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Issue #193

Dear ,

My apologies! The earlier version of this newsletter had a formatting issue and was sent as plain text. Here is the corrected version with full formatting. Thank you for your patience!

Welcome back to the Embedded Bytes newsletter!

Next week on March 25, I’m running a free webinar on using AI in embedded development. If you’re curious about how AI tools fit into a real firmware workflow, this is a hands-on session – not a sales pitch. Register here.

Also in this issue, you’ll find:

• Formal Methods To Improve Code Quality

• Zephyr RTOS Sensor API: Unlock On-Board Temperature Sensing

• Technical Debt is Eating Your Firmware Alive

• NASA’s $72M Lunar Mission Killed by “The Stupidest Glitch Imaginable”

• AI Wrote the Code – Who Owns the Risk? (RunSafe Podcast)

• Embedded World 2026 Recap: AI, Safety, and the Tools That Stood Out

• The Embedded Toolbox

• Firmware Tip of the Month

• Upcoming Industry Events

• Upgrade Your Skills, Processes, and Architecture

Happy Coding,

P.S. Registration is open for the Embedded Online Conference – May 18-22, 2026!

Looking for an RTOS that’s fast, safety certified, and easy to use? Discover why

PX5 RTOS is redefining real-time embedded systems.

Industry News and Insights

NEW Workshop – AI for Embedded Developers:

This hands-on workshop provides a practical introduction to using AI effectively in embedded software development. Rather than focusing on theory or vendor-specific tools, the course teaches a systems-level approach for turning AI into a reliable firmware teammate, one that understands your codebase, your hardware, and your development constraints.

We’ll explore essential topics such as:

• Where AI genuinely adds value in embedded development and where it does not

• Designing reusable AI skills for firmware analysis, debugging, and documentation

• Using sub-agents to decompose complex embedded engineering tasks

• Grounding AI with retrieval and vector databases to eliminate hallucinations

• Integrating AI into real workflows using Model Context Protocol (MCP)

Register Now

Note: Embedded Software Academy Subscribers get this course for FREE.

The Embedded Toolbox

Zephyr RTOS Sensor API: From Devicetree to Data in 12 Lines

If you’re building on Zephyr RTOS, the Sensor API is one of the framework’s most underappreciated features.

Most embedded teams still write custom register-level drivers for every sensor they integrate. Change the sensor, rewrite the driver. Change the bus, rewrite again. It’s the kind of repetitive work that slows projects down and introduces bugs at every hardware revision.

The Zephyr Sensor API eliminates this by separating concerns into three layers:

1. Devicetree – Describes which sensor is connected, on which bus, at which address

2. Sensor drivers – Handle the hardware-specific communication (already provided for hundreds of sensors)

3. Sensor API – Your application calls sensor_sample_fetch() and sensor_channel_get() regardless of the underlying hardware

The result: swap a sensor, update the Devicetree overlay, rebuild. Your application code doesn’t change.

Continue Reading . . .

Upcoming Industry Events

A lot is going on in the industry over the next couple of months. Here are some of the upcoming events, both free and paid:

Firmware Tip of the Month

Use Devicetree Overlays Instead of #ifdefs for Hardware Variants

Stop scattering #ifdef BOARD_REV_B throughout your firmware. If you’re on Zephyr, use Devicetree overlays to describe hardware differences per board revision. Your application code stays clean and board-agnostic.

For example, say Rev A uses an LM75 temperature sensor on I2C bus 0 and Rev B swaps it for a P3T1755. Instead of conditional compilation, create two overlay files:

boards/revA.overlay:

&i2c0 {
    temp_sensor: lm75@48 {
        compatible = “lm75”;
        reg = <0x48>;
    };
};

boards/revB.overlay:

&i2c0 {
    temp_sensor: p3t1755@48 {
        compatible = “nxp,p3t1755”;
        reg = <0x48>;
    };
};

Your application code uses the same DEVICE_DT_GET(DT_NODELABEL(temp_sensor)) call regardless of revision. Build for the target variant by selecting the overlay at build time:

west build -b frdm_mcxn947 — -DDTC_OVERLAY_FILE=boards/revA.overlay

west build -b frdm_mcxn947 — -DDTC_OVERLAY_FILE=boards/revB.overlay

One overlay file per variant. One codebase. Zero #ifdefs in your C code.

Upgrade Your Skills, Processes, and Architecture

Struggling to keep your development skills up to date or facing outdated processes that slow down your team, raise costs, and impact product quality?

Here are 4 ways I can help you:

1. Faster. Smarter. Firmware: A 2-Day seminar on modern practices for better embedded systems. Doing software the right way means fewer bugs and earlier deliveries. This seminar gives your team the tools and techniques to develop software with fewer bugs in less time by leveraging modern techniques to develop faster and smarter. To learn more, email me at [email protected]

2. Embedded Software Academy: Enhance your skills, streamline your processes, and elevate your architecture. Join my academy for on-demand, hands-on workshops and cutting-edge development resources designed to transform your career and keep you ahead of the curve.

3. Consulting Services: Get personalized, expert guidance to streamline your development processes, boost efficiency, and achieve your project goals faster. Partner with us to unlock your team’s full potential and drive innovation, ensuring your project’s success.

4. Team Training and Development: Empower your team with the latest best practices in embedded software. Our expert-led training sessions will equip your team with the skills and knowledge to excel, innovate, and drive your projects to success.

Take action today to upgrade your skills, optimize your team, and achieve success.