Summary

Fabien Le Mentec explains how to use the BeagleBone Black's Programmable Realtime Unit (PRU) to achieve deterministic, low-latency control while running Embedded Linux. The blog covers PRU firmware techniques, Linux integration, and practical latency measurements to implement realtime control at minimal cost.

Key Takeaways

• Use the PRU to offload tight real‑time tasks from Linux and achieve deterministic I/O timing.
• Implement PRU firmware in C/assembly and manage memory/register access for low-latency operation.
• Integrate the PRU with Linux userspace via remoteproc, rpmsg or UIO to exchange data and commands.
• Measure and optimize latency and jitter using simple test rigs and profiling techniques.

Who Should Read This

Embedded systems engineers with some Linux and microcontroller experience who want a low-cost approach to deterministic control on BeagleBone-class hardware.

Still RelevantIntermediate

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