book

Architecting High-Performance Embedded Systems

by Jim Ledin

February 2021

Intermediate to advanced

376 pages

9h 6m

English

Packt Publishing

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Technical requirementsElements of embedded systemsPower source Digital processingSoftware and firmware Specialized circuitryInput from the environmentOutput to the environment Operating in real timePeriodic operationEvent-driven operationReal-time operating systemsFPGAs in embedded systemsDigital logic gatesFlip-flopsElements of FPGAsFPGA synthesisHardware design languagesThe benefits of using FPGAs in embedded system designsXilinx FPGAs and development toolsSummary
Technical requirementsIntroducing passive, active, and smart sensorsApplying analog-to-digital convertersThe types of sensors used in embedded systemsLightTemperaturePressureHumidityFluid flowForceUltrasonicAudioMagneticChemicalIonizing radiationRadarLidarVideo and infraredInertialGPSCommunicating with sensorsGPIOAnalog voltageI2CSPICAN busWirelessProcessing sensor dataSummary
Technical requirementsWhat does real-time mean?Attributes of a real-time embedded systemPerforming multiple tasksRate-monotonic schedulingUnderstanding key RTOS features and challengesMutexesSemaphoresQueuesEvent flagsTimersDynamic memory allocationDeadlockPriority inversionPopular real-time operating systemsembOSFreeRTOSINTEGRITYNeutrinoµc/OS-IIIVxWorksSummary
Technical requirementsUsing FPGAs in real-time embedded system designsBlock RAM and distributed RAMFPGA I/O pins and associated featuresSpecialized hardware resourcesProcessor coresFPGA implementation languagesVHDLVerilogBlock diagramsC/C++The FPGA development processDefining system requirementsAllocating functionality to the FPGAIdentifying required FPGA featuresImplementing the FPGA designTesting the implementationDeveloping your first FPGA projectProject descriptionInstalling the Vivado toolsCreating a projectCreating VHDL source filesTesting the logic behaviorDefining I/O signalsCreating a top-level VHDL fileSynthesizing and implementing the FPGA bitstreamDownloading the bitstream to the boardProgramming the bitstream to onboard flash memorySummary
Technical requirementsThe FPGA compilation processDesign entryLogic synthesisDesign optimizationHigh-level synthesisOptimization and constraintsAlgorithm types most suitable for FPGA implementationAlgorithms that process high-speed data streamsParallel algorithmsAlgorithms using nonstandard data sizesKicking off the oscilloscope FPGA projectProject descriptionBaseline Vivado projectSummary
Technical requirementsIntroducing KiCadBasic KiCad proceduresPlacing and connecting circuit componentsCreating component symbolsDeveloping the project schematic diagramAdding text annotationsAdding signal labelsAdding global labelsCreating differential signal pairsCreating offboard connectionsSymbol annotation and electrical rules checkingLaying out the PCBPrototyping the circuit boardSummary

Technical requirementsCircuit board assembly tools and proceduresOptical magnificationTweezersFluxSolderElectrostatic discharge protectionHand solderingSolder wickSolder paste applicationReflow solderingPreparing for assembly and placing partsReflow soldering and hand solderingHand solderingPost-assembly board cleaning and inspectionSummary
Technical requirementsPreparing for power-upSupplying power to the boardChecking our circuit's basic functionalityTesting the board power suppliesTesting the analog amplifiersTesting the ADCAdapting the circuit in case of problemsCutting PCB tracesInstalling solder jumpers and jumper wiresRemoving componentsAdding componentsGenerating the ADC encoder clock and 1 KHz calibration signalSummary
Technical requirementsDesigning and implementing the FPGA algorithmDigital oscilloscope system overviewAdding the deserializerAdding a FIFO bufferAdding the AXI bus interfaceAdding the MQTT protocolCoding styleNaming thingsComments in codeAvoid literal numeric valuesBraces, indentation, and vertical spacingPrioritize readability and correctnessAvoid premature optimizationAvoid implementation-defined behaviorAvoid unconditional jumpsMinimize the scope of identifiersIndicate that constant things are constantAutomated code formattersStatically analyzing source codeWhat is static code analysis?Static code analysis toolsUsing static code analysis effectivelyWorking with existing codeBegin with only the most severe messagesResolving analyzer output messagesCommon source code analyzer messagesSource code version controlVersion control with GitTest-driven developmentTDD applied to embedded systemsSummary
Technical requirementsDesigning system-level testsRequirements-driven testingTesting under nominal and off-nominal conditionsUnit testing versus functional testingNegative testing and penetration testingTesting in a simulated environmentAchieving repeatable test resultsDeveloping a test planConducting tests and recording resultsIdentify the data to be collectedConfiguring the system under testExecuting the test proceduresQuick-look assessment of test resultsRepeating tests when necessaryRegression testing existing codeEnsuring comprehensive test coverageRequirements traceability matrixTracking code coverageDealing with syntax and compilation errors and warningsWorking with static code analysis and unit testingDefine the problem clearly and attempt to duplicate itDetermine whether the input is correctFind ways to gain visibility into the systemUsing a binary search debugging processtemporarily removing portions of functionalityMake the smallest program that demonstrates the problemSummary of best practices for high-performance embedded system developmentDesigning for testLeave room for growthDesign hardware with future capabilities in mindDeveloping only the code you need right nowMaintain strict version controlDevelop unit tests as code is in developmentBegin system-level testing as soon as functionality is presentSummary
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Content preview from Architecting High-Performance Embedded Systems

Chapter 9: The Firmware Development Process

Now that we have a functioning circuit board, it is time to flesh out some key portions of the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) algorithm, including communication with the analog-to-digital converter (ADC), and continue the development of the MicroBlaze processor firmware. When developing firmware, it is important to make use of appropriate tools to ensure that the source code is subjected to static analysis where possible, which can head off many errors that are otherwise difficult to debug. It is also important to implement a version control system to track the evolution of the code over the project life cycle. We will discuss the importance of developing a comprehensive, at least partially automated ...