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Zephyr vs FreeRTOS: How to Choose the Right RTOS for Your Embedded Project
Every time I mention Zephyr, I inevitably get a few responses along the lines of “just use FreeRTOS.” I admit, FreeRTOS is amazing, but it might not be the right tool for the job. In the rest of the post, I’ll analyze each to hopefully help give you a better idea of what kinds of…
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10 Things I Wish I Knew Before Learning Embedded Systems
As I reflect back on my embedded systems journey for the past 20 years, I’d like to share some of the insights along the way. I figured a “10 things I wish I knew” post would be perfect for this kind of reflection. If I missed something or you’d like to add your own, please…
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How Interruptions Destroy Focus: What Neuroscience Says About Deep Work, Productivity, and Learning
Once or twice per year, I like to read a productivity book to help hone my habits. I’m currently on Cal Newport’s “Deep Work,” which dives into the psychology of focus. It also offers some practical tips in the second half, which I haven’t gotten to yet. I want to take a moment to summarize…
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How to Use the Mosquitto MQTT Broker (With SSL/TLS)
MQTT is one of the most widely used protocols in IoT. It is a lightweight and efficient protocol, especially in unreliable or high-latency networks. It’s perfect for devices that need to push sensor readings or receive commands with minimal overhead. See my previous post to learn more about MQTT. Mosquitto is a free, open source…
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How to Use the Command Line (CLI) With the Arduino UNO Q
If you’ve been working with the Arduino UNO Q, you’ve probably noticed that Arduino’s official approach pushes you toward using App Lab: a server-based development environment that runs on the UNO Q. While App Lab is a great starting point for beginners, I found it to be quite limiting. In this tutorial, I’ll walk you…
