• GNU Binutils: the ELF Swiss Army Knife

    by Chris Coleman

    In this article, we will explore some of my favorite binary introspection tools, such as GNU Binutils. The material is geared toward the embedded software crowd that typically writes C and C++, but many of the ideas, tools, and lessons learned can be applied to a variety of low-level software. We will walk through practical examples of how the tools can be leveraged to aid in the development process irrespective of the compiler you are using (e.g. GCC, Clang, IAR, ARMCC, etc).

  • What we've been reading in March (2020)

    by Tyler Hoffman

    Here are the articles, videos, and tools that we’ve been excited about this past month.

  • Cortex-M MCU Emulation with Renode

    by François Baldassari

    In this post, I walk through setting up the Renode emulator and running a firmware in it for STM32. Using that setup, we’ll debug our firmware, run it through integrated tests, and shorten the iteration cycle of development.

  • Tracking Firmware Code Size

    by Tyler Hoffman

    In this post, I will show you how to set up a code size dashboard for your project. I’ll cover why should track code size, how to do it, and the steps to calculate code size deltas on every pull requests to keep it to a minimum.

  • A Shallow Dive into GNU Make

    by Noah Pendleton

    This article explains general concepts and features of GNU Make and includes recommendations for getting the most out of a Make build! Consider it a brief guided tour through some of my favorite/most used Make concepts and features 🤗.

  • What we've been reading in February (2020)

    by Tyler Hoffman

    Here are the articles, videos, and tools we’ve been excited about this past month.

  • A Guide to Watchdog Timers for Embedded Systems

    by Chris Coleman

    In this article we will discuss the last line of defense in embedded systems – watchdogs. We will walk through a step-by-step example of how to implement a watchdog subsystem, incorporating a “hardware” and “software” watchdog, and examine effective strategies for root causing the underlying problems leading to these hangs.

  • Improving Compilation Time of C/C++ Projects

    by Tyler Hoffman

    Build times don’t have to be long, even yours! However, many factors play a role. In this post, we’ll dive into which factors contribute to slower builds, compare and contrast options, and also go over some easy wins which you can immediately contribute to your project and share with your teammates. The techniques discussed apply to most C/C++ compilers and projects, and there are a couple extra tips for those using the GNU GCC compiler.