Microcontrollers, Basics Successful Software Development for MCUs

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Microcontrollers, Basics Successful Software
Development for MCUs

• 18 January 2012
• Jonathan A. Titus

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Anyone Can Program in C!
Sidney Harris
...but that doesnt mean they write GOOD code.
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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

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Investigate Model-Based Design

• In the not-so-good old days...

Courtesy of The MathWorks
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Model-Based Design I
Courtesy of The MathWorks
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Model-Based Design II
Courtesy of Texas Instruments
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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

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Clutch-Control Model
Courtesy of The MathWorks
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Vehicle-Control Model
Courtesy of Maplesoft
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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

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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

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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.

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Model-Based Design

• Helpful white papers
• "Adopting Model-Based Design Interactive Kit,"
  The MathWorkshttp//www.mathworks.com/programs/te
  chkits/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.a
  spx.
• "Developing Quality Embedded Systems Using
  Model-Based Design," The MathWorkshttp//www.gist
  l.com/2008/Using_Model_Based_Design.pdf

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Software Development

• If model-based design isnt right for you, what
  other approaches can you take?
• IAR VisualSTATE software
• Statecharts State-machine designs
• Flow-chart models
• DIY techniques?

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IAR VisualSTATE
"Designing a state machine to solve a problem,"
IAR Systems. http//tinyurl.com/7ckyejf
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Statechart Design
"Practical UML Statecharts in C/C," 2nd ed.,
Miro Samek, Newnes-Elsevier, 2009. ISBN
978-0-7506-8706-5.
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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

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Coding Tools II

• Third-Party Tools
• Atollic
• GreenHills Software
• Hitex
• IAR
• Code-Red Technology
• Keil (ARM)
• HiTech (Microchip)
• Raisonance
• Rowley

• Custom Computer Services
• CodeSourcery (Mentor)
• MikroElektronika

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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

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What Should Software Tools Do?

• Simplify tracking projects, files, and revisions

Courtesy of Keil Software
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What Should Software Tools Do?

• Provide a smart color-coding editor

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What Should Software Tools Do?

• Simplify I/O and peripheral setup

Courtesy of Texas Instruments
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What Should Software Tools Do?

• Provide debug and test capabilities

Courtesy of Microchip
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What Should Software Tools Do?

• Quickly connect with program/debug pods

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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

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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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