Mentor Blogs

Our second day at Embedded World is no less busy than the first.  In addition to a number of demos at the Expo (Hall 5, Booth 324) we are presenting a number of sessions as well. We have three different presenters on this second day and the sessions really do cover a lot of different topics: Walter Sabia has a session “Virtual Prototyping – Development of multi-discipline Systems from … Read More

Emulation, USB, Embedded World, virtual prototype

In the world of computers, I have always felt that USB is one of the good things of life. It [mostly] just works and simplifies our lives. As USB has been around quite a few years, it is hard to remember what life was like before. It is interesting technology, because, as it is so easy to use, it is easy to forget how complex it is “under the hood”. This is a topic that I have talked about … Read More

Nucleus, USB, USB 3.0, Nucleus USB, SuperSpeed

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

As I mentioned last week, I went to Embedded World in Nuremberg. The show itself seemed very busy – it was difficult to make my way through some of the crowds among the booths at times and there were a good many visitors to the Mentor Graphics booth. The event seems to be extending its reach beyond purely embedded systems. Although there were 2 or 3 halls full of technology that an embedded developer … Read More

Embedded World, USB

This week sees the 10th anniversary of the Embedded World conference in Nuremberg, Germany. This show and conference has been growing steadily over the years and I guess it is now the biggest event devoted to embedded systems in the world. I am fortunate enough to attend Embedded World most years, as I reported here and here, and this year is no exception. I have two papers in the conference: “USB … Read More

Embedded World, Nucleus, USB, RTOS

I recently mentioned that this time of year is very busy for me, with numerous conferences and similar events to attend – normally to deliver presentations. The most hectic period is past and, as the Christmas and New Year holiday approaches, things are settling down. Except for this week, when I am attending two conferences: On Tuesday, I am going to ESE Kongress in Stuttgart, Germany. I have … Read More

IP-SoC, USB, ESE Kongress, Development Tools

It is October, which is always the start of a busy time of year for me. Most people I know are preoccupied with returning to school or the change in weather heralding the approach of Winter, but I am contemplating all the conferences that I need to attend. It is the same every year. The world of embedded software goes quiet during the Summer, then everyone realizes that they have sales targets to make … Read More

Development Tools, RTOS, USB

As I have mentioned before, I am always interested in user surveys, as they do offer some kind of glimpse into what is going on the world of embedded software development. The recently published VDC Embedded Engineering Survey [summary available here] shows up some interesting results and trends. However, it does, like with many surveys, raise nearly as many questions as it provides answers … One … Read More

RTOS, VDC, USB, Development Tools

I am not a networking specialist. If you are an expert in this area, this posting will be teaching a grandmother to suck eggs [strange expression - I wonder what it actually means]. Obviously, over years of working with embedded systems, I have learned quite a lot about protocols, so learning about a new one is not starting from scratch. For many, networking begins and ends with TCP/IP. However, there … Read More

Networking, TCP/IP, USB

USB, as I have written about before, continues to be a popular topic and this seems to be on the increase with the emergence of USB 3.0. The new USB spec yields a number of benefits, but the clearest advantage that it has [over USB 2.0] is potential for higher data transfer speed. There are a number of applications where the extra throughput can be used to advantage. An obvious example would be multimedia, … Read More

data storage, SCSI, USB

USB seems to be a subject of great interest among embedded developers. I recently delivered a couple of Web seminars on the topic and had a very good sized audience and lots of questions. If you attended, thanks for coming along. If you were not there, but are interested, you can find a recording here. Please email me if you would like a copy of the slides. There was a very wide range of questions, … Read More

USB

I have written about various aspects of USB before and presented many seminar and conference sessions on the topic. I find it interesting that, considering that USB is such a straightforward technology for most users to utilize, its deployment in devices can be quite challenging. A particular area of confusion is USB Class Drivers. The word “class” is very overloaded in the software world … Read More

USB

Android is sexy, as are the ever-increasing number of smartphones and PC tablets that take advantage of Google’s operating system (OS). Military personnel, even officials at the highest ranks, agree. Soldiers want to use Android devices and Apple’s iPad in the field, while on a mission, communicating, socializing, killing time, or blowing off steam. Soldiers have historically been frustrated by the … Read More

Electronic, iPhone, Mentor Graphics, Software, Sony, DoD, Mentor, Geek, soldier, Google, USB, Xbox, Hardware, soldiers, Mentor.com, VHS, electrical, PlayStation, Warfighters, iPad, Military, mp3, Operating System, Microsoft, Apple, Mil-Aero, Computer, Android, Milaero

I have written about USB many times - here, here and here, for example - and get a good response. Downloads of technical papers and web seminar attendances seem to break all records. It is clearly a topic of interest to many embedded developers. This is hardly surprising, as it is rare for any electronic device nowadays not to sport a USB interface. If you want a wired connection that just works, USB … Read More

USB

I recently wrote about the USB standards and how, with each generation, increased speed has become available. This provoked some discussion about the actual data throughput, which is quite a complex topic. The “U” in “USB” stands for “universal” and the interface was designed to accommodate a very wide range of different peripheral devices, with very divergent needs in terms of data transfer - speed, … Read More

Nucleus USB, USB