Linear Feedback Shift Registers for the Uninitiated, Part XVII: Reverse-Engineering the CRC
You Don't Need an RTOS (Part 1)
In this first article, we'll compare our two contenders, the superloop and the RTOS. We'll define a few terms that help us describe exactly what functions a scheduler does and why an RTOS can help make certain systems work that wouldn't with a superloop. By the end of this article, you'll be able to: - Measure or calculate the deadlines, periods, and worst-case execution times for each task in your system, - Determine, using either a response-time analysis or a utilization test, if that set of tasks is schedulable using either a superloop or an RTOS, and - Assign RTOS task priorities optimally.
Data Types for Control & DSP
There's a lot of information out there on what data types to use for digital signal processing, but there's also a lot of confusion, so the topic bears repeating.I recently posted an entry on PID control. In that article I glossed over the data...
Static or static
The keyword static in C and C++ has multiple uses, which are not always well understood.
Mutex vs. Semaphore - Part 1
It never ceases to amaze me how often I see postings in forums asking the difference between a semaphore and a mutex. Probably what baffles me more is that over 90% of the time the responses given are either incorrect or missing the key...
Creating a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) in C
In my last post, C to C++: Using Abstract Interfaces to Create Hardware Abstraction Layers (HAL), I discussed how vital hardware abstraction layers are and how to use a C++ abstract interface to create them. You may be thinking, that’s great for C++, but I work in C! How do I create a HAL that can easily swap in and out different drivers? In today’s post, I will walk through exactly how to do that while using the I2C bus as an example.
Cutting Through the Confusion with ARM Cortex-M Interrupt Priorities
The insanely popular ARM Cortex-M processor offers very versatile interrupt priority management, but unfortunately, the multiple priority numbering conventions used in managing the interrupt priorities are often counter-intuitive, inconsistent,...
Embedded Linux Board Farms 101: The Requirements That Actually Matter
When you keep your embedded Linux boards in a rack or remote lab, the "plug in HDMI" workflow breaks down fast. One bad kernel push and SSH never comes back. This post lays out the core requirements for a real board farm: out-of-band serial console access, remote power cycling, and scripted reimaging so you never need someone on-site who knows Linux. Once those primitives are in place, everyday smart home devices — Tasmota switches, Home Assistant, environmental sensors — become legitimate development tools that bring enterprise lab capabilities to a hobbyist budget. Includes a pre-flight checklist for transitioning from KVM-style access to a fully remote setup, and a preview of the full implementation presented at the Embedded Online Conference in May.
Small Language Models (SLMs): The Future of AI is Smaller, Faster, and Closer to the Edge
AI industry is shifting from a "bigger is better" mentality to a focus on efficiency, localization, and real-world utility. The article argues that the AI industry is pivoting from massive, cloud-bound models toward Small Language Models (SLMs) designed for efficiency, speed, and edge deployment. Driven by the need to overcome cloud-centric hurdles like high latency, bandwidth costs, and privacy risks, SLMs (ranging from 100M to 14B parameters) leverage architectural innovations such as quantization, sparse attention, and high-quality synthetic data to deliver specialized intelligence on local hardware. Rather than replacing large models, SLMs represent a shift toward a hybrid intelligence future where the cloud provides depth while the edge provides real-time, sustainable action, ultimately moving the focus of AI progress from raw parameter count to practical, real-world utility.
Debug, visualize and test embedded C/C++ through instrumentation
Instrumenting a firmware is a highly effective methodology for debugging and testing an embedded softwares. In this article, I will present a way of achieving this using Scrutiny, an open-source software suite developed as a personal initiative, designed to streamline debugging, telemetry, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing for embedded devices.
Can an RTOS be really real-time?
Real-Time Operating Systems are meant for real-time applications. But with conventional shared-state concurrency and blocking, can you honestly know the worst-case execution time of an RTOS thread?
Always-On Intelligence Without the Cloud: Why it matters more than you think
Much of the AI conversation today is still focused on scale: larger models, more data, more compute. Embedded systems live in a different reality, where constraints are unavoidable, and efficiency is the priority. What’s emerging is not a smaller version of cloud AI, but a different approach altogether, the one that values locality, predictability, resilience, and trust. Always-on intelligence without the cloud isn’t just a technical milestone. It’s a change in how we think about where intelligence belongs.
Designing for Humans: Viewing DFM and Industrialization Through the Lens of the Fitts MABA–MABA List
"Operator’s fault" and "Inadequate Training" are the phrases you typically hear when yield loss and stubborn manufacturing issues are discussed. While these factors may play a role, they rarely tell the whole story. This article views DFM and industrialization through the lens of a classic human factors principle; the Fitts MABA-MABA list, and highlights a critical, yet less-discussed factor: the lack of manufacturing-focused human factors considerations in product design. It explores practical examples like Proprioceptive Fatigue and Visual SNR, and shows how lots of chronic manufacturing issues are results of bad upstream design decisions, echoing the fact that in many cases, inspection exists not because it is inherently valuable, but because the design failed to encode correctness directly into the product or process. If you’ve ever wondered why "retraining" never seems to fix a recurring defect, this take on industrialization and manufacturing might explain why.
Project Log: Pixelblaze Christmas Lights
Festive fun and the hacker spirit combine in my janky attempt to adorn my house with addressable LEDs! In this post, I show you how I used a Pixelblaze and a cheap strip of WS2811 RGB LEDs (and not a little bit of hot glue and paper clips) to make a super cool set of Christmas lights.
Your Unit Tests Won't Find the Wolves: Why Embedded Developers Should Be Fuzzing
You test the happy paths. You check the well-formatted packets and the expected inputs. But real users don't read manuals, and real data doesn't follow your protocol spec. Fuzzing throws millions of randomized inputs at your code to find the crashes you never thought to look for. Here's why it matters for embedded systems.
Unuglify C++ FSM with DSL
Domain Specific Languages (DSL) are an effective way to avoid boilerplate or repetitive code. Using DSLs lets the programmer focus on the problem domain, rather than the mechanisms used to solve it. Here I show how to design and implement a DSL using the C++ preprocessor, using the FSM library, and the examples I presented in my previous articles.
Creating a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) in C
In my last post, C to C++: Using Abstract Interfaces to Create Hardware Abstraction Layers (HAL), I discussed how vital hardware abstraction layers are and how to use a C++ abstract interface to create them. You may be thinking, that’s great for C++, but I work in C! How do I create a HAL that can easily swap in and out different drivers? In today’s post, I will walk through exactly how to do that while using the I2C bus as an example.
Embedded Development Is Broken. Here's the Strategy I'm Betting My Company On.
Here's a 79-word summary: Embedded software complexity is growing about 4x per decade while developer productivity grows 1.5x, and regulations like the EU CRA are widening the gap further. After running a firmware services company through this shift, I've come to see three things separating the teams that are pulling ahead: using AI where the work is actually hard, designing security in from day one, and reading the standards that govern their market (62304, 26262, CRA) before writing code, not after.
Lost Secrets of the H-Bridge, Part IV: DC Link Decoupling and Why Electrolytic Capacitors Are Not Enough
Those of you who read my earlier articles about H-bridges, and followed them closely, have noticed there's some unfinished business. Well, here it is. Just so you know, I've been nervous about writing the fourth (and hopefully final) part of this...
Simple C++ State Machine Engine
When implementing state machines in your project it is an advantage to rely on a tried and tested state machine engine. This component is reused for every kind of application and helps the developer focus on the domain part of the software. In this article, the design process that turns a custom C++ code into a finite-state machine engine is fully described with motivations and tradeoffs for each iteration.
How to Estimate Encoder Velocity Without Making Stupid Mistakes: Part I
Here's a common problem: you have a quadrature encoder to measure the angular position of a motor, and you want to know both the position and the velocity. How do you do it? Some people do it poorly -- this article is how not to be one of...
Introduction to Microcontrollers - Beginnings
Welcome to this Introduction to Microcontroller Programming tutorial series. If you are looking to learn the basics of embedded programming for microcontrollers (and a bit of embedded hardware design as well), I hope these tutorials will help you...
C to C++: 3 Reasons to Migrate
I’ve recently written several blogs that have set the stage with a simple premise: The C programming language no longer provides embedded software developers the tools they need to develop embedded software throughout the full software stack....
Chebyshev Approximation and How It Can Help You Save Money, Win Friends, and Influence People
Well... maybe that's a stretch. I don't think I can recommend anything to help you win friends. Not my forte. But I am going to try to convince you why you should know about Chebyshev approximation, which is a technique for figuring out how...
