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Firmware Update
- January 4, 2013
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in this issue
-- Computing Your Stack Size
-- Introducing Barr Group
-- Coming Soon: Embedded Security Boot Camp
-- Industry News That's Not Boring
Firmware Update is a free newsletter by embedded guru Michael Barr. This issue is Copyright 2013 by Barr Group, but may be reprinted for non-commercial purposes. Please forward it to colleagues who may benefit from the information. |
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Computing Your Stack Size ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Happy new year! Having recently published a list of Embedded Gurus' Ten Most Popular Blog Posts of 2012, I couldn't help but notice that one nearly 4-year-old post continues to be widely read. That's probably because it addresses an issue of critical importance in every embedded system: How to compute the worst-case stack you will need to avoid stack overflow.
After giving some good background on stacks and their growth factors in general, this practical post by my fellow Embedded Guru Nigel Jones ends with a 4-step method for stack sizing. This short treatment doesn't cover everything you'll necessarily ever need to know to avoid stack overflow, but it's a fabulous place to start. |
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Introducing Barr Group ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I describe Barr Group in a sentence, I say:
"Barr Group helps companies that design embedded systems make their products more reliable and more secure." In the ten months since forming the new company, I have received many questions from newsletter and blog readers. As we enter the new year, I thought it a good time to answer a few of the most popular in an FAQ format:
All in all, it has been great fun (if a lot of work) launching the new company this year. I look forward to more hard work and another successful year in the new year. Please don't hesitate to email or call (866-65-EMBED) if we can be of assistance. |
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Coming Soon: Embedded Security Boot Camp ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The proliferation of Internet-connected embedded devices is raising serious security challenges for designers of embedded systems, many of which have not traditionally had any sort of security. In addition to performing security analysis and consulting with clients about embedded systems security, Barr Group will be offering a public week-long hands-on training course on the subject in California in May 2013.
Through a mixture of lectures and hands-on exercises on an ARM board they will keep, each attendee at the Embedded Security Boot Camp will learn how to develop secure embedded software, design security into the electronics and firmware, and retrofit existing designs to increase security. You cannot afford to ignore embedded security any longer and this is the single most efficient way to get fully up to speed on the subject. |
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Industry News That's Not Boring ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Top 10 cool engineering projects crowd funded on Kickstarter. http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-blogs/other/4403954/Top-10-engineering-Kickstarter-projects-
Abstract for every C++ help article ever: 'In [version of C++ you don't have] this takes two lines. For everyone else...' New IC from Microchip detects electrical field changes for touchless 3-D hand gesture applications. http://www.technologyreview.com/news/507161/a-new-chip-to-bring-3-d-gesture-control-to-smartphones/ IAR's excellent compilers for ARM are now integrated with the Eclipse IDE. http://www.iar.com/eclipse The Apollo Guidance Computer: Architecture and Operation Book: http://amzn.com/1441908765 "Safety, like justice and democracy, must be seen to be present." -MISRA Software Guidelines, 1994 Should medical implant wearers have unfettered access to the data stored in their devices? Makers argue no. http://m.spectrum.ieee.org/riskfactor/biomedical/devices/should-you-have-unfettered-access-to-your-implanted-medical-device-data/ The event that launched the medical electronics era was, ironically, an electrical blackout. #pacemakers http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4403065/Pacemaker-was-born-of-a-blackout |
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Quick Links ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Contact Information ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
email:
mbarr@barrgroup.com
phone:
866.65.EMBED
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