What You'll Learn

Everyone who attends the Embedded Software Boot Camp learns a ton, including:

• How to write portable device drivers and interrupt handlers in C
• How to decide if an RTOS will benefit your application
• How to architect real-time software to ensure all deadlines are met
• More than 50 practical tips for reducing firmware bugs
• How to fix or prevent each of the top 10 firmware bugs

Day-by-Day Schedule

The public Embedded Software Boot Camp runs for 4-1/2 days and is broken up as follows:

Monday - Hardware Interfacing in C (Part 1)

The development of device drivers and embedded software is full of challenges. But it is possible to write easy-to-read portable, bug-free C code to control peripherals ranging from simple timers and UARTs to complex custom FPGAs.

Tuesday (morning) - Hardware Interfacing in C (Part 2)

The hands-on course continues, moving on from peripheral control via memory-mapped I/O, struct overlays, bitmasks and bitfields, to more advanced topics. The capstone exercise involves an interrupt-based device driver.

Tuesday (afternoon) - Multithreaded RTOS Programming (Part 1)

There is a lot of misinformation about multithreaded programming and the use of real-time operating system (RTOS) features. Misinformation and programmer inexperience often lead to poor task partitioning and priority assignments and can lead to system failures such as task starvation, deadlock, or priority inversion.

Wednesday - Multithreaded RTOS Programming (Part 2)

The second half of this course demonstrates the proper use of RTOS primitives such as semaphores, mailboxes/message queues, and event flags to develop multithreaded software.

Thursday - Capstone Programming Project

Wednesday's series of hands-on RTOS exercises culminates in the design of a multithreaded real-time SCUBA dive computer using those programs as building blocks. Teams comprising 3-4 students aim to complete an entire coding project (from requirements through design and design review to implementation) in a single, fun, learning-packed day.

Friday (half-day) - RTOS Alternatives

Though there are good reasons to use an RTOS in certain applications, this decision also creates a number of problems for embedded software developers. This course examines the tradeoffs as well as a set of alternative approaches to multitasking, including state machine frameworks, that do not require a preemptive scheduler.

Full outlines and other details for each of the three courses on which the Embedded Software Boot Camp is based are available via these links:

• Hardware Interfacing in C
• Multithreaded RTOS Programming
• RTOS Alternatives

What You Get

Each attendee receives

• A copy of the 350-page Embedded Software Boot Camp Field Manual,
• A copy of the Embedded Systems Dictionary with definitions of more than 2,800 of the most-used terms in the industry,
• A USB thumb drive containing all of the exercises and related source code plus dozens of PDF articles for "further reading" on related topics,
• The exclusive Embedded Software Boot Camp tee shirt in military green,
• A certificate of completion, and
• A few other freebies.

Lunch is provided each of the first four days. All exercises are done using the IAR Embedded Workbench and J-Link tools on an ARM processor development board, which is available for purchase at a discounted package price toward the end of the program.

Intended Audience

Typical attendees bring 0 to 15 years of embedded software experience and electrical engineering, computer science, computer engineering or a related degree. Some have been working in related areas but are trying to make the switch into embedded software development; others want to deepen their knowledge and strengthen their skills in their chosen career. All of these attendees benefit, as the Embedded Software Boot Camp training materials provide both quick overviews of key topics as well as in-depth coverage of advanced best practices in a set of lectures and exercises that are accessible to everyone in the room.

About the Instructor

Public sessions are scheduled for early 2010 in Florida, California, Maryland, and Illinois. See our training calendar for dates and other details.

Private Training Available

At public sessions of the Embedded Software Boot Camp, the coding exercises are based on an ARM processor board from ST Microelectronics and Micrium's popular uC/OS-II RTOS. Students use the IAR Embedded Workbench for ARM and associated JTAG debugger to compile, download, and test their real-time programs.

For private trainings, the ratio of lecture to hands-on time can be adjusted, as can the total program length in days. This and other options, including choice of target RTOS, processor family, and development tools allow for a significant amount of customization to suit the precise training needs of your team.

To request pricing or dates for private training, or for more information about the Embedded Software Boot Camp^TM program, contact us.