Mentor Blogs

I recently attended an event focused on power and embedded software hosted by the NMI in the UK, where I had been invited to make a presentation. My session was titled “Power Management in a Real Time Operating System”. If you would like a copy of the slides, please email. Of course, apart from presenting myself, I was interested in the other sessions, in particular one about compilers … Read More

Low Power, compiler, Power Management, NMI

This week I am making a flying visit to DESIGN East [a.k.a. ESC Boston] to present a couple of classes. When I say “flying”, I am not alluding to my mode of transportation, but the duration of my visit. My first paper is Wednesday afternoon and my second is lunchtime on Thursday; I fly in Wednesday morning and out again Thursday evening. I even manage to pack in some other activity while … Read More

DESIGN East, RTOS, Low Power, Nucleus

Power consumption of embedded systems is currently a hot topic – one I have posted on several times before. With the conference season coming up, I am working on a few papers that address this subject and I will talk about those nearer the time. However, there is one aspect of designing for low power that I thought it would be worthwhile putting under the spotlight. I want to introduce the “Power … Read More

Low Power, Nucleus

Once again, I am thinking about embedded software and low power design, as I have discussed before. I still find it interesting that a characteristic of electronic devices, which until only recently would have been considered purely a hardware issue, is now very much on the agenda for software developers. The challenge now is to keep up with the capabilities provided by the chip makers … There … Read More

Low Power, Nucleus, RTOS

Live & In-Person at DAC 2012! Verification Academy, the brain child of Dr. Harry Foster, Chief Verification Scientist at Mentor Graphics, was live from the Design Automation Conference tradeshow floor this year.  Harry is pictured to the right giving an update on his popular verification survey from the DAC tradeshow floor. The Verification Academy, predominantly a web-based resource is a popular … Read More

Verification Academy, UVM Express, Tech Design Forum, ACE, AMS, Thales, UPF, UVM, ABV, Coverage Closure, iTBA, Low Power, DAC, OVM, ARM, Assertion-Based Verification, Formal, Doulos, Verification Trends

The subject of power in embedded systems just does not seem to go away – like my postings here and here. And I do not see the situation changing any time soon. If it is not design consideration for your current project, I promise that it will be on your agenda before long. As smart phones become increasingly ubiquitous, it seems worthwhile considering how concerns about power have influenced … Read More

Low Power

I have often observed that the world of embedded software is usually dominated by a small number of “fashionable” topics – technology that everybody is talking and/or concerned about. The key one just now, which I have discussed before, is the influence that software has on device power consumption. This is a topic to which I will certainly return. A number of the Mentor Embedded … Read More

Freescale, FTF, RTOS, Low Power, Nucleus

Nowadays, there is a perception that the higher end embedded CPU is dominated by ARM. Obviously, these devices are very popular, as evidenced by the various ARM Tech Con events around the world. However, I remember the world before ARM, when “embedded 32-bit device” meant Motorola 68000 family. Motorola Semiconductor became Freescale, who are still a force to be reckoned with. Freescale’s … Read More

Freescale, FTF, Low Power, Nucleus

Welcome If you’re reading this for the first time, that makes two of us. I’m writing here for the first time! Welcome to my inaugural blog post on blogs.mentor.com. I hope you’ll find the coming content interesting, timely and varied. Thought it will be my primary focus, I won’t always write about Linux and open source related subjects. I will occasionally add some fun topics of interest to me, … Read More

Low Power, Tuesday Tech Talks, Energy Efficiency

I have raised the subject of embedded device power consumption before and I will again, as this is becoming more and more of a hot topic [no pun intended]. As I have touched upon on a previous occasion, power consumption is no longer purely a hardware - the software can have a significant effect. There are obvious ways that software has an influence: code efficiency, control of system voltage and clock … Read More

Low Power, multi-core, Multi-OS

I was recently approached for help by a Mentor Graphics customer, who was planning a new project and needed to select an operating system. They wanted guidance with that choice. Of course, one is tempted to say that it does not matter which of our products they chose [as, between them, Nucleus RTOS and Mentor Embedded Linux do cover most possibilities], but I felt they needed something more objective. There … Read More

Windows CE, Source Code, Linux, Low Power, RTOS, Networking, Nucleus

In all aspects of life, the use of energy is an increasingly important matter. A domestic electricity bill is enough to get the attention of most householders and initiate thoughts about using more efficient equipment. Filling a car’s fuel tank is an eye-watering experience. Even in the US, where fuel is still quite cheap, the costs have risen drastically in percentage terms over the last decade. … Read More

iPad, Kindle, Low Power

Designers are discovering a new class of design errors that is difficult to check using more traditional methods, and can potentially affect a wide range of IC designs, especially where high reliability is a must. There errors require electrical rule checking to complement the tradition layout checks. Electrical rules are relatively complex, non-standard, and growing in number and type, creating a … Read More

Low Power, PERC, ERC, thin oxide, Verification

Crystal ball gazing is a hazardous activity. However, this week I am going to take the risk. I have the honor of having been invited to present a keynote speech at a technical conference in Grenoble, France. Although I speak at conferences frequently, I normally have some constraints with the topic - normally I am presenting a paper, an abstract for which was submitted and accepted months before. On … Read More

Multicore, User Interface, Low Power, Android, Inflexion

Last week I attended the ARM Technical Conference in Santa Clara, California. I am not sure how many years this event has been running, but it seems to be going from strength to strength. There was a change to the management company this year, but the event format was basically the same: a 3 day multiple-stream technical conference, with a selection of keynotes and an associated exhibition area. Obviously, … Read More

Low Power, User Interface, MCAPI, ARM, Multicore, Android