Articles – Page 4

Everything You Wanted to Know About LFSRs (But Were Too Afraid to Ask)

April 29, 2025

I don’t really recall when I first ran across the concept of the binary. I think I must have been around six years old. I remember getting a lined pad and pencil and starting to capture the sequence: 0, 1, 10, 11, 100, 101, 110, 111, 1000… until I’d filled the entire pad. I also remember being surprised that I hadn’t “reached the end” of the binary count sequence (it was some time before I wrapped my brain around the fact that the integers [in any base] went on forever).

Similarly, I’ve been enthused by … Read More → "Everything You Wanted to Know About LFSRs (But Were Too Afraid to Ask)"

A 10-cent RISC-V microcontroller from China? Why not?

by Steven Leibson

April 28, 2025

Just as I was finishing my previous article about a new TI microcontroller that was smaller than a grain of white rice and sold for 16 cents in thousand-unit quantities, I learned of another new microcontroller based on a proprietary implementation of the 32-bit RISC-V processor ISA that sells for 10 cents (presumably in volume). This new microcontroller from WCH, aka Nanjing Qinheng Microelectronics, a Chinese chip and IP vendor based in Nanjing, China. (“WCH” appears to be an abbreviation for “WinChipHead.”) The microcontroller is the WCH CH570, which has 12 Kbytes of on-chip SRAM and 240 Kbytes of Flash EEPROM … Read More → "A 10-cent RISC-V microcontroller from China? Why not?"

Quantum Simulations of New Materials for the 21st Century

by Max Maxfield

April 24, 2025

We are surrounded by a multiplicity of materials, from metals and alloys to crystals, glasses, and ceramics; from polymers and plastics to organic and living-derived substances; and let’s not forget natural materials like stone and exotic materials like aerogel.

The amazing thing to me is that all these materials are formed from different combinations of the same small group of elements. For example, while living organisms and other objects can contain traces of many elements, a core group does the heavy lifting; only six elements—carbon (C), hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), nitrogen ( … Read More → "Quantum Simulations of New Materials for the 21st Century"

TI says its MSPM0 is the world’s most teeny, tiny 32-bit microcontroller. It’s smaller than a grain of white rice and costs 16 cents.

by Steven Leibson

April 21, 2025

Today, I want to discuss the incredible shrinking microcontroller. Early microcontroller vendors packaged their offerings in 40-pin DIPs. They were physically small for what you got then, but huge now. These microcontrollers shared several common features: a lame and very proprietary 4- or 8-bit processor architecture designed more to fit on the die than to deliver much performance, a trivial amount of RAM (64 bytes, 128 bytes if you were lucky), and not much more EPROM (perhaps 1 or 2 Kbytes) to store code and permanent data. Even with such extremely limited features, these early microcontrollers ushered in a new era … Read More → "TI says its MSPM0 is the world’s most teeny, tiny 32-bit microcontroller. It’s smaller than a grain of white rice and costs 16 cents."

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad 48V World

by Max Maxfield

April 17, 2025

It seems that many of our electronic systems (communications, computing, automotive, industrial, etc.) are transitioning from 12V to 48V. How are you going to power yours? (Don’t worry, that’s a trick question because I’m about to expound, explicate, and elucidate like an Olympic champion.)

For some reason, I currently find the phrase “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad 48V World” bouncing around my bonce. Since we’re already on the subject, the 1963 movie, Read More → "It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad 48V World"

Only the Most Epic Embedded Online Conference Ever!

by Max Maxfield

April 15, 2025

The value of online (virtual) conferences is increasing in leaps and bounds as travel becomes more problematic and time is increasingly at a premium. Some of these events “stand proud in the crowd,” as it were. Allow me to expound, elucidate, and explicate.

When it comes to embedded space (where no one can hear you scream), the virtual extravaganza on everybody’s lips is the Embedded Online Conference (EOC).

Microchip’s new $30 debugger fulfills Jack Ganssle’s prophecy from 30 years ago

by Steven Leibson

April 14, 2025

Microchip didn’t become a leading microcontroller vendor by accident. The company built its PIC microcontroller business from nothing to significant market share over two decades by cultivating developers, starting with college undergraduates. The company did this by offering a broad product line, inexpensive tools, and plenty of support. Microchip’s latest offering, a programming and debugging tool that sells for less than $30, continues that winning strategy.

Despite having far too many words in its product name, the MPLAB PICkit Basic In-Circuit Debugger provides embedded developers with a combined debugger and programmer that … Read More → "Microchip’s new $30 debugger fulfills Jack Ganssle’s prophecy from 30 years ago"

Is Integral Mind’s Digital Enlightenment Platform a True Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)?

by Max Maxfield

April 10, 2025

The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know. A lot of people (my dear old mother, for one) think I’m clever. One thing I do know is how wrong they are. I have known a lot of clever people in my time, so I have something to compare myself against, and I’m afraid I don’t come out well.

I’m sad to say that I never got to meet the English mathematician John Horton Conway, who was born on the 26th of December 1937 in Liverpool, England, … Read More → "Is Integral Mind’s Digital Enlightenment Platform a True Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)?"

Finding HP: An Italian Engineer’s Journey

by Steven Leibson

April 9, 2025

Archaeologists are people who study “human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains.” Over the past few decades, a new type of archaeologist has appeared. They’re devoted to the analysis and preservation of electronic test and measurement equipment in a manner similar to old car aficionados who lovingly restore and modify old automobiles. Among the technology archaeologists I’ve met and call my friends are Marc Verdeil, who publishes fascinating repair and restoration videos on YouTube as “Read More → "Finding HP: An Italian Engineer’s Journey"

Lip-Bu Tan sets the course for Intel

by Steven Leibson

April 7, 2025

Lip-Bu Tan gave his first keynote speech as Intel’s new CEO on March 31 at the Intel Vision event in Las Vegas. He’d been on the job for only 14 days, so this venue gave Lip-Bu his first opportunity to speak directly to Intel’s customers as a group and to tell them about his plans for the company. He started by providing some insight into his background. I’ve already covered this information in a previous article: “Lip-Bu Tan steps into the Intel CEO role. … Read More → "Lip-Bu Tan sets the course for Intel"