Comments on: Final Thoughts On The Embedded Community http://chrisgammell.com/2010/06/10/final-thoughts-on-the-embedded-community/ Analog electronics and everything else between 1 and 0 Tue, 15 May 2012 20:56:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Where Are Technical Areas in the US? | Chris Gammell's Analog Life http://chrisgammell.com/2010/06/10/final-thoughts-on-the-embedded-community/comment-page-1/#comment-1855 Where Are Technical Areas in the US? | Chris Gammell's Analog Life Thu, 24 Jun 2010 04:04:15 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=1741#comment-1855 [...] or the easiest to fill nor does it even point out how varied the positions can be! For example, an embedded developer and an analog system engineer might all be under the title “electrical engineer“. If [...] [...] or the easiest to fill nor does it even point out how varied the positions can be! For example, an embedded developer and an analog system engineer might all be under the title “electrical engineer“. If [...]

]]> By: @undees http://chrisgammell.com/2010/06/10/final-thoughts-on-the-embedded-community/comment-page-1/#comment-1788 @undees Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:04:11 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=1741#comment-1788 Definitely got that sense of fragmentation in the software toolkits arena. Embedded programmers have to rely on resourcefulness, spit, and duct tape. Ironically, the way out may be through more software, or at least more standard software. Definitely got that sense of fragmentation in the software toolkits arena. Embedded programmers have to rely on resourcefulness, spit, and duct tape. Ironically, the way out may be through more software, or at least more standard software.

]]> By: A Talk With An Electronics Industry Analyst | Chris Gammell's Analog Life http://chrisgammell.com/2010/06/10/final-thoughts-on-the-embedded-community/comment-page-1/#comment-1697 A Talk With An Electronics Industry Analyst | Chris Gammell's Analog Life Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:17:00 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=1741#comment-1697 [...] Stuff Final Thoughts On The Embedded Community Jun [...] [...] Stuff Final Thoughts On The Embedded Community Jun [...]

]]> By: Abhishek http://chrisgammell.com/2010/06/10/final-thoughts-on-the-embedded-community/comment-page-1/#comment-1679 Abhishek Sat, 12 Jun 2010 15:28:02 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=1741#comment-1679 lots of work in Embedded engineering field (especially in large system designing companies) is related to porting existing code to new processor/programmable chips.Processors gets obsolete very fast so the companies who do not see major changes in system requirement in future (Like Boeing / Airbus) and companies whose production is low volume always buy chips in bulk.You can see 1985 marking on the chips in the systems being sold by such companies...I have seen 25 yrs old chips (now obsolete) on Rockwell Collins radar control related products. long term support is one of the important discussion point between chip making companies and system designing companies.If chips do not become obsolete then many embedded engineers may loose job.Embedded software development cost is very high so companies try to avoid using mature chips. Embedded system engineers know very little about real magic happening at silicon. lots of work in Embedded engineering field (especially in large system designing companies) is related to porting existing code to new processor/programmable chips.Processors gets obsolete very fast so the companies who do not see major changes in system requirement in future (Like Boeing / Airbus) and companies whose production is low volume always buy chips in bulk.You can see 1985 marking on the chips in the systems being sold by such companies...I have seen 25 yrs old chips (now obsolete) on Rockwell Collins radar control related products. long term support is one of the important discussion point between chip making companies and system designing companies.If chips do not become obsolete then many embedded engineers may loose job.Embedded software development cost is very high so companies try to avoid using mature chips.

Embedded system engineers know very little about real magic happening at silicon.

]]> By: Fluxor http://chrisgammell.com/2010/06/10/final-thoughts-on-the-embedded-community/comment-page-1/#comment-1670 Fluxor Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:00:38 +0000 http://chrisgammell.com/?p=1741#comment-1670 Levels of abstractions are fun! You need to go through many layers of software (abstractions) before being able to flip a bit in the Flying Flux. For the test engineering doing characterization, he uses Python, which is a wrapper around some in-house custom software, which is only a wrapper (plus GUI) to talk to the software provided by the embedded processor vendor, which needs to be compiled into machine code to access data in the Flying Flux through either the serial or parallel ports, which through those ports access the Flux's internal firmware code, which then gets loaded onto internal registers that affect the actual function of the Flying Flux. There are so many things that can go wrong along the way --- and they often do! Levels of abstractions are fun!

You need to go through many layers of software (abstractions) before being able to flip a bit in the Flying Flux. For the test engineering doing characterization, he uses Python, which is a wrapper around some in-house custom software, which is only a wrapper (plus GUI) to talk to the software provided by the embedded processor vendor, which needs to be compiled into machine code to access data in the Flying Flux through either the serial or parallel ports, which through those ports access the Flux's internal firmware code, which then gets loaded onto internal registers that affect the actual function of the Flying Flux.

There are so many things that can go wrong along the way --- and they often do!

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