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 Niall Murphy

Embedded systems programmers often value the assert() macro. This article explores the underlying definition of this handy macro, to show you how to roll your own.

by Niall Murphy

Concerned about the number of programmers who don't use or know about assert(), Niall explains the macro and how to use it.

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 Nigel Jones

The limitations of an 8-bit microcontroller (MCU) can sometimes make conventional C constructs produce suboptimal code. In this article we look at common problems on the 8051 family and discuss workarounds in C.

by Nigel Jones

Language specifications, including those for C and C++, are often loosely written. A static analysis tool called lint can help you find dangerous and non-portable constructs in your code before your compiler turns them into run-time bugs.

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

The Internet Protocol (IP) is the glue that holds an internet together. Here's a compact implementation of the IP layer for embedded C programmers.

by Michael Barr

Bug fixes, patches, and third-party application programs are all possible in today’s more powerful embedded systems, but you need to plan for them at design time. This article shows you how.

by Michael Barr

Let's face it, there's nothing sexy about the topic of cross compilers. Embedded programmers couldn't get the job done without one, but spend very little time thinking about how they work or how they could make our work easier.