SLTF Consulting
Technology with Business Sense

Embedded System Design Articles

From 1991 through 1998, Scott Rosenthal of SLTF wrote a column for Personal Engineering & Instrumentation News magazine on the issues involved with designing embedded systems — the hardware, the software, and the business aspects. The following articles are adapted from his PE&IN column:

USABILITY

	Application-defined hardware/software tradeoffs mark the difference between success and failure
	Functionality alone won't guarantee a successful design
	A good user interface is as important as proper functionality
	A project in the field must adapt to harsh reality

SOFTWARE PRACTICES

	Is C++ the not-ready-for-prime-time embedded language?
	Good programmers don't need C++ to think for them
	System initialization requires as much care as the rest of your design
	Now that the processor's reset, here's how to get the code running
	For digging out hardware bugs, monitor programs fill the bill
	Monitors are valuable, easy to use and create
	The search for the perfect software might be never ending, but it's not pointless
	Adequate testing means more than just checking against the specification
	Language-localization tips aid overseas sales
	Cooperative operating systems impose RTOS discipline without its complexity
	Desktop engineers: beware pitfalls when transitioning to embedded systems
	Tips from the trenches: tweak your way to improved C compiler output

FUZZY LOGIC

	The future of high precision is fuzzy
	Building a fuzzy-logic controller doesn't require an AI degree---just common sense

EMBEDDED HARDWARE

	Serial EEPROMs provide secure data storage for embedded systems
	Validating data acquisition saves debugging time
	Flash memories are useful--but they're not magic
	Electronic cam significantly eases development of microcontroller code
	Don't forget bit basics while using an HLL
	The trick to hot-plugging is not frying the module---or your patience
	Interrupts might seem basic, but many programmers still avoid them
	PC Cards as EPROM replacements remove one last code-development bottleneck
	The road to loquacious instrumentation is rough but passable
	Off-the-shelf hardware and multimedia bring voice output within easy reach
	Selecting an embedded processor involves both simple and nontechnical criteria
	Small PIC12C family provides programmability and speed at a price

SYSTEM DESIGN

	PC chipsets build a firm foundation for embedded applications
	PC chipsets have a dark side, too
	Check out lower-performance processors, too
	The true test for a new technique is the real world -- not a development lab
	Why don't programmers think like normal people?
	For alerting an operator, all beeps weren't created equal
	Standard ICs make it difficult to build an alarming instrument
	It sometimes takes a microcontroller to boot up an FPGA
	Interfacing to large switch banks requires more than stringing a few additional wires
	Modern development tools remove complications--but at what price?
	Consumer products guide the way in low-cost product design
	A requirements document before a project pays big dividends in time and money
	Although testing assures a product works, a test document defines what "works" means
	With most embedded systems, many bad problems lie inside "the box"
	It takes more than technical skill to consult in the embedded market
	Consulting in the embedded world requires diplomacy
	Good enough is exactly that