#embedded technologies

[adafruit]

OPT4048 - a "tri-stimulus" light sensor 🔴🟢🔵

We were chatting in the forums with someone when the OPT4048 (https://www.digikey.com/en/products/detail/texas-instruments/OPT4048DTSR/21298553) came up. It's an interesting light sensor that does color sensing but with diodes matched to the CIE XYZ color space. This would make them particularly good for color-light tuning. We made a cute breakout for this board. Fun fact: it's 3.3V power but 5V logic friendly.

[embers-burning-bright]

remembered that when i was a kid i used to "stroke" the static (not screen) on our crt tv as if it was a gentle animal. and i think that actually explains a lot about everything about me

[nuacam]

So excited to have my hands of the first proper prototype of my NuaCam project. It's crazy to see just how far I have come in a few short months, growing this from a simple idea to a functional device. The goal is to build a camera which utilising ai stylisation to capture reality in a new light. Now I can focus on improving the ai side to try and create exciting styles to use. The first prototype was causing lots of lost hours debugging due to lose wires, so I bite the bullet and designed this pcb to help me develop the software side.

[magnificent-mechanism99]

Why does digital elecronics is important for engineering?

Digital electronics is super important in engineering for a bunch of reasons—it's pretty much the backbone of modern technology. Digital electronics powers everything from smartphones and computers to cars and medical devices. Engineers across disciplines need to understand it to design, troubleshoot, or innovate with modern systems.

GET CIRCUIT DESIGNING VIDEO TUTORIAL 👈.

Digital tech allows for very large-scale integration (VLSI), meaning engineers can cram millions of logic gates into a single chip (like microprocessors or memory). It enables powerful, compact, and cost-effective designs.

[rhosigmaa]

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[digitrenndsamr]

Embedded Processor Market Progresses for Huge Profits by 2028

Allied Market Research, titled, “Embedded Processor Market Size By Type and Application: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021–2028”, the global embedded processor market size was valued at $19.36 billion in 2019, and is projected to reach $32.53 billion by 2028, registering a CAGR of 8.2%. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the leading contributor to the global embedded processor market during the forecast period, followed by North America and Europe.

An embedded processor is a type of microprocessor, which is designed for an operating system to control the electrical and mechanical systems of the microprocessor. Embedded processors are usually simple in design and require minimal power requirements for its computational operations. An embedded processor is especially designed for handling the needs of an embedded system and to handle multiple processors in real time. As embedded system requires low power, they are preferred by various industry verticals as they draw less power from the energy sources.

Embedded processors are usually developed to be integrated in the devices, which are required to handle multiple processors in real time. These processors are in the form of a computer chip that are embedded in various microcontrollers and microprocessors to control various electrical and mechanical systems. These processors are also equipped with features such as storing and retrieving data from the memory. Embedded processors commonly work as a part of a computer system along with memory and other input-output devices.

The global embedded processor market is anticipated to witness significant growth during the forecast period. Factors such as rise in space constraints in semiconductors wafers, increase in demand for smart consumer electronics, and emerging usage of embedded processors in the automotive industry boost the growth of the global market. 

However, high implementation cost of embedded processors in different applications acts as a major restraint hampering the embedded processor industry. Furthermore, increase in popularity of IoT, rise in trend toward electric vehicles, and increase in usage of embedded processors in the biomedical sectors offer lucrative opportunities for the embedded processor market growth globally.

The global embedded processor market share is analyzed by type, application, and region. Based on type, the market is analyzed across microprocessor, microcontrollers, digital signal processor, embedded FPGA, and others. On the basis of application, the market is divided into consumer electronics, automotive & transportation, industrial, healthcare, IT & telecom, aerospace & defense, and others.

Region wise, the embedded processor market trends have been analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. As per the embedded processor market analysis, Asia-Pacific is leading the market and is expected to be the fastest growing regional segment in the near future, with the highest CAGR. With an increase in demand for high voltage operating devices, organizations across verticals are realizing the importance of embedded processors to ensure efficient power management. 

In addition, North America holds the second largest share in the global market, and is expected to witness significant growth during the forecast period, owing to the extensive adoption of advanced technology by the region. The factors such as rise in demand for smart electronics and proliferation of high-end advanced technologies drive the growth of the market in the region.

COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The COVID-19 has impacted severely on the global electronics and semiconductor sector, due to which production facility as well as new projects have stalled which in turn have the significant demand in the industries. The operations of the production and manufacturing industries have been heavily impacted by the outbreak of COVID-19 disease; thereby, leading to slowdown in the growth of the embedded processor market in 2020. 

Key Findings of the Study

The microprocessor segment is projected to be the major IC type during the forecast period followed by microcontrollers. 

APAC and North America collectively accounted for more than 69.01% of the embedded processor market share in 2019.

The healthcare segment is anticipated to witness highest growth rate during the forecast period.

China was the major shareholder in the Asia-Pacific embedded processor market, accounting for approximately 23.52% share in 2019.

The key players profiled in the report include NXP Semiconductors, Broadcom Corporation, STMicroelectronics, Intel Corporation, Infineon Technologies AG, Analog Devices Inc., Renesas Electronics, Microchip Technology Inc., Texas Instruments, and ON Semiconductor. These players have adopted various strategies such as product launch, acquisition, collaboration, and partnership to expand their foothold in the industry.

[masterskywalkers]

I understand where OP is coming from but the movies named are not the appropriate examples to use for this argument.

Dune parts one and two look incredible mainly because of two things: practical effects and shooting on location. Add these two golden gems of any filmmaking along with Villeneuve's own unique style and the care and respect he has for the medium, you're more or less guaranteed gold. Dune has the potential right now to stand alongside other movie standouts like the original Star Wars trilogy and Lord of the Rings for being timeless works of art and instant classics (which is long deserved for Dune because my god, it has deserved an onscreen adaption like this for decades). There are aspects of Dune that remind me of shots in Lawrence of Arabia in that of their grandeur and I am so thankful and glad we're seeing examples of passionate cinema again (Dune and Godzilla Minus One: I love you both dearly).

While Disney has fallen off track (especially with some of their live-action adaptions - like I do not want to even think about the up-and-coming Snow White adaption and neither does Bob Iger, apparently. Pushed back for 2025 and apparently it might not even make cinemas now - what even is the point?) - it is unfair to talk about the effects used in films like Marvel when it has already been made painfully clear that the visual effects team are pressured and forced to crunch their work. The way these movies work is not down to these effects artists but to the management demands. Plus using special effects for a whole movie like Antman: Quantamania is expensive. I want to say 80% of them are effects and eh, you can tell the focus was more on that than the story. The real debate here - and what movies like Dune prove - is how much of a balance should there be in a movie of practical vs. special effects (personally, I've always thought practical looks better and has more longevity).

Now Mission Impossible is another bad example because a) Dead Reckoning was a good movie that was released at a bad time (literally right before Barbenheimer - Tom Cruise literally argued about this with cinemas as so many IMAX ones were showing Barbie or Oppenheimer on multiple screens but MI could barely get one screen in some cinemas) and b) Mission Impossible had to jump through so many hurdles as it began filming pre-pandemic, halted filming for lockdown, then continued filming as soon as they received the green light to do so under covid regulations (we all remember the Tom Cruise clip that went viral of him arguing with some of his team about them not taking the covid precautions seriously and how it would negatively affect all of them when they should be taking care whilst working hard to finish their product so it can go into cinemas once they were open and profitable again).

I actually weirdly know someone who worked on Mission Impossible - there is a period where I remember seeing the work that had been done on the train crash scene while they were working on it and damn, was it impressive the work the team put into it! - so yeah, I can understand where the budget went for them considering their filming went on for so much longer than they intended or expected.

A lot of the time a film looks fantastic not because of the budget but because of the artistic style of the director. There are so many movies that are released on a low budget that are visually stunning - money isn't everything in this industry - as much as these studios would have you believe - and you can create beautiful works of art with minimal cost. But cinema isn't cheap: practical effects aren't cheap, and special effects aren't cheap. Shooting on location isn't cheap (and can cost more depending on the location, which is why now they've developed screen technology to mimic some locations for cheaper and easier use). Paying your workforce and actors isn't cheap - especially not when they're then told not to work due to a global pandemic, but you're still paying them. Yeah, some films are ridiculously expensive for, seemingly, no good reason. But I would say there are more examples in Hollywood of questionable spending than these two movie examples OP has presented.

But yeah, everyone go watch Dune because those movies are made for the cinema experience and look incredible. There is no doubt that these movies will likely be a blueprint in design for other future movies inspired by these works, and I damn hope it inspires more people to go into the movie industry and make art they're passionate about. Dune is made with a real love for the story by all of the crew - especially Villeneuve and Zimmer - and it shows.

Its wild that Dune part 2 was like $190 million or something and looks phenomenal, and while thats still a lot of money, these marvel/sony/ Disney flops cost $350+millions?!??! It has to be money laundering like it HAS to be. Where is that money going?? Mission impossible cost $567million. Antman cost $450 and looks as drab and washed out and forgettable as every other marvel movie. Like?!??

[technoscoe]

Upgrade Your Skills with Embedded Technology Courses in India

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[monarchinnovation]

Why Wireless Embedded Systems Matter in Tech

Explore how wireless communication technologies like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and LoRa are revolutionizing embedded systems. This article dives into their role in enhancing connectivity, enabling IoT solutions, and improving system efficiency across various industries.

[adafruit]

From the Desk of Ladyada - Every Sunday… for the last 10 years! Tune in each week, live -

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=desk+of+ladyada&sp=CAI%253D

[sybyl]

here's your (perhaps too conveniently) perfect title track for this science dream fiction movie

i had a dream that time travel was invented and too many people choose to travel back in time to save the titanic from sinking (the question of whether unsinking of the titanic deserved so much attention in the face of human history was the subject of both heavy academic and online discourse), which caused a rift in the space-time-continuum that led to the titanic showing up indiscriminately all over the world’s oceans and sea in various states of sinking.

this caused a lot of issues both in terms of fixing said space-time-continuum and in terms of nautical navigation, and after a long and heavy battle in the international maritime organization it was decided that the bureaucratic burden of dealing with this was to be upon Ireland, much to their dismay. the Irish Government then released an app for all sailors and seafarers so they could report titanic sightings during their journeys, even though they heavily dissuaded you from reporting them given the paperwork it caused.

anyway i woke up with a clear image of the app in my head and needed to recreate it for all of you:

[terakuhn]

Do you need to debug your code for a 68HC11 embedded controller you’re building? If so, download Debug6811 from the teraKUHN web site at https://terakuhn.weebly.com/debug_cpu_app.html to your Windows PC and give it a try.

Debug6811 can be helpful for computer science class, and for debugging embedded systems for robotics

Debug6811 also includes a 68HC11 cross assembler, as well as an integer C compiler and Pascal compiler.

[epsumlabs]

Board Support Package (BSP) Development - Epsum Labs

In the world of embedded systems, getting hardware and software to work together seamlessly is no small feat. That’s where the Board Support Package (BSP) comes in—a critical component that ensures your operating system (OS) communicates effectively with your hardware.

But what exactly is BSP, and why does it matter for embedded development? 

Let’s break it down step by step in simple terms.

What is a Board Support Package (BSP)?

Think of BSP as a bridge between hardware and software. It contains the essential drivers, configuration files, and bootloaders that allow an OS—like Linux—to run on a specific hardware platform.

Without it, your board is just an expensive piece of silicon!

Core Components of BSP:

✅ Bootloader – Wakes up the hardware and loads the OS into memory. ✅ Kernel & Device Tree (DTB) – Customizes the OS to recognize hardware features like GPIOs, buses, and memory. ✅ Device Drivers – Enables communication between the OS and peripherals (USB, Ethernet, Display, etc.). ✅ Root Filesystem (RootFS) – Houses system libraries, scripts, and utilities that run in user space. ✅ Board Configuration Files – Stores startup scripts and kernel configurations to define system behavior.

Step-by-Step BSP Development Process

Building a BSP isn’t just about writing code—it’s a structured process to ensure hardware and software integration. Here’s how it works:

🔹 Step 1: Hardware Bring-Up – Getting the board powered up and running. 🔹 Step 2: Bootloader Configuration & Debugging – Setting up the bootloader to initialize hardware correctly. 🔹 Step 3: Kernel & DTB Porting – Modifying the Linux Kernel and device tree to match the board’s hardware. 🔹 Step 4: Building the Root Filesystem (RootFS) – Creating the system environment using tools like Yocto or Buildroot. 🔹 Step 5: OS Bring-Up & Debugging – Testing and debugging system boot, drivers, and peripherals. 🔹 Step 6: Driver Development & Optimization – Customizing device drivers and improving boot times. 🔹 Step 7: BSP Finalization & Deployment – Packaging everything and deploying it onto the target board.

Each step ensures that your embedded system runs efficiently and reliably.

Read More on Board Support Package Development

[thisisgraeme]

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[rhosigmaa]

Integrating RTOS in Firmware Development for IoT Devices

In the fast evolving world of connected technology, firmware development for IoT devices demands real-time performance, efficient task management, and robust system reliability. One of the most effective ways to meet these demands is through the integration of an RTOS (Real-Time Operating System). Using an RTOS in firmware development provides the necessary architecture to support multitasking, deterministic execution, and modular design all of which are essential in modern embedded systems.

Interested in building efficient, real-time firmware for your IoT device? A well architected RTOS implementation can significantly enhance the performance and reliability of your system.

Unlike traditional bare metal firmware where tasks are executed sequentially, RTOS-based firmware allows developers to divide functionality into prioritized threads or tasks. This is especially important in IoT applications, where the firmware must handle multiple simultaneous operations like sensor data collection, wireless communication, and actuator control. An RTOS ensures these tasks are executed on time and without interference, delivering the real-time performance required by smart devices and edge nodes.

The integration of RTOS into embedded firmware development also brings scalability and modularity, making it easier to add features or adapt to new hardware platforms. With built in task scheduling and resource management, RTOS platforms allow developers to write more maintainable code and avoid timing conflicts that often arise in complex systems. This approach improves overall system stability and reduces debugging time during the development cycle.

Some of the most widely used RTOS options in IoT firmware development include Free RTOS, known for its lightweight footprint and wide microcontroller support; Zephyr OS, which offers a comprehensive set of features for connected devices; and Thread X, commonly used in commercial and safety-critical applications. Each RTOS has its strengths, and the choice depends on application needs, processor architecture, and certification requirements.

To effectively implement RTOS in firmware development, engineers must identify the system’s real-time requirements and define tasks accordingly. Communication between tasks should be managed through mechanisms like semaphores, queues, or event flags to avoid race conditions and maintain data consistency. Moreover, memory management becomes a crucial factor, particularly in microcontroller-based systems where RAM and flash resources are limited.

RTOS based firmware is now at the core of many advanced IoT devices from smart wearables and industrial sensors to medical equipment and home automation systems. These devices require not just functional correctness, but also consistent and timely responses. The ability of RTOS to deliver predictable task execution and low-latency performance makes it a vital component in modern IoT firmware development.

Explore deeper into RTOS-based development techniques to future proof your embedded solutions. Staying aligned with real-time system design practices ensures long-term scalability and product success.

If your embedded application depends on responsiveness, uptime, and modular design, integrating RTOS in your firmware development process is not just a best practice, it’s a strategic move. Early architectural planning with RTOS in mind helps avoid costly redesigns later and ensures your product meets both technical and market expectations.