Embedded Basics – The Difference Between Restart and Reset
When using an Eclipse based IDE to debug an embedded system, undoubtedly the reader has come across the reset and restart buttons in the debug perspective. From a high-level view, these two options may seem the same but there are important differences on when a developer should use restart over reset. Let’s look at how these are used in a standard application and also when using a bootloader…

Tips and Tricks – Jumping from the Bootloader to the Application Code Cleanly
Bootloaders are included in nearly every embedded system and provide a great way to update application code in the field without having to access a programming port. As important as bootloaders are, developers often get tripped up trying to jump from the bootloader into their application code. The jump needs to be clean but there are several factors that cause issues such as: …

Tools – A First Encounter with the SEGGER J-Trace
Finally! I have a J-Trace in hand and I am ready to wreak havoc on those pesky software bugs that always toy with me! A little more than a year ago I decided that I couldn’t stand using low-cost, one-off debuggers any longer and needed to invest in a real debugging tool that I could not only use across multiple microcontroller families but also had all the features I would ever need in a professional debug probe. After careful review and consideration I had narrowed the decision down to …

Getting Started with Portable Firmware
Developers who want to reuse software have several challenges to overcome in order to be successful. These challenges include but are not limited to: …
