Category Archives: Uncategorized

In part 1 of this series we identified the Eclipse and NetBeans open source IDE platforms as targets for embedded development tools. The choice of using an open source IDE platform affects embedded developers differently than the tool developers. Both … Continue reading →

The recent release of the production version of Microchip’s MPLAB X integrated development tool suite continues the trend of embedded development tools adopting an open source platform to develop and manage an IDE (integrated development environment) – with a notable … Continue reading →

A bill was recently introduced to mandate that high school students apply to college before they can receive their high school diploma. This bill reminded me that I worked with a number of people on embedded projects that did not … Continue reading →

The Gingerbreadtron is an interesting example of an Arduino project. A Gingerbreadtron is a gingerbread house that transforms into a robot. The project was built using an Arduino Uno board and six servo motors. Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping … Continue reading →

Around this time of year many people like to publish their predictions for the next year – and according to an article, the “experts and analysts” do not see a lot of innovation coming out of the United States soon. … Continue reading →

The current two month payroll tax at the center of a budget bill going through the US Congress has elicited a response by a trade organization representing the people that would have to implement the new law and is the … Continue reading →

Over the years, embedded development tools seem to deliver more capabilities at lower price points. Over the years, $40,000+ development workstations and $10,000+ in-circuit emulators have given way to tools that are lower in cost and more capable. Compilers can … Continue reading →

Despite all of the precautions that the Mythbusters team takes when doing their tests, the team accidentally launched a cannonball into a neighborhood and through a home. The test consisted of firing a 6-inch cannonball out of a homemade cannon … Continue reading →

A recent conversation about smartphones yielded a comment about how the size and shape of the handheld devices are fluctuating between a little larger and a little smaller. The thought was that the size variation was due to the conflicting … Continue reading →

There are many ways to implement touch interfaces. The projected field approach, such as capacitive touch used on many smartphone or tablet devices, projects a field around the touch surface and detects distortions in the field as a user’s finger … Continue reading →