Even though SWD and JTAG have well defined standards, there are still several different size connectors and footprints that developers need to be able to support. It often feels like every programmer and every development board is using a different and incompatible connector and cable. In this post, I’m going to share with you the … Continue reading Tools – SWD Adapters every Developer should have
My adapter boards have arrived! As we discussed in the first two parts, the on-board debugger that comes with most development boards is functional but often offers far less than a professional debugger. We’ve been exploring how we can create an adapter board for the ST Microelectronic development boards that will allow us to use … Continue reading Creating an SWD Adapter for STM32 Development Boards (Part 3)
I recently complete my series on “Creating an SWD Adapter for STM32 Development Boards” which you can find links to below: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 While the prototype turned out great, I could have decreased my prototyping costs if I had spent the time to do a little more research on board houses. … Continue reading PCB Shops for Rapid Prototyping
In the last post, we started to look at how we could design a simple programming adapter for STM32 development boards. We walked through the process necessary to get the schematics completed. In this post, we will examine the the PCB layout along with the BOM and costs necessary to prototype this simple board. With … Continue reading Creating an SWD Adapter for STM32 Development Boards (Part 2)
Nearly every development board comes with a built-in programing tool. Depending on the vendor, it may be PE Micro, SEGGER J-Link OB or even the vendor’s own tool such as an ST-Link. In most cases, the on-board programmer is rather limited in its capabilities and it makes a lot of sense to use an external … Continue reading Creating an SWD Adapter for STM32 Development Boards (Part 1)
For the umpteenth time in my career, I am debugging a prototype board that has exactly zero test points. I didn’t design this board, but have inherited it from a frantic colleague who is behind schedule and is having trouble communicating with an onboard SPI device. The first step in this troubleshooting endeavor is to … Continue reading Where oh Where are My Test Points!
We’ve been hearing for several years now that Arm Cortex-M processors would soon be getting a security upgrade by supporting TrustZone in the M23/M33 microcontrollers. The wait is finally over! Microchip has publicly released the first TrustZone compatible microcontrollers based on the low-power M23 core, the SAM L11. In this post, we will walk through … Continue reading The first ARMv8-M MCU with TrustZone Support
Developing embedded software for the internet can be a nightmare. Ethernet chips and peripheral are very complex and require an extraordinary amount of effort and time to configure and setup properly. Driver and example code is usually provided by chip manufacturers but how secure and trustworthy is their code? Simple customizations to the stack can … Continue reading Tools – Connecting to the IoT with the Electric Imp
Course Overview: Embedded system developers are facing challenges that often require a look outside of the box for tools and methodologies that can help quickly prove an idea or concept very rapidly. One of the tools that developers often overlook is the Python programming language. This course will examine how Python can be used for … Continue reading CEC – Rapid Prototyping Embedded Systems using MicroPython
An embedded systems developer looking to build a workbench could spend tens of thousands of dollars on test equipment, development boards and miscellaneous tools. Unfortunately, most equipment just sits on the bench collecting dust and is rarely if ever used. Let’s examine the core tools that every developer needs to build an embedded workbench on … Continue reading Tips and Tricks – Build an Embedded Workbench for less than $1000
