Five Embedded Linux Topics for Newbies !
Are you an embedded systems enthusiast looking to broaden your horizons with embedded Linux? explore those 5 topics.
Slew Rate Limiters: Nonlinear and Proud of It!
I first learned about slew rate limits when I was in college. Usually the subject comes up when talking about the nonideal behavior of op-amps. In order for the op-amp output to swing up and down quickly, it has to charge up an internal capacitor...
MSP430 LaunchPad Tutorial - Part 3 - ADC
In this new episode of our journey into MSP430 I will explain the basics of Analog to Digital Conversion on the MSP430G2231.We will write a program that will read an ADC channel and will toggle some leds based on the result of the...
The RTOS minefield
Choosing an RTOS is challenging both technically and when assessing suppliers.
Choosing a Microcontroller for Your Vehicle
There are many things to take into consideration when choosing a microcontroller or microprocessor for your autonomous vehicle.VoltageSome processors run on 5V and others use 3.3V. Be sure to check the documentation before you buy. ...
Soft Skills For Embedded Systems Software Developers
Contents: Introduction The Skills Interpersonal Tips For Interpersonal Skills Communications Tips For Speaking Tips For Writing Tips For Diagramming Time Management Tips For Time Management Deep Focus Tips For Deep...
Elliptic Curve Cryptography - Basic Math
An introduction to the math of elliptic curves for cryptography. Covers the basic equations of points on an elliptic curve and the concept of point addition as well as multiplication.
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.
Patterns of Thinking: Metaphors in Programming
Several years ago, I once attended an “Object-Oriented Analysis and Design” training. As most such courses go, the instructor began with brushing up on the fundamental OO concepts. When explaining inheritance, the instructor spontaneously...
Supply Chain Games: What Have We Learned From the Great Semiconductor Shortage of 2021? (Part 1)
So by now I’m sure you’ve heard about the semiconductor shortage of 2021. For a few complicated reasons, demand is greater than supply, and not everybody who wants to buy integrated circuits can do so. Today we’re going to try...
Review: Modern Software Engineering
This is actually a review of 3 books by Dave Farley, because they really form a set: Modern Software Engineering: Doing What Works to Build Better Software Faster (just released for 2022, 224 pages) Continuous Delivery: Reliable...
VolksEEG: Rust Development On Adafruit nRF52840 Feather Express
Contents: Introduction Setup Hardware Workstation Software Checks USB Device Minicom JLinkExe FTHR840BOOT Contents OpenOCD VolksEEG/eeg-device-firmware PR "Merging initial implementation of the PC communications...
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...
Learning Rust For Embedded Systems
The Motivational PortionBased on recommendations from Kevin Nause, the VolksEEG project is considering using Rust as the embedded system programming language. So I've been off on a tear skimming books and e-books and watching videos at 2x to...
The 2021 IoT Online Conference
The IoT Online Conference is back, and this time the core focus is on IoT embedded systems and edge computing. This post will explore what will be happening at this year’s conference and how teams and developers can benefit. The...
Six Software Design Tools
Introduction Here are six tools to help you with software design. The first two are very simple, almost deceptively trivial, while the last four are more involved. They apply universally, to all types of software, all types of systems, and...
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...
Definite Article: Notes on Traceability
Electronic component distibutor Digi-Key recently announced part tracing for surface-mount components purchased in cut-tape form. This is a big deal, and it’s a feature that is a good example of traceability. Some thing or process that has...
Learning From Engineering Failures
IntroductionI'm an informal student of engineering failures. They guide a lot of my attitude and approach towards engineering.This is rooted in two of my favorite quotes:George Santayana: Those who do not remember the past are condemned...
Boot Sequence for an ARM based embedded system
Hello all, Allow me to introduce myself. I am Deeksha and I come from plains of North India. My tryst with embedded technologies has been 5 years long and every single day I am amazed with the vastness and learning involved. The thing with...
How to Deploy Local LLMs for Embedded Software Development: Hardware Selection and Trade-offs
In this post, I map the LLM terminology covered in the previous post to real hardware decisions. I walk through memory sizing depending on different parameters, the core trade-off between discrete GPU VRAM and unified memory. Finally, I describe a workflow to help you identify which setup is right for your workflow.
My Lowest-Friction Embedded Project Was Also the One That Shouldn't Have Worked
Ralph Hempel recounts the LEGO Powered Up rework that, against every external constraint, turned into the lowest-friction embedded development environment of his career. The talk connects the specific tools and habits that made it work to five soft qualities that any struggling team can start building with small experiments, not big-bang process changes.
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.
Why Containers Are the Cheat Code for Embedded DevOps
Embedded software teams have long accepted toolchain setup as “part of the job,” but it’s a hidden productivity killer. Manual installs waste days, slow onboarding, and derail CI pipelines with “works on my machine” issues. While enterprise software solved this years ago with containerization, many embedded teams are still stuck replicating fragile environments. Containers offer a proven fix: a portable, reproducible build environment that works identically on laptops and CI servers. No brittle scripts, mismatched versions, or wasted time—just code that builds. IAR has gone further by delivering pre-built, performance-tuned Docker images for Arm, RISC-V, and Renesas architectures, ready for GitHub Actions and CI/CD pipelines. For regulated industries, containers simplify audits and compliance by enabling validation once and reuse everywhere. The result: faster onboarding, consistent builds, and stronger safety assurance. Containers aren’t a luxury—they’re the cheat code embedded teams need to modernize DevOps and compete effectively.
Better Hardware Design Decisions, Faster: A Lean Team’s Guide to MDO
As design complexity grows, siloed decision-making often leads to late-stage surprises, costly rework, and missed opportunities for optimization. Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO) offers a structured approach to solving this by enabling teams to evaluate trade-offs and impacts across the full system—before implementation begins. Traditionally used in large, high-budget industries like aerospace, MDO is now within reach for lean teams, thanks to more accessible modeling tools and an urgent need for tighter collaboration. This article outlines how small hardware teams can adopt MDO in a practical way—starting simple, integrating key models early, and building toward a culture of systems thinking. The result is better design decisions, faster development, and more robust, manufacturable products—with fewer surprises along the way.
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.
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.
