Hardware Interfacing

by Nigel Jones

With all the automation available today, it's easy for programmers to overlook costly overhead introduced into machine code by the compiler. Interrupt handlers are one key area worthy of a closer inspection.

by Michael Wilk and Michael Barr

An object-oriented framework can be used to create safe, testable and tunable motion control systems.

Writing the software to handle motion control is a critical job on any real-time system design project. Safety is of the utmost importance. And, of course, it is also important that the code work precisely and allow for testing and performance tuning. An object-oriented framework can be used to create safe, testable and tunable motion control systems.

by Gary Stringham

These built-in troubleshooting resources for DMA controllers can pave the way for smoother firmware integration.

by Gary Stringham

Designing firmware-accessible debugging resources into embedded systems provides a valuable supplement to hardware test and analysis tools. Think ahead about what could go wrong during hardware testing or firmware integration, and add the hardware resources needed to troubleshoot those issues.

by Niall Murphy

Unexpected power loss and software bugs can undermine the reliability of non-volatile data. Fortunately, there are various ways to make non-volatile data resilient to such corruption.

by Niall Murphy

When it comes to safety-critical applications, sometimes you have to protect users from the software. And sometimes you have to protect users from themselves.

by Niall Murphy

To keep a watchdog timer from resetting your system, you've got to kick it regularly. But that's not all there is to watchdog science. We will examine the use and testing of a watchdog, as well as the integration of a watchdog into a multitasking environment.

by Nathan Tennies

Whether you are creating an operating system, firmware, or even device drivers, the way you write the software could affect the power consumption of the resulting product. Here are four approaches to minimizing power consumption through software.

by Michael Barr

Embedded software developers operate in a perfect digital environment but must interact with the imperfect analog real world. To do this it's essential to know how to perform calibration of inputs and sensors.

by Michael Barr

Designers of embedded systems face three significant challenges in today's ultra-competitive marketplace. Products must always: do more, cost less, and arrive to market faster. Fortunately, new flexible hardware design techniques are emerging from the study of reconfigurable computing.