I think I got your point now
I think I got your point now
AHey guys, I could use some career advice!
I'm currently in my second year of university studying Electronics and Communication, and I’ve been working with Arduino and microcontrollers since I was 14. Over the years, I’ve learned quite a bit about Arduino, AVR, STM32, ESP32, custom board design, Embedded C, register-level programming, and some IoT as well.
Right now, I’m trying to figure out what to specialize in so I can land a good job in the next two years. I’d love to work in a big MNC within the electronics industry or possibly join my dad’s instrumentation manufacturing business—or even start my own hardware company down the line.
I feel like I’ve got a good foundation in generalized electronics, but I’m not sure which area I should focus on next, especially considering current trends. What fields do you guys think would be best for me to master, given my background? I also feel like my early start gives me an edge compared to my classmates (most of them haven't even touched an Arduino), so I want to make sure I’m leveraging that advantage.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
I'm currently in my second year of university studying Electronics and Communication, and I’ve been working with Arduino and microcontrollers since I was 14. Over the years, I’ve learned quite a bit about Arduino, AVR, STM32, ESP32, custom board design, Embedded C, register-level programming, and some IoT as well.
Right now, I’m trying to figure out what to specialize in so I can land a good job in the next two years. I’d love to work in a big MNC within the electronics industry or possibly join my dad’s instrumentation manufacturing business—or even start my own hardware company down the line.
I feel like I’ve got a good foundation in generalized electronics, but I’m not sure which area I should focus on next, especially considering current trends. What fields do you guys think would be best for me to master, given my background? I also feel like my early start gives me an edge compared to my classmates (most of them haven't even touched an Arduino), so I want to make sure I’m leveraging that advantage.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
ZBasically In C, you can quickly prototype a motor control application by directly accessing registers and using global variables, even cutting corners for speed. In Rust, strict rules like ownership and borrowing force you to handle memory safety upfront, slowing down development during prototyping.
SI want to buy an oscilloscope can someone suggest me one around $400-500
UHere's detailed post with the list, price, and specs (Low-cost but still excellent oscilloscopes for SOHO) I'm sure you'll find useful. Best wishes!
A@Umesh Lokhande i would like to listern your suggestion towards this , as per the indian job market in hardware field
USure, allow me some time. Will add answer to existing thread (general-dev-chatHey guys, I could use some career advice)
TIsn’t it also in production on the space shuttle?
ZI know we have some cubesats running it but not sure about the ISS
DHi folks, 46 year old software engineer by trade, leveraging some time off to tinker around with some embedded, iot, 3d printing, and other various projects
ZWelcome @detiber 
Where do you work/what do you work on currently?
Where do you work/what do you work on currently?Sanyone using siglent sds804x oscilloscope here?
DHi @ZacckOsiemo, my last gig was in the Open Source Program Office at Cisco and have spent a lot of time over the years working on Kubernetes and Infrastructure/Platform automation.
I've always been interested in alternative computing architectures, microcontrollers, and fpgas, but never "had the time" to really explode. Now that I have a few months off, I'm planning on taking the time to dive in head first.
I'm currently furiously 3d printing some organizational needs for my office, then I'm planning on blogging, recording, and streaming my misadventures in hardware
I've always been interested in alternative computing architectures, microcontrollers, and fpgas, but never "had the time" to really explode. Now that I have a few months off, I'm planning on taking the time to dive in head first.
I'm currently furiously 3d printing some organizational needs for my office, then I'm planning on blogging, recording, and streaming my misadventures in hardware
CHi @Ming A friend of mine was wondering:
How do you approach a situation where a build doesn't work as expected due to variables changing, skipping, or being overridden by included meta-layers? The build is technically successful, but the outcome isn't what we anticipated. How can we debug this kind of behavior and effectively track variable values and overrides?
For a concrete example, consider an SoC vendor meta-layer with two different versions, such as community and proprietary. We aim to include only specific parts of the vendor's meta-layer, but it's interfering with the development kit BSP layers.
How do you approach a situation where a build doesn't work as expected due to variables changing, skipping, or being overridden by included meta-layers? The build is technically successful, but the outcome isn't what we anticipated. How can we debug this kind of behavior and effectively track variable values and overrides?
For a concrete example, consider an SoC vendor meta-layer with two different versions, such as community and proprietary. We aim to include only specific parts of the vendor's meta-layer, but it's interfering with the development kit BSP layers.
ZAmazing keen to see you get dug into those architectures
MWithout knowing the specific details, the approach I would take is:
First:, run
This will show you all the layers you have defined and more importantly, their priorities.
The next thing would be to run
Where
Now you can start searching that file for the variables you are interested in.
One thing I have found is that the quality of layers from vendors is very.... 'variable'! I have been know to create an intermediate repository from a vendor layer and then manually cherry-pick the bits I actually want. It is a pain, you you now have to manually keep the layers up to date, but it can be less effort than tearing your hair out trying to work out how to work around the vendor.
First:, run
bitbake-layers show-layersThis will show you all the layers you have defined and more importantly, their priorities.
The next thing would be to run
bitbake -e <recipe>Where
<recipe> is the image or recipe you are interested in. This will show you all you variables along with how and where they are set. This can be a large output, so I normally pipe it to filebitbake -e my-production-image > image-env.logNow you can start searching that file for the variables you are interested in.
One thing I have found is that the quality of layers from vendors is very.... 'variable'! I have been know to create an intermediate repository from a vendor layer and then manually cherry-pick the bits I actually want. It is a pain, you you now have to manually keep the layers up to date, but it can be less effort than tearing your hair out trying to work out how to work around the vendor.
A@Umesh Lokhande I am unable to reply in the thread, but I have a question - here python you mean micro python right ,
for embedded systems ?
for embedded systems ?
Dhey @Renuel Roberts , my response came in late but, I really appreciate its modular design and the wide range of drivers available. These features make it easy to create flexible and efficient solutions for various embedded applications, all while ensuring that everything runs smoothly in real time. hope this suffices.
UI mean to say generic Python, but it doesn't matter if you'd consider micro Python. Companies usually expect candidates to have problem-solving abilities irrespective of programming languages
AOk thanks
N
Friendly Reminder about Upcoming Event Join us on Friday, October 11th, at 15:00 GMT for a deep dive into "Embedded or Not, Virtualization is Headed Towards a Device Near You." Explore how virtualization technology is transforming embedded systems, learn about the role of containers, and share your own experiences with the community!
See you there!
https://discord.gg/7YmCCMFe?event=1293245463713288233
T@Middleware & OS and @MCU, MPU & Firmware, do you build devices that leverage embedded virtualization? I'm interested to know how many "IoT devices" utilize virtualization these days.
TAnd if so, are you using OSs with AMP that abstract some of that complexity?
MHaven't used virtualization in production until now
Just learning purposes
Just learning purposes
TWhat are the processors you've deployed on in production? I'm interested because I wonder a lot of time if the devs even know what they're deploying on these days?
TWORA-style
MIf it's only processor.
I have worked with a Qualcomm processors, I can't remember the exact one but it was a application processor
And
NXP imx8
I have worked with a Qualcomm processors, I can't remember the exact one but it was a application processor
And
NXP imx8
MThere are few FPGA which had processors, I worked with like AMD zynq series
MThis is related to specifically SDR for military
There is standard to follow called SCA(Software defined architecture) which
There is standard to follow called SCA(Software defined architecture) which
TIs that the Zynq?
MWhich makes it compulsory to be cross compatible
Companies like Nordiasoft, CRC canada deal with by giving SW framework.
But goddamn, there are so costly!!
Companies like Nordiasoft, CRC canada deal with by giving SW framework.
But goddamn, there are so costly!!
MCould be implemented in any tbh
We were aiming with zynq but backed out due to financial constraints
We were aiming with zynq but backed out due to financial constraints
TWhat did you end up deploying on? Qualcomm?
MThe SDR?
It was deployed on a zynq 7000
It was deployed on a zynq 7000
MAnd a infinion PSOC 6
Mclient's requirements
TOh I thought you said you backed out of Zynq bc of financial constraints; you meant you backed out of the project.
MOh
I think I may have given the misinformation
We backed out of buying the SCA compliant SW framework
I think I may have given the misinformation
We backed out of buying the SCA compliant SW framework
MThe project was government funded so we can't just simply back out
TOh got it
UHi @kristof-at-embeetle if you don't mind may I know from where you've got the membrane overlay printed on Embeetle's tiny scarab? Also, which software do you use for the design
KHi @Umesh Lokhande ,
I used https://www.jrpanel.com/
They have a great online system to enter your files.
The Beetle Board is open source. You can find the files for the graphical overlay here:
https://github.com/Embeetle/tiny-scarab/tree/main/graphic_overlay
I used https://www.jrpanel.com/
They have a great online system to enter your files.
The Beetle Board is open source. You can find the files for the graphical overlay here:
https://github.com/Embeetle/tiny-scarab/tree/main/graphic_overlay
GitHub
Tiny beetle board based on the CH32V003 10-cent chip. - Embeetle/tiny-scarab
KI used inkscape for the drawing, then exported to pdf.
BZephyr OS has become a popular choice for embedded systems due to its real-time performance, modular architecture, extensive hardware support, and built-in security features. Designed for time-sensitive applications such as industrial automation and medical devices, Zephyr ensures that tasks are executed predictably, meeting strict timing requirements.
I prefer it because of its modular design allowing developers to tailor the OS to fit specific project needs, keeping it lightweight and efficient for resource-constrained environments. Zephyr also supports a wide range of hardware architectures like ARM, RISC-V, and x86, offering flexibility for multi-platform projects. Through its use of the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and device trees, it simplifies hardware configuration without code changes.
Also it takes security as a core feature, with integrated support for secure boot, trusted execution environments, and memory protection, making it a strong option for IoT and connected devices. Zephyr also includes cryptographic libraries and network security features, ensuring safe communication over networks.
If you would like to know more about zephyr you can check out the Zephyr Project GitHub repository and the Zephyr documentation. You can also access the Zephyr OS PDF guide for a comprehensive overview of its capabilities.
https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr
https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/index.html
https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/_downloads/zephyr_overview.pdf
I prefer it because of its modular design allowing developers to tailor the OS to fit specific project needs, keeping it lightweight and efficient for resource-constrained environments. Zephyr also supports a wide range of hardware architectures like ARM, RISC-V, and x86, offering flexibility for multi-platform projects. Through its use of the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) and device trees, it simplifies hardware configuration without code changes.
Also it takes security as a core feature, with integrated support for secure boot, trusted execution environments, and memory protection, making it a strong option for IoT and connected devices. Zephyr also includes cryptographic libraries and network security features, ensuring safe communication over networks.
If you would like to know more about zephyr you can check out the Zephyr Project GitHub repository and the Zephyr documentation. You can also access the Zephyr OS PDF guide for a comprehensive overview of its capabilities.
https://github.com/zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr
https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/index.html
https://docs.zephyrproject.org/latest/_downloads/zephyr_overview.pdf
GitHub
Primary Git Repository for the Zephyr Project. Zephyr is a new generation, scalable, optimized, secure RTOS for multiple hardware architectures. - zephyrproject-rtos/zephyr
DHey guys, what do you think about the future of Open-source contributions in embedded systems. Are corporate interests slowly undermining the true spirit of open-source contributions in embedded systems? Can big companies and the open-source community ever find common ground, or are we heading toward inevitable conflict over control and innovation? @Middleware & OS and @MCU, MPU & Firmware
KFlip that round - open source has over time filled more and more of the niche. Things were far more proprietary a decade ago.
CI want to know why this question now? Has anything happened in recent times?
BI strongly believe and also weakly hope that open source software systems are and will be simply better in many metrics.
Dnot per say tho...but I hope the future of open-source contribution in embedded system should be community driven as opposed by some folks that thinks otherwise tho
TWatch what has happened/is happening/will happen with Zephyr
TLinux Foundation dues aren’t cheap at membership levels that matter
