In microcontroller application development, issues such as code efficiency, anti-interference ability, and reliability still trouble developers. Here are several essential techniques that should be mastered in microcontroller development.
1. How to reduce bugs in the program
To reduce bugs in the program, one should first consider the out-of-range management parameters during system operation as follows.
Physical parameters: These parameters mainly refer to the system’s input parameters, including excitation parameters, operational parameters during data acquisition, and result parameters after processing.
Resource parameters: These refer to circuit resources, devices, and functional units within the system, such as memory capacity, storage unit length, and stack depth.
Application parameters: These are often represented by the application conditions of certain microcontrollers and functional units. Process parameters: These refer to the orderly changing parameters during system operation.
2. How to improve the efficiency of C programming code.
Using C language for microcontroller programming is an inevitable trend in microcontroller development and application. To achieve the highest efficiency with C programming, it is best to be familiar with the C compiler being used. First, experiment with the number of assembly language statements corresponding to each line of C language after compilation, so that you can clearly know the efficiency. In future programming, use the statements with the highest compilation efficiency. Different C compilers will have certain differences, so the compilation efficiency will also vary. Excellent embedded system C compilers will have code length and execution time only 5-20% longer than the same functionality written in assembly language.
For complex projects with tight development time, C language can be adopted, but the prerequisite is that you are very familiar with the MCU system’s C language and C compiler, especially the data types and algorithms that the C compiler can support. Although C language is the most common high-level language, different MCU manufacturers have different C language compilation systems, especially in the operation of certain special functional modules. Therefore, if you are not familiar with these features, debugging will become troublesome, resulting in execution efficiency lower than that of assembly language.
3. How to solve the anti-interference problem of microcontrollers
The most effective way to prevent interference is to eliminate the source of interference and cut off the interference path, but this is often difficult to achieve. Therefore, we can only see if the microcontroller’s anti-interference ability is strong enough. While improving the hardware system’s anti-interference ability, software anti-interference is increasingly valued for its flexible design, resource efficiency, and reliability.
The most common phenomenon of microcontroller interference is reset; as for the program running away, it can actually be brought back to the reset state using software traps and watchdogs; thus, the most important aspect of microcontroller software anti-interference is to handle the reset state well.
Generally, microcontrollers will have some flag registers that can be used to determine the reason for the reset; additionally, you can embed some flags in RAM. By checking these flags each time the program resets, you can identify different reset reasons; you can also directly jump to the corresponding program based on different flags. This can ensure continuity in program execution, and users will not notice that the program has been reset.
4. How to test the reliability of microcontroller systems
When a microcontroller system design is completed, different microcontroller system products will have different testing items and methods, but some are mandatory tests:
Testing the completeness of microcontroller software functions;
Power-on and power-off testing;
Burn-in testing;
ESD and EFT testing.
Sometimes, we can also simulate destructive situations that may occur during human use. For example, intentionally rubbing the contact ports of the microcontroller system with human skin or clothing to test the anti-static ability. Bringing a high-power electric drill close to the microcontroller system to test the anti-electromagnetic interference ability, etc.
In summary, microcontrollers have become an important aspect of computer development and application. The significant importance of microcontroller applications lies in the fact that they fundamentally change the traditional control system design philosophy and methods.
Most functions that previously had to be implemented by analog or digital circuits can now be achieved through software methods using microcontrollers. This technology of replacing hardware with software is also known as microcontroller technology, marking a revolution in traditional control technology.
Moreover, during the development and application process, we must master techniques and improve efficiency to better utilize its broader applications.
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