPU featuring a novel token machine that resolves an 8-bit token to pretty much any address in a 32-bit or even...
Use DPLL to Lock Digital Oscillator to 1PPS Signal
Introduction There are occasions where it is desirable to lock a digital oscillator to an external time reference such as the 1PPS (One Pulse Per Second) signal output from a GPS receiver. One approach would be to synchronize a fixed frequency...
