Fidus Systems’ Post

“It’s easier to change in software” — true, but as Christopher Mallinson points out, that mindset often backfires. The “10X rule of quality” reminds us: the longer you wait to fix an issue, the harder (and costlier) it gets. Bringing mechanical, electrical, firmware, and software teams together early isn’t a luxury, it’s smart engineering. #EngineeringLeadership #Collaboration #ProductDevelopment #AgileThinking #Innovation

Why Simplicity Wins in Engineering In engineering, we often equate complexity with brilliance. But over time, I’ve learned something different, simplicity almost always wins. A simple system is easier to debug, scale, and maintain. It saves time, energy, and sometimes, entire projects. Whether you’re writing code, building embedded systems, or designing a circuit, simplicity isn’t laziness; it’s clarity. It’s the art of solving complex problems in the cleanest way possible. Because at the end of the day, real engineering elegance is when things just work — beautifully, efficiently, and clearly. Tell me below how you build with simplicity in mind. #Engineering #Developers #EmbeddedSystems #Simplicity #Innovation #SoftwareEngineering

🚀 Launching a new hardware or software board may seem straightforward at first glance — design, test, deploy, repeat. However, there are hidden challenges that often go unspoken 👀: ⚡1. The Hardware Hurdles: During board bring-up, unexpected issues with power sequencing, signal integrity, or component compatibility can cause delays. These glitches often require deep troubleshooting 🔍 beyond initial schematics, wasting time and resources. 💻 2. Software & Firmware Nightmares: Writing low-level code to initialize hardware modules is no small feat. 🧩 Bugs can be elusive, and debugging startup routines without proper tools or documentation can feel like an archaeological dig 🏺, slowing progress drastically. 📚 3. Limited Documentation & Legacy Knowledge: As boards evolve, documentation tends to become outdated. Relying on tribal knowledge 🗣️ risks missteps—especially when onboarding new engineers during critical phases. 🤝 4. Cross-Disciplinary Coordination: Bridging hardware, firmware, and validation teams isn’t easy. Misaligned expectations or communication gaps 🧱 can lead to confusion and costly rework, stretching timelines further. 💡Lesson learned: Mastering board bring-up isn’t just about technical brilliance — it’s about navigating these hidden challenges with patience, collaboration, and strategic planning. 🧠✨ 💬 What hidden challenge in board bring-up caught you off guard? Share your experience below 👇 🔖 #EmbeddedSystems #LinuxKernel #FirmwareDevelopment #HardwareEngineering #BoardBringUp #EmbeddedSoftware #IoTDevelopment #SystemDesign #Teamwork #EngineeringCulture #TechLeadership #ProblemSolving #Debugging #Innovation

Embedded projects now stretch to 4-5 years. In the early 2000s, they took 1-3 years. Despite tools getting better, the exponential growth in system complexity has outpaced the technology underpinning its development. The telephone industry spent 86 years and billions of dollars learning this lesson. In 1892, automatic telephone exchanges launched. The technology worked perfectly - no more operator errors or dropped calls.  But the infrastructure couldn't handle it. For the first 50 years, the system lurched between breakdown and barely functional. Even in the 1940s, they needed 350,000 manual operators working flat out.  It wasn't until 1978 - after fundamental rethinking of the gap between working technology and reliable infrastructure  - that the system actually worked reliably. Today, 90% of embedded projects lack defined software architecture at design review. Engineers work from word of mouth requirements. Major features arrive at the last minute. We're making the exact same mistake. Advanced technology deployed on 1880s-era infrastructure. The solution isn't just better tools - it's better foundations. Proper project briefs. Detailed requirements. Clear architecture from day one. How many more 86-year lessons do we need to learn the hard way?

As with other types of projects, documentation in embedded systems projects are crucial to avoid delays due to unforeseen events or requirements.

If you are an embedded engineer then this is for you : Here are 10 tools every embedded enthusiast should master - 1. Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) → Used for code writing, compiling, debugging, and managing microcontroller projects. Why: A strong command over IDE workflows accelerates firmware iteration and deployment. 2. Version Control Systems → Enables collaborative development, change tracking, and rollback. Why: Firmware is iterative — version control prevents code loss and simplifies collaboration. 3. Debuggers and Emulators → Interface between your IDE and hardware for real-time debugging. Why: Helps inspect variables, memory, and execution flow on the actual device. 4. Logic Analyzers → Capture and visualize digital signals between MCU and peripherals (I²C, SPI, UART). Why: Critical for debugging communication protocols and timing issues. 5. Oscilloscopes → Visualize analog signals and voltage fluctuations. Why: Detects power issues, signal noise, and hardware-level bugs invisible in software. 6. Static and Dynamic Code Analysis Tools → Automatically scan for memory leaks, syntax issues, and performance bottlenecks. Why: Keeps firmware reliable, secure, and compliant with MISRA standards. 7. Simulation Tools → Simulate circuits and embedded behavior without physical hardware. Why: Allows rapid prototyping and design validation early in development. 8. Build Automation Tools → Automate compiling, linking, and testing. Why: Ensures reproducible builds across environments and reduces human error. 9. Serial Communication and Monitoring Tools → View and log serial output for debugging and device interaction. Why: Vital for interpreting logs and communicating with embedded systems via UART. 10. Firmware Testing and Continuous Integration Tools → Automate unit testing and integration on embedded codebases. Why: Maintains reliability and accelerates release cycles with test-driven development. Which tools did you first use in your early career?

*The Hidden Challenges of Embedded Applications – Uncertainty & Complexity* In embedded systems, the closer you get to hardware, the clearer things often become. Low-level design moves in lockstep with well-defined specs—register maps, timing diagrams, electrical constraints. But at the application layer, everything gets fuzzier. Here’s why applications can quickly become complicated: 1:Whenever a feature isn’t feasible at the firmware level, its requirements bubble up to applications, often in last-minute or ill-defined ways. 2:Each customer wants their own spin for differentiation, so “unique” requirements are added—sometimes vaguely described, sometimes shifting as use cases overlap. 3:Concurrency between features and ever-changing priorities increases the ambiguity. The embedded application engineer’s reality is delivering on time while living in the uncertainty and complexity. For many, this means constant negotiation, iterative prototyping, and deep dives into unforeseen bugs. Do you see this challenge in your systems? How do you handle moving specs and never-ending customizations as an application engineer? #Embeddedsystems #ApplicationEngineering #ProductDevelopment #Complexity #TechLeadership #FirmwareToApplication

Design isn’t optional. It’s the tradeoff you’ll pay for with bugs later. Skipping design now feels faster - but it costs hours of debugging later. In embedded & systems engineering, 9 out of 10 real issues come from unclear flow, not bad code. A quick state-machine sketch or a tiny sequence diagram can avoid massive rework down the line. When I started doing this seriously, my debugging time dropped significantly. I realized building without design is like sailing without a map. What’s one design habit you swear by before writing code? Share it — it might help someone save 10× the time later. #EmbeddedEngineering #SoftwareDesign #EngineeringMindset #TechLeadership

Efficient RTL Linting: 4 Fundamentals for Seamless Sign-Off 🚦 In digital design, catching bugs early and enforcing coding standards is crucial for quality and time-to-market. Here are 4 essentials for productive RTL linting, distilled from industry best practices 1:Adopt a Continuous Methodology Run linting checks early and frequently as the design evolves, not just at tape-out. This strategy ensures errors are caught when fixes are fast and simple. 2.Focus on High-Value Rules Configure only the highest-impact rules relevant for each project. This targeted approach streamlines sign-off and avoids wasted effort on low-priority issues. 3.Prioritize Usability Tools must offer quick startup, detailed violation reporting, and minimal false alarms. If linting feels effortless, engineers will embrace it as a daily part of their workflow. 4.Manage Waivers Transparently Every project faces some “noise” or exceptions. Robust waiver management lets you document, track, and reuse waivers across teams and design hierarchies—so recurring issues only need analysis once.RTL linting is about more than tool commands—it's a process culture. Early, frequent checks, streamlined configuration, and clear documentation help teams reach clean tape-out faster and with confidence. PRSsemicon Technologies (A PRSGroup company) #VLSI #RTL #Linting #ASIC #FPGA #DesignVerification #EDA #RealIntent

Most engineering projects do not fail because of bad ideas. They fail because no one slowed down to scope them properly. 🧭 When a client brings us a new product, our estimate is not a single number. It is a roadmap. ✅ Clear phases ✅ Real timelines ✅ Realistic costs In this short video, I walk through how we scope a new development project, from the first conversation and background research to the hardware, firmware, and regulatory steps it takes to get from concept to production. 🎥 Watch below for how we build a solid, transparent estimate. Have a product idea you want scoped the right way? Send me a message or use this link to schedule an intro call https://lnkd.in/gBaq2WPQ. #Engineering #ProductDevelopment #ProjectScoping #EngineeringEstimation #EmbeddedSystems