Mentor Blogs

Recently I posted about the challenges of using a write only port. Then I followed that up with another posting that illustrated the use of C++ to encapsulate the necessary coding nastiness. Hopefully, these two postings conveyed the general ideas – defining the problem and outlining a solution. However, one aspect of the solution was not addressed: the proposed code was not reentrant … Reentrancy … Read More

device drivers, drivers, RTOS

I have always characterized the difference between desktop systems and embedded along the lines of “desktops are all the same; embedded systems are all different.” Although, if I think about platform based designs, this is less universal, but the distinction still mostly holds true. Commonly, I would cite this difference when considering the needs of embedded software engineers with respect … Read More

RTOS, device tree, BSP, ReadyStart, Linux, Nucleus

RTOS’s have been around for a long time in the embedded industry.   And with the introduction of the TI RTOS, Freescale’s MQX, FreeRTOS and several others, I hear all the time that “RTOS’s have become a commodity.”  And to some extent, I agree.   While every RTOS has its pros and cons with various features and benefits, selecting the right one for “your” application requirements can be a little tricky.  … Read More

OSS, RTOS, Freescale, Android, Mentor Embedded, Nucleus, Linux, Medical

I like simple things. In particular, I like clean and simple ways to solve a problem. For example, user interaction with an embedded system might be something very slick – touch screen LCDs seem to be fitted to everything nowadays. But sometimes a simple LED indicator is enough. I was entertained to read a blog by Ken Wada on embedded.com recently, where he sang the praises of a simple, blinking … Read More

RTOS, watchdog, LED

As I have in previous years, this week I am attending the Embedded Conference Scandinavia [ECS] in Stockholm, Sweden. This event seems to get bigger every year and is certainly for foremost embedded conference in the region. I was pleased to have two proposals for papers accepted … My two sessions cover well trodden ground: USB 3 – An Introduction for Embedded Software Developers USB … Read More

Nucleus, ECS2012, USB, RTOS

Although I have a broad interest in embedded software, I started out in tools – compilers, debuggers etc. – and, in some ways, my loyalty still lies there. My eye was caught, therefore, by a recent report by VDC which looked at the state of the embedded software development tools market. They looked at how the market has developed and where it is going. I thought that it was interesting … Read More

Development Tools, RTOS, Nucleus

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

Just about all the embedded CPU manufacturers produce evaluation boards employing their devices with a suitable selection of peripherals.These boards are generally offered at a very reasonable price and are readily available, along with good software support from vendors like Mentor Embedded. So, what use are these boards to the embedded developer, who may be looking at the design of custom hardware? … Read More

evaluation boards, Nucleus, RTOS, Nucleus ReadyStart

Most of the time, I subscribe to the view that “the only stupid question is the one you did not ask”. However, I do have trouble with a question that I have been asked countless times at trade-shows, seminars etc. The question is “How much memory does Nucleus RTOS need?” It is not that this is a stupid question. It is very sensible to be fully aware of resource utilization with … Read More

memory footprint, Nucleus, RTOS

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

Last week, I attended the Embedded Developers’ Forum in Munich, Germany. This is an increasingly common type of event – a small conference, with a somewhat broad subject coverage, with multiple streams offering a greater level of specialization. In this case, there were about 4 “mini-conferences”. I was presenting in part of the Embedded Software event. Another set of streams … Read More

Nucleus, RTOS

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

An article by my colleague Faheem Sheikh has just been published in EE Times, which covers multicore thread synchronization. Apart from the interesting topic of the piece, it is also an opportunity to learn more about symmetric multi-processing [SMP] – an option increasingly available for real time operating systems, like Nucleus. … Read More

multi-core, Nucleus, SMP, RTOS

I have posted a couple of times recently [like here] about a recent webinar that I conducted on measuring RTOS performance. This is a topic that appears to be of significant interest to most RTOS users, so I thought it might be a good time to pick up on a key detail of the issue. My colleague Rizwan Rasheed suggested a little while ago that the measurement and specification of RTOS interrupt latency … Read More

interrupt latency, Nucleus, RTOS

As I mentioned previously, I presented a Web seminar last week. The topic was the measurement of RTOS performance. To be frank, I was unsure how popular this might be, though I have found that, at conferences, the topic seems to draw a reasonable audience, so I was quietly optimistic. As it turned out, there was a very good attendance, with lots of questions, which kept me busy right up until the end … Read More

Nucleus, RTOS