Embedded System Design on a Shoestring
In this practical guide, experienced embedded engineer Lewin Edwards demonstrates faster, lower-cost methods for developing high-end embedded systems. With today's tight schedules and lower budgets, embedded designers are under greater pressure to deliver prototypes and system designs faster and cheaper. Edwards demonstrates how the use of the right tools and operating systems can make seemingly impossible deadlines possible.
Designer's Guide to Embedded Systems Development shares many advanced, "in-the-trenches" design secrets to help engineers achieve better performance on the job. In particular, it covers many of the newer design tools supported by the GPL (GNU Public License) system. Code examples are given to provide concrete illustrations of tasks described in the text. The general procedures are applicable to many possible projects based on any 16/32-bit microcontroller. The book covers choosing the right architecture and development hardware to fit the project; choosing an operating system and developing a toolchain; evaluating software licenses and how they affect a project; step-by-step building instructions for gcc, binutils, gdb and newlib for the ARM7 core used in the case study project; prototyping techniques using a custom printed circuit board; debugging tips; and portability considerations. The accompanying companion website contains all the code used in the design examples as well as useful open-source tools for embedded design.
·A wealth of practical tips, tricks and techniques
·Design better, faster and more cost-effectively
·Accompanying companion website includes useful open-source tools for embedded design
Why Read This Book
You will learn pragmatic, low-cost techniques and toolchain workflows for getting embedded prototypes working quickly, with an emphasis on GPL/open-source tools. The book is full of practical tips from real projects that help you reduce development time and cost when bringing signal-processing firmware to hardware.
Who Will Benefit
Embedded engineers and DSP practitioners who need to prototype or deploy algorithms on constrained hardware and want a low-cost, open-source toolchain and practical implementation tips.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Familiarity with C programming and basic electronics/hardware; basic understanding of microcontrollers or embedded Linux; prior exposure to command-line tools is helpful.
Key Takeaways
- Set up and use a low-cost GPL-based development toolchain (cross-compilers, make, binutils).
- Cross-compile and deploy firmware or embedded Linux images to target hardware.
- Use common debugging tools and hardware interfaces (GDB, JTAG, serial consoles) to troubleshoot embedded systems.
- Design prototype hardware/software architectures that balance cost, performance, and time-to-market.
- Integrate and configure open-source operating systems and components for constrained devices.
Topics Covered
- Introduction: goals and constraints of shoestring embedded design
- Choosing low-cost hardware and components
- Open-source toolchains: GCC, binutils, make and cross-compilation
- Building and debugging: GDB, JTAG, serial consoles and emulators
- Using GPL operating systems on embedded targets (uClinux/embedded Linux)
- Board support packages and bringing up hardware
- Real-time considerations and lightweight scheduling
- Memory, I/O and peripheral interfacing on a budget
- Cost-reduction strategies, prototyping and sourcing parts
- Case studies and worked examples
- Appendices: common commands, sample build scripts and references
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More focused on low-cost, GPL-based workflows than Elecia White's Making Embedded Systems (which is broader and more modern in style), and less deep on embedded Linux internals than Christopher Hallinan's Embedded Linux Primer.
