Modern Embedded Firmware Design Handbook

Professional guide to embedded firmware development - from bare-metal to RTOS-based systems.

What This Handbook Covers

This handbook covers modern firmware development practices for resource-constrained embedded systems.

Topics Include:

Firmware Architecture

• Bare-metal vs RTOS decision making
• State machine design
• Event-driven architectures
• Layered software design
• HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) patterns

Real-Time Operating Systems

• FreeRTOS fundamentals
• Task creation and scheduling
• Inter-task communication (queues, semaphores, mutexes)
• Memory management in RTOS
• Timing and priority management

Driver Development

• GPIO and interrupt handling
• Timer and PWM drivers
• UART, I2C, SPI drivers
• DMA configuration
• Peripheral abstraction

Communication Protocols

• Protocol implementation (Modbus, CANopen, MQTT)
• State machines for protocol handling
• Error handling and recovery
• Buffer management
• Message parsing and validation

Memory Management

• Stack and heap usage
• Static vs dynamic allocation
• Memory pools
• Flash memory management
• Data persistence and EEPROM

Power Management

• Sleep modes and wake-up sources
• Low-power peripheral configuration
• Battery monitoring
• Power state transitions

Debugging & Testing

• JTAG and SWD debugging
• Printf debugging and logging
• Unit testing for embedded
• Hardware-in-the-loop testing
• Fault injection and error handling

Code Quality & Practices

• MISRA C guidelines
• Code reviews and static analysis
• Version control for embedded
• Bootloader design
• OTA (Over-The-Air) updates

Common Patterns

• Interrupt-driven I/O
• Ring buffers and FIFOs
• Command processors
• Sensor fusion and filtering
• Calibration and configuration storage

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This handbook focuses on maintainable, production-grade firmware development.