Static Code Analysis Ups Java Support
Klocwork, a static analysis tool for embedded software development and debugging, has added new features to support Java in addition to C/C++.
October 31, 2006
Logic 101: Part 1 - Assertion-Level Logic
Assertion-level logic does not affect the final implementation; instead, it offers a slightly different way of looking at things that may be advantageous.
October 31, 2006
IEEE 802.11 Standard's Evolution
Several lessons were learned as standards makers crafted 802.11a,b, and e. That's one of the reasons why 802.11n is so important.
October 31, 2006
Configurable Processors On the Rise
Speakers including analyst Jim Feldhan predicted a bright future for configurable processor cores at ARC International's ConfigCon Silicon Valley 2006 conference Monday.
October 31, 2006
Algorithmic Trading
John Bates defines what algorithmic trading has to do with event-driven processing, visualization, and making money in real time. (MP3)
October 30, 2006
Using Block Diagrams As A System Design "Language": Part 2
In this second part of a series excerpted from his book "Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems," Tim Wescott provides some methods for analyzing system behavior using block diagrams, based on the block diagram "language" described in Part 1.
October 30, 2006
Firsthand Lessons in Globalization
The best way to prepare U.S. engineering students to be globally competitive, says Belle Wei, dean of engineering at San Jose State University, is to show them what they're up against. That's why Wei pioneered the school's Global Technology Initiative, which sends selected students on an expenses-paid tour of Asian companies and universities. Wei also works closely with Silicon Valley com.
October 30, 2006
Software Adds Smarts to Sensor Nets
A University of California at Berkeley team responsible for the TinyOS embedded operating system has formed a company to provide software intelligence to ZigBee and other wireless sensor networks. Arch Rock Corp.'s Primer Pack environment builds on middleware work done at Berkeley on three generations of "motes"--sensor nodes designed into meshes that use TinyOS 2 for self-discovery and monitoring. The work also included a dedicated database called TinyDB, used in making sensor information available through Web services via an application-layer language like the Extensible Markup Language.
October 30, 2006
DSP Video Processing via Open-Source APIs
Digital signal processors offer outstanding multimedia performance. Typically, they require just 40 percent to 50 percent as many cycles as a general-purpose processor (GPP) core to run a codec (encoders/decoders). They also offer far greater flexibility and reconfigurability than ASICs. Yet until now, programmers have had to learn proprietary languages to take advantage of the benefits of DSPs in digital video applications. But the emergence of application programming interfaces is eliminating the need to learn these proprietary DSP languages. APIs make it possible to easily leverage DSPs from applications running on the GPP.
October 30, 2006
Smartphone Buyer's Guide
Smartphones are building a loyal fan base and connecting to company networks. Here's our indepth investigation into the top smartphone vendors' strategies, strengths, and weaknesses.
October 30, 2006
Fixed-Point DSP and Algorithm Implementation
This article provides a primer on the use of fixed-point arithmetic in DSP algorithms. It covers concepts such as two's complement representation, dynamic range, overflow, truncation, and saturation. The article also introduces key filtering concepts.
October 25, 2006
Image Processing Trends
In the past decade, the field of image processing (the processing of video and/or graphic images) and more specifically integrated circuits (ICs) for image processing, have changed dramatically
October 25, 2006
Design for Scalability
Scalable design practices help engineers avoid being boxed into a design. One benefit discussed in this paper addresses an initial product design, while a second helps developers plan for the future.
October 25, 2006
Block Diagrams as a System Design "Language": Part 1
In the first of a two-part series, Tim Wescott, author of "Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems," describes how you can use block diagrams as a system design "language" for control system analysis and design.
October 25, 2006
The Scheduling Subsystem For Real-time Java: Explained
Greg Bollella of Sun describes the scheduling subsystem in the Real Time Specification for Java and how it can be used to solve problems, such as writing UNIX signal handlers in Java, periodic processes, sporadic processes, and asynchronous event handlers
October 25, 2006
Optimizing Power Consumption in Embedded DSP Apps: Part 2
This article provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to reducing power consumption. It explains why the RTOS is key to optimizing power consumption, and reviews the features of the Power Manager available in TI's DSP/BIOS RTOS. It then shows how to use this tool to implement a low-power audio application on the C5509A. The article includes extensive references for further reading.
October 23, 2006
Boosting LCD Brightness for Mobile Video Without Increasing Power
PenTile RGBW technology enables higher luminance levels for mobile displays without sacrificing resolution or increasing power usage, by adding a white subpixel to the traditional RGB Stripe layout of red, green, and blue, and then applying proprietary subpixel rendering technology to better align those subpixels with the way that people see. This ensures that display power and brightness resources are not wasted rendering images that cannot be seen by the human eye.
October 20, 2006
Autonomic Computing
Five years ago, IBM's Paul Horn articulated a new way of thinking about Information Technology-- autonomic computing.
October 20, 2006
Optimizing Power Consumption in Embedded DSP Apps: Part 1
This comprehensive article explains the many factors that drive power consumption. It shows how to minimize power consumption by making the right up-front hardware design decisions. It also shows how to employ power-saving techniques at runtime, and explains the challenges associated with these techniques. The article includes extensive references for further reading.
October 19, 2006
Spoken Word Search Analyzes Audio Content
Innumerable audio files available on the Web make searching based on keywords or metadata tricky. But spoken-word search technology is making it easier for enterprises to find the right audio content online.
October 19, 2006
Back to the Basics: Audio in the 21st Century - Part 2
In part 2 of Scott Janus' book serialization, we learn more about waveforms and their characteristics. This installment: period, frequency, phase offset, phase difference, phase quadrature, in phase, out of phase, and phase opposition.
October 17, 2006
Audio in the 21st Century
Sound is simply vibrations in matter. No matter what you may hear in most science fiction films, sound does not travel through a vacuum, no matter how big the ex-plosion is. This excerpt from Audio in the 21st Century provides a technical introduction to sound. Part 1 of an onging series.
October 17, 2006
Making FPGAs Work for Embedded Developers: Part 1
In the first of a two part series, Rob Irwin of Altium looks at the unfulfilled potential of today's programmable device technology and what is limiting them from being fully embraced by embedded developers.
October 17, 2006
'Backwards' Approach Leads to 1-pixel Camera
Remember how digital converters for audio started out at 8 bits, then went to 16 and 24 bits before resetting to 1 bit with oversampling? Engineers at Rice University will propose this week that we reset our megapixel cameras to 1 pixel and our video cameras to 1 voxel, both with oversampling.
October 16, 2006
JPEG2000 Codec for Robust, Scalable Video
The JPEG2000 wavelet-based algorithm generates a compressed codestream that retains the ability to easily extract different representations of the image, including different frame dimensions, without transcoding or recompressing. Yes, the name sounds dated (note MPEG-4 is even older, dating to 1998) but with the ability to simultaneously deliver HD and lower resolution video from the same signal, the six-year old JPEG2000 codec has a very bright future for broadcast, surveillance and consumer video applications, says Analog Devices.
October 13, 2006
Interrupt Management Under Linux
Bill Gatliff provides a walkthrough of the portions of the Linux kernel that manage interrupts and describes how Linux interacts with interrupt controllers and how to adapt code for custom hardware.
October 13, 2006
Implementing Matrix Inversions in Fixed-point Hardware
We impliment fixed-point matrix inversion on a Virtex-4 FPGA using a synthesizable QR-decomposition MATLAB model and the AccelDSP Synthesis tool. The resulting function occupies 12% of a XC4VSX55 device and has a 1.7 MSPS data rate.
October 12, 2006
Objectives Set for Eclipse C/C++ Tools
Following a meeting at QNX Software Systems, objectives have been finalized for Eclipse CDT 4.0, the next version of the open-source C/C++ development environment within the Eclipse framework.
October 11, 2006
Get Better DSP Code From Your Compiler
Signal processing algorithms and the DSPs used to run them have specialized characteristics. As a result, compilers can't generate efficient DSP code without help from the programmer. BDTI explains how to coax efficient code from your compiler.
October 10, 2006
Fit the Hardware to the Algorithm with SystemC Models
Learn how to model DSP algorithms in SystemC without being a SystemC expert. These models facilitate hardware/software partitioning, and allow you to consider communication and memory architectures when designing your algorithm. These models also ease software development and hardware verification.
October 10, 2006
Tear Down: Inside the Apple 8GB iPod nano
What makes the new 8GB iPod nano are the "mystery chips" that have been widely speculated about. These three Apple packaged components in the latest iPod nano have telltale marks that unequivocally prove the manufacturers.
October 8, 2006
Multi-core MPEG-4 Video Encode Partitioning
Partitioning a video-encoding algorithm onto a multi-core architecture can utilize a variety of techniques, including data partitioning and pipelining. Cradle Technologies explains them, and how to do MPEG-4 Baseline Profile implementation on their multi-core CT3600 processor family.
October 6, 2006
Error Checking
Code reviews are just one means of detecting program errors. Ed looks closely at how errors evade detection and gives you the opportunity to play code reviewer.
October 5, 2006
ARM Seeks Help in Refining Mobile Security API
ARM Holdings has asked a handful of mobile chip makers to help define the next-generation applications programming interface for its TrustZone extensions to the ARM core.
October 5, 2006
Implementing ZigBee networks
As industrial control engineers study ZigBee, one of the decisions they'll have to make is how the tasks are handled. Here's a look at the reasons for picking single- versus multi-chip solutions.
October 4, 2006
Open Source Embedded Asterisk-based PBX
Building an embedded IP-PBX represents a significant paradigm shift from existing open source PBX designs that typically use PCI cards on x86 platforms. Until recently, current micro controllers
(e.g. those in the 200MHz ARM & MIPs class) typically lack the DSP
horsepower for multiple channels of speech compression or echo
cancellation that is required for analog line interfaces. The Analog
Device Blackfin chip has changed all this......
October 4, 2006
Saving Power in Portable Applications
New techniques for multiple low-power modes, clock gating, dynamic voltage and frequency scaling will help developers deal with critical static and dynamic power requirements in battery-powered portable designs.
October 4, 2006
What Processor Is In Your Product?
What chips are other embedded systems developers using in their systems? In our annual survey, your peers reveal their vendor and size preferences. Jack Ganssle interprets the data here.
October 2, 2006
A Pox on Globals
Globals are the Sirens of embedded systems programming. Don't get sucked in if you don't want to lose your ship or your sanity.
October 2, 2006
Catching the Z-Wave
It's the other home network: simple but reliable, this lesser-known protocol competes with the IEEE-supported ZigBee standard. The author explains the basics of Z-Wave and compares it with ZigBee.
October 2, 2006
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