Embedded Systems Weekly – Issue 55

Issue 55 – 3 June 2016

Hardware

USB to RS485

Testing of sensors with RS485 using PC without proper interface is not possible. Since RS232 interfaces are very rare, the interface should be hooked to USB. The interface between USB and RS485 can be soldered with one of the many FTDI interfaces with added RS485 driver, or bought as assembled module. There is always the third option. Mare made it from scratch.Share on Twitter ∙ Share on Facebook

DIY 3S Battery Pack

This is a write up of how Glen made up a very cheap 1000mAh battery pack to run a couple of devices for his quadcopter flying, namely his RC Controller and his FPV headset.Share on Twitter ∙ Share on Facebook

Software

Reversing and Exploiting Embedded Devices: The Software Stack (Part 1)

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SMM unchecked pointer vulnerability

This article explains the exploitation of an SMM unchecked pointer vulnerability present in several firmwares. As this vulnerability is a memory corruption, it only applies to firmwares including the unpatched vulnerable DXE driver.Share on Twitter ∙ Share on Facebook

OpenThread: an open-source implementation of the Thread networking protocol

With OpenThread, Nest is making the technology used in Nest products more broadly available to accelerate the development of products for the connected home.Share on Twitter ∙ Share on Facebook

liblfds

A portable, license-free, lock-free data structure library written in CShare on Twitter ∙ Share on Facebook

FreeRTOS Version 9

A very interesting major release of one of the most widely used RTOS. It is now possible to completely avoid dynamic memory allocationShare on Twitter ∙ Share on Facebook

Misc

A Recipe for Embedded Systems

Engineers never lose sight of the need to deliver projects that hit the quality, schedule and budget targets. You can apply the lessons learned by the community of embedded system developers over the years to ensure that your next embedded system project achieves those goals. Let’s explore some important lessons that have led to best practices for embedded development.Share on Twitter ∙ Share on Facebook

Fixing your cheap nrf24l01+ pa/lna module

The typical cheap nrf24l01+ pa/lna is sensitive to noise, badly shielded and energy hungry. Chinese sellers advertising them with “wireless communication up to 1000 meters!”. In reality although you can call yourself lucky if you reach with a unmodified module 10 meters.
Luckily, you can fix this.Share on Twitter ∙ Share on Facebook