Microcontrollers, Basics Successful Software Development for MCUs

1. Microcontrollers, BasicsSuccessful Software Development for MCUs • 18 January 2012 • Jonathan A. Titus

2. Anyone Can Program in C! Sidney Harris ...but that doesn’t mean they write GOOD code.

3. How Do You Start a Software Project? • You must have a clear objective! • Describe system architecture and behavior • Simple projects: 1- to 5-person team • Complex project: several teams • Hardware engineers • Software engineers • Mechatronics engineers • Sensor experts • Graphical-user-interface designers

4. Investigate Model-Based Design • In the “not-so-good” old days... Courtesy of The MathWorks

5. Model-Based Design I Courtesy of The MathWorks

6. Model-Based Design II Courtesy of Texas Instruments

7. Create an Executable Model • Use modeling and simulation tools: • MATLAB and Simulink: MathWorks • www.mathworks.com • LabVIEW and MatrixX: National Instruments • www.ni.com • Maple and MapleSim: Maplesoft • www.maplesoft.com

8. Clutch-Control Model Courtesy of The MathWorks

9. Vehicle-Control Model Courtesy of Maplesoft

10. Model-Based Design • Benefits • Everything traces back to requirements • Teams work with the same information • Data flows up and down • No prototypes needed to begin • Tools can produce known-good code • VHDL, Verilog, C, C++ • Program MCUs and FPGAs

11. Model-Based Design • Problems • Large commitment of time and money • Requires commitment to a new design discipline • Needs a team “evangelist” • Difficult to convince teams to use new tools

12. Model-Based Design • "Driving Technical Change: Why People on Your Team Don't Act on Good Ideas and How to Convince Them They Should," by Terrence Ryan, The Pragmatic Programmers, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-93435-660-9.

13. Model-Based Design • Helpful white papers: • "Adopting Model-Based Design Interactive Kit," The MathWorkshttp://www.mathworks.com/programs/techkits/techkit_adopting_mbd.html. • "Shortening the Embedded Design Cycle with Model-Based Design," National Instruments • http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/4074. • "High-Performance Physical Modeling and Simulation," MapleSoft • http://www.maplesoft.com/products/maplesim/index.aspx. • "Developing Quality Embedded Systems Using Model-Based Design," The MathWorkshttp://www.gistl.com/2008/Using_Model_Based_Design.pdf

14. Software Development • If model-based design isn’t right for you, what other approaches can you take? • IAR VisualSTATE software • Statecharts: State-machine designs • Flow-chart models • DIY techniques?

15. IAR VisualSTATE "Designing a state machine to solve a problem," IAR Systems. http://tinyurl.com/7ckyejf

17. Statechart Design "Practical UML Statecharts in C/C++," 2nd ed., Miro Samek, Newnes-Elsevier, 2009. ISBN: 978-0-7506-8706-5.

18. Coding Tools I • MCUs have an associated C/C++ compiler • MCU vendors supply software tools: • Microchip -- MPLAB X • Texas Instruments -- Code Composer Studio • Freescale -- CodeWarrior • Renesas -- High-Performance Embedded Workbench • Rabbit Semiconductor -- Dynamic C • Vendor tools “close to the chips” • Try free or limited versions before you buy

19. Coding Tools II • Custom Computer Services • CodeSourcery (Mentor) • MikroElektronika • Third-Party Tools • Atollic • GreenHills Software • Hitex • IAR • Code-Red Technology • Keil (ARM) • HiTech (Microchip) • Raisonance • Rowley

20. What Should Software Tools Do? • Compile C, C++, and assembly-language • Easily mix C/C++ and in-line assembly code • Simplify tracking projects, files, and revisions • Provide a “smart” color-coding editor • Simplify I/O and peripheral setup • Provide debug and test capabilities • Quickly connect with program/debug pods • Link to latest documents and manuals

21. What Should Software Tools Do? • Simplify tracking projects, files, and revisions Courtesy of Keil Software

22. What Should Software Tools Do? • Provide a “smart” color-coding editor

23. What Should Software Tools Do? • Simplify I/O and peripheral setup Courtesy of Texas Instruments

24. What Should Software Tools Do? • Provide debug and test capabilities Courtesy of Microchip

25. What Should Software Tools Do? • Quickly connect with program/debug pods

26. Take Advantage of Other Resources • Use dev kits as “golden platforms” for code tests • Adopt a consistent coding style: • Google C++ Style Guide • If you are new to MCUs, start with a small board • Arduino Uno, Digilent Uno32, ARM mbed • Use vendor code libraries • Visit and join MCU-user and MCU-software forums • Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) • 26 through 29 March 2012, San Jose, CA, USA

27. Good Embedded-System Books • "Test-Driven Development for Embedded C," James W. Grenning, The Pragmatic Programmers, 2011. ISBN: 978-1-93435-662-3. • "Automated Defect Prevention: Best Practices in Software Management," by Dorota Huizinga and Adam Kolawa, Wiley Interscience, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-470-04212-0. • "The Art of Designing Embedded Systems," 2nd ed., by Jack Ganssle, Newnes, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-7506-8644-0. • "The Firmware Handbook," Jack Ganssle, ed., Newnes, 2004. ISBN: 978-0-7506-7606-9.

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