1821 results found for Embedded Software , displaying items 1 - 20
November 16, 2009[Simply the Bits that Matter] Remove Redundancy In Your Compression Designs
All compression algorithms utilize two basic functions. The first removes redundant or irrelevant information. Redundancy removal can be lossless or lossy. The second function, bit packing, packs the redundancy remover’s outpt bits together in a lossless manner. Redundancy occurs when a signal stream contains more bits than required to represent the inherent information it carries. For instance, telephone calls could transmit the full 2-kHz bandwidth...
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Al Wegener
November 16, 2009[Lab Bench] Will Android Open The Set-Top Box?
Comcast’s final move to all-digital transmission in my area means I need a set-top box (STB) for all of my devices. This puts Comcast on par with other HDTV service providers such as Verizon and Dish Networks. Viewers can still get local channels via Comcast cable with a TV or HDTV tuner, but they’re just a fraction of all of the available channels. This doesn’t make much of a difference for viewers with one or two televisions. But I have a few more, ...
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William Wong
November 16, 2009[Engineering Feature] Science Fiction Meets Science Fact In Today's Robot Research
Real robots have capturedthe imagination of young and old engineers, designers, and programmers alike. For example, techies can get their hands dirty with iRobot’s Roomba Create or take part in competitions like FIRST Robotics. Robots also are changing how war is waged and how we protect people on and off the battlefield. And, they’re working with doctors and patients. Though we’re far from the intelligent androids found in science fiction, robot deployment and...
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William Wong
November 16, 2009[Engineering Feature] Taking A Hand At Robot Control
Tele-operated and semi-autonomous robots are often handled by conventional joysticks and mice. This is fine for rolling robots with two degrees of freedom. But higher-complexity robots capable of more varied movements have led to everything from 3D mice to thought control (brainwaves), though that has yet to be used for precise control. The AcceleGlove from AnthroTronix uses Freescale’s 3D microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) accelerometers (...
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William Wong
November 5, 2009[Embedded in Electronic Design] Tracing The Almost Perfect Program
Those of you who write perfect programs the first time around may leave the room. Now for the rest of us, what debug tools do you use? The crude but effective printf (for C and C++) is probably at the top of everyone’s list. Variations include watch variables in debuggers and control panels for graphical environments like National Instruments’ LabVIEW, but the idea is the same—see what the program is doing and then figure out what’s going...
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William Wong
November 5, 2009[Embedded in Electronic Design] DSF Targets Complex Debugging Chores
The open-source Eclipse project has turned into one of the primary software development platforms for Web services, embedded systems, and other applications. Embedded developers typically take advantage of the Java-based Eclipse integrated development environment (IDE) using the C/ C++ Development Tool (CDT). Embedded tool vendors quickly adopted the CDT because it enabled incorporation of the GNU toolchain as well as proprietary toolchains including...
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William Wong
October 21, 2009
[Embedded in Electronic Design] Time To Move To Windows?
Embedded developers looking to jump over Microsoft Windows Vista are in luck. Based on the Windows 7 kernel, Windows Embedded Standard 2011 will supersede Windows XP Embedded, currently known as Windows Embedded Standard 2009.
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William Wong
October 21, 2009
[Embedded in Electronic Design] Get Linux In An RJ-45 Module
Lantronix’s XPortPro with its 32-bit processor is built to run Linux and Lantronix’s own Evolution operating system (OS). The Evolution turnkey sysem supports Lantronix’s ManageLinx with VIP Access.
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William Wong
October 21, 2009
[Embedded in Electronic Design] High-Availability Carrier-Grade Linux Does DRDB
One of the many new features of MontaVista’s Carrier Grade Edition (CGE) Linux 5.1 is support for disk replication within a cluster via open-source Distributed Replicated Block Device (DRDB) software. DRDB uses high-speed network links to provide RAID-like operation in a high-availability (HA) environment.
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William Wong
October 22, 2009[Lab Bench] Developers Can Expect To See Everyware Everywhere
Building a system from the ground up including all the software can be rewarding, but it’s a timeconsuming process that’s prone to errors. That’s why developers utilize off-the-shelf processor boards, operating systems, and run-time systems. Systems that aren’t built with a significant amount of off-theshelf hardware and software are rare. On the software side, C remains the dominant programming language of choice, with C++ bringing up the rear. C++ has...
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William Wong
October 8, 2009[Lab Bench] Robot Athletes Have A Kick At Robocup 2009
Held this summer in Graz, Austria, Robocup 2009 hosted an array of robots, from Aldebaran’s Standard Platform Nao to the custom-built Middle Size Robot League, where Team T’n’T took first place with its BlackFin-based robot. Multiple robots hit the field in a variety of soccer team competitions. For example, the Middle Size Robot League uses a 70-cm ball and a field that’s 18 by 12 m. The teams have five autonomous robots. One is usually the...
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William Wong
October 1, 2009[Engineering Essentials] Prototype Your Way To Success
An infinite number of inventions is waiting to happen. It’s often hard to figure out why one idea succeeds and another falls by the wayside. Many factors can impact success, ranging from the quality of the product, to the way it’s marketed, to the timing of its release. Sometimes, it’s just pure luck. Often, great ideas fail because the inventor spends too much time trying to develop the perfect 1.0 version instead of simply producing...
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Mike Santori
October 1, 2009[Engineering Essentials] Phase-Change Technology Enters The Memory Market
Phase-change memory (PCM) is a new class of nonvolatile memory technology. Like most new technologies, it offers benefits to those who know where and when to apply it. To understand where PCM fits today and to appreciate its potential value, we need to evaluate its relative cost, reliability, and performance compared to incumbent technologies such as single-level cell (SLC) and multilevel cell (MLC) NAND flash, as well as system solutions...
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Ed Doller
September 24, 2009[Lab Bench] Unmanned Systems North America 2009: Where The Robots Are
It was hot and muggy at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station’s Webster Field, where Curtis Ellezy of Engineering TV and I went to keep an eye out for robots that may have their eyes on you. The demonstrations were part of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s Unmanned Systems North America 2009 show in Washington, D.C. ROLLING ROBOTS There were lots of robots on wheels and tracks, and most were custom...
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William Wong
September 24, 2009[Design View / Design Solution] Deeply Embedded Devices: The Internet Of Things
T he “Internet of things” is about connecting products that create, store, and consume data via the Internet. This allows processing to provide results that people can more easily use. The basic technical requirements to enable it are vastly different from the current treadmill of mainstream Internet-connectivity technology. Mainstream connectivity strives to constantly increase bandwidth, range, and features to counter dwindling margins and prepare for...
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Rodger Richey
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September 10, 2009[Embedded in Electronic Design] Dataplane Processing Unit More Flexible Than DSP
Baseband communications dataplane processing is one of the most demanding environments around. Tensilica’s ConnX Baseband Engine is designed to address this challenge (see the figure). Tensilica calls its architecture a dataplane processing unit (DPU), in contrast with CPUs and DSPs. The processor cores are based on Tensilica’s Extensa LX. The system includes one scalar core plus eight SIMD...
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William Wong
September 10, 2009[Embedded in Electronic Design] Support Will Have Android Showing Up In Embedded Apps
Android has lots of buzz, especially when it comes to smart phones. But it also will be showing up in embedded applications as the range of support expands. One of the leaders is Mentor Graphics. Its recent acquisition of Embedded Alley, a major Android supporter, was highlighted at this year’s DAC 2009 show. Mentor Graphics is looking to support smart-phone developers as well as anyone else interested in utilizing Android in an embedded application....
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William Wong
September 8, 2009
[Simply the Bits that Matter] Which Compression Format Provides The Most Bang For The Buck?
We all want value for our money, especially during the current economic downturn. But when it comes to compression algorithms, what’s the best way to determine value? Let’s take a look at audio compression algorithms and figure out which ones provide the best “bang for the buck.”
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Al Wegener
August 25, 2009
[Embedded in Electronic Design] Rugged LCD Industrial PC Delivers Windows CE
The E2000 from Glacier Computer is an LCD panel housing a 600-MHz Texas Instruments OMAP processor. The system can handle up to 1 Gbyte of memory. It supports 802.11b/g and USB 2.0, and it has built-in smart UPS support. Power can be 10 to 60 V dc. The panel also has four LEDs and three function buttons.
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William Wong
August 27, 2009[Engineering Feature] The Line Between Telematics And Infotainment Blurs Even Further
TTelematics and infotainment appear to be on a collision course within the automobile. The terms themselves have caused some confusion. Telematics refers to the combination of telecommunications and informatics, basically wireless communication. Infotainment indicates the combination of information and entertainment. Even the analysts can’t agree on what differentiates telematics and infotainment. “You call five different people, you are going...
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Randy Frank
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