In my last post, I explored how OTA updates are typically performed using Amazon Web Services and FreeRTOS. OTA updates are critically important to developers with connected devices. In today’s post, we are going to explore several best practices developers should keep in mind with implementing their OTA solution. Most of these will be generic … Continue reading 5 Best Practices for Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates
Category: Embedded Basics
How to Organize a Firmware Project
There are many benefits to having a software project that is organized. First, it makes it easy to find modules and files when you them rather than wasting time hunting around things. Second, an organized project can help with project scalability by not requiring constant adjustments to a project make file or project properties. Third, … Continue reading How to Organize a Firmware Project
3 Tips for Validating Sensor and Communication Data in Embedded Systems
Software engineers have a bad habit of being very optimistic. This optimism often doesn’t just include their calculation on how long it will take for a specific task to be completed but also on potential failure modes for their system. If it works on the bench, the assumption is that it will also work in … Continue reading 3 Tips for Validating Sensor and Communication Data in Embedded Systems
Simplified Software Development using MCU Configurators
When I first started writing embedded software, nearly every project started the same. For the first 3 – 6 months, every single day was spent pouring through microcontroller datasheets and writing a driver for each peripheral that was going to be used on a project. It was a lot of fun. Every microcontroller worked slightly … Continue reading Simplified Software Development using MCU Configurators
One “RTOS” to Rule them All
It’s always nice to have a choice, but when it comes to real-time operating systems (RTOS), there are just too many! If you’ve ever taken the time to search the web, you’d find that there are over a hundred different RTOS’s out there! Some are general, some try to differentiate by industry such as the … Continue reading One “RTOS” to Rule them All
7 Tips for Mastering Git
One thing that every embedded software developer, and hopefully every general software developer has in common is that they use a revision control system to manage their software. There are different revision control systems out there, but the most popular system today is Git. If you have never used a revision control system or are … Continue reading 7 Tips for Mastering Git
Cyclomatic Complexity Measurements with pmccabe
A common question that I often receive is “What McCabe Cyclomatic Complexity tools should I use?” Now this is always a partially loaded question because while there are quite a few out there that I really like, most developers are really asking what free tools I can recommend to them. One of my favorite ones … Continue reading Cyclomatic Complexity Measurements with pmccabe
5 Best Practices for Utilizing Open Source Software
Open source software is everywhere and has the potential to help businesses accelerate development and improve their software quality. Achieving these results though can be challenging if care is not taken. Here are five best practices for utilizing open source software that will help leverage open source software successfully. Best Practice #1 – Use an … Continue reading 5 Best Practices for Utilizing Open Source Software
Is the war between C and C++ Over?
Back when I was an engineering student and a budding young engineer, it wasn’t unusual to open (yes physically open) the latest edition of embedded systems magazine and find articles that were contributing to the raging war between C and C++. Each side would present their cases as to why one language was better than … Continue reading Is the war between C and C++ Over?
4 Uses for Assembly Language
An embedded tip that I often advocate is that developers should avoid using assembly language. The reason for avoiding assembly language is that it is specific to the processor architecture being used, it is difficult to read, understand and maintain. Today, we are going to look at the few areas where I believe it is … Continue reading 4 Uses for Assembly Language