Mark Browne (@bitking)
Debugging DSP code.
Strange sinusoidal confidence scores from an HTM neural model revealed a familiar class of DSP bugs. Drawing from forum troubleshooting, the post maps common root causes: signed versus absolute value errors, wrong intermediate references, scaling mistakes, and sampling/stride problems in integer math. Embedded engineers will recognize the diagnostic clues and practical suspects to check first when DSP outputs vary with the input.
Patents and the little guy working at home
Patents can look impressive, but for a solo engineer or small startup, they can also be an expensive distraction. This post argues that the patent system is badly broken and points to Don Lancaster’s advice, which is simple, avoid the mess unless you are operating at a very large scale. It is a blunt, practical take on when patents may not be worth the hassle at all.
Public speaking
Presenting technical work is unavoidable for embedded engineers, but few get formal training on how to do it well. This post gives practical, low-overhead tactics: use a single person focus to steady nerves, build a bullet point memory palace to guide remarks, time your talk with about 100 words per minute, avoid reading slides, and rehearse on camera. These tips make talks clearer and less stressful.
Getting smacked by the long tail of poor design habits
Bad design choices in embedded products have a habit of coming back years later and biting the people who made them. Drawing on decades of consulting and product support, the author reflects on version control, part selection, comments, manuals, and usability choices that seemed harmless at the time but became costly in the field.
Use this form to contact bitking
Before you can contact a member of the *Related Sites:
- You must be logged in (register here)
- You must confirm you email address
