Latest Embedded Technical Articles

Introduction to Microcontroller Timers: Periodic Timers

This article, the first in a series on “timer/counter” functions in microcontrollers, discusses periodic timers.

January 14, 2020 by Stephen Colley

How Software Automation in PCBA Manufacturing Helps Quicken Innovation

Manufacturing still takes a large portion of time in the electrical engineering cycle. This article discusses how software-driven automation and the IIoT can help hasten the manufacturing process.

December 17, 2019 by Shashank Samala, Tempo Automation

How to Calibrate an Microcontroller Internal Oscillator: A DIY Trimming Procedure Algorithm

This article presents an algorithm intended for humans to calibrate the internal oscillator of an MCU, with the help of an oscilloscope and a spreadsheet. An example experiment with numbers is also shown.

December 13, 2019 by Eduardo Corpeño

How to Calibrate MCU Internal Oscillators

This article describes the internal RC oscillator calibration mechanism available in low-end microcontroller units. A basic calibration procedure and considerations on automated calibration are presented.

December 12, 2019 by Eduardo Corpeño

The Good and the Bad of MCU Internal Oscillators

This article describes the benefits and requirements of the internal RC oscillator often available inside many low-cost Microcontroller units, including the calibration procedure to obtain the best possible accuracy.

December 11, 2019 by Eduardo Corpeño

Predicting Battery Degradation with a Trinket M0 and Python Software Algorithms

Learn how to build a setup that will help you predict a battery's performance as it ages using a Trinket M0 and software algorithms.

December 09, 2019 by Aaron Hanson

How to Fix Hardware Issues in Software

In this article, we are going to discuss how to identify and fix 'errors' in your software and hardware designs.

November 10, 2019 by Colin Walls

Introduction to Adaptive Front Lighting Systems (AFS)

Learn more about the design considerations that go into developing adaptive automotive lighting solutions.

November 06, 2019 by Steve Arar

Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) in Connected Cars

This article introduces trusted execution environments (TEEs), discussing ways these environments are currently being used and how they could be a security solution for connected cars.

October 29, 2019 by Katherine Hsu, Hex-Five Security

Introduction to the Advanced Extensible Interface (AXI)

This article will introduce the Advanced Extensible Interface (AXI), an extension of AMBA.

October 17, 2019 by Stephen St. Michael

Sensors and Controls with the RN487x Bluetooth Module from Microchip

Learn about the RN487x family of Bluetooth modules and how to configure them for your low-power peripheral projects.

October 12, 2019 by Aaron Hanson

The Relationship Between Rise Time and Bandwidth in Digital Signals

In this article, we’ll look at the relationship between the rise/fall time of a digital signal and its bandwidth.

October 10, 2019 by Steve Arar

What Is Brown Out Reset in Microcontrollers? How to Prevent False Power-Downs

Brown Out Reset is an important function to increase the reliability of a microcontroller after start-up. Normally used to solve problems with the power supply, this article shows how Brown Out Reset can prevent another problem.

October 09, 2019 by Stephen Colley

PCB Thermal Management Techniques

This article will discuss design practices that ensure better thermal management, including some common methods for removing excess heat from a PCB.

October 06, 2019 by Amos Kingatua

GPIO Interrupt Comparison for Three Popular Microcontrollers from TI, Microchip, and STMicro

Compare the GPIO interrupts of three popular microcontrollers: the Texas Instruments CC2544, the Microchip ATmega328P, and the STMicroelectronics STM32L151C6.

October 05, 2019 by Philip Asare

Interrupts for Peripherals: Timers, Serial Communication, and ADCs

Learn about interrupts for some familiar peripherals: timers, serial communication, and ADCs.

October 03, 2019 by Philip Asare

How GPIO Interrupts Work

This article introduces the idea of concurrency and a mechanism that many computers provide for dealing with concurrency called interrupts.

October 01, 2019 by Philip Asare

Concurrency and Interrupts in Microcontrollers and Embedded Systems

This article introduces the idea of concurrency and a mechanism that many computers provide for dealing with concurrency called interrupts.

September 30, 2019 by Philip Asare

Embedded Firmware Tips: How to Initialize Arrays in C with Signal Waveforms and Other File Data

This article shows how to initialize arrays in a C program with values from text files.

September 25, 2019 by Stephen Colley

Assembly vs. C: Why Learn Assembly?

This article discusses two programming languages, namely, C and Assembly, and presents the need to know Assembly language for programming embedded systems.

September 20, 2019 by Colin Walls