Hardware Podcasts

QP framework with Mitch English

The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast · 15 Jan 2025 · 44m

What this episode covers

Mitch English, a product development team lead at Inertia, discusses implementing the QP (Quantum Platform) framework for a medical device blood analyzer. He explains how QP's actor model and hierarchical state machines manage concurrency and complexity better than traditional RTOS approaches. The team shares lessons on testing strategies, using CppUTest for host-based unit tests, and the architectural decision to favor publish-subscribe patterns over direct posting to improve testability.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Inertia, Quantum Leaps
Chips
STM32
Tools
QP, CppUTest
Also
Miro Samek, Jeff Gable, Luca

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 09m

    401: Oil and Water

    Miro Samek, founder of Quantum Leaps, discusses his 'Modern Embedded Systems Programming' YouTube series and the QP framework, explaining why event-driven state machines and active objects are superior to traditional RTOS usage for hard real-time systems. He details the architectural pitfalls of mixing blocking and non-blocking paradigms, advocating for strict separation to avoid race conditions and priority inversion. Samek also explains the business model of selling commercial licenses for QP to companies that cannot use its GPL open-source version, while providing free educational content to build trust and community.

    Embedded firmwareMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    7 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 22m

    179: Spaghetti Reducer

    Miro Samek, founder of Quantum Leaps and creator of the QP framework, explains how hierarchical state machines and active objects solve the 'spaghetti code' problem in embedded systems. He contrasts event-driven programming with traditional super-loops and RTOS, arguing that the former offers better scalability and traceability for complex applications. Samek also details specific debugging techniques, such as using hardware faults to detect stack overflows and the critical importance of keeping assertions enabled in production code.

    Embedded firmwareDebugging & failure analysis
    7 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 13m

    290: Rule of Thumbs (Repeat)

    Phillip Johnston, founder of Embedded Artistry, discusses his embedded systems consulting firm and his educational website, highlighting his focus on firmware engineering, code reviews, and robust software design. He explains how his company helps early-stage startups and medium-sized companies transition from prototypes to production, often by addressing firmware bottlenecks and implementing better testing and abstraction strategies. The conversation covers specific technical challenges, including the limitations of standard C++ threading libraries on embedded RTOSs like FreeRTOS and ThreadX, and the importance of risk analysis in complex systems, using the Boeing 737 MAX crashes as a case study for systemic failure.

    Embedded firmwareDebugging & failure analysis
    9 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 08m

    An Interview with Jack Ganssle (2nd)

    Jack Ganssle, author of the Embedded Muse, discusses the evolution of embedded firmware, highlighting the shift toward cloud-connected platforms and the acquisition of RTOS providers like FreeRTOS by Amazon and ExpressLogic by Microsoft. He critiques the current state of vendor-supplied software, praising Renesas' Synergy platform for providing fully tested, guaranteed software components, while noting the decline of legacy RTOSs like VxWorks. Ganssle emphasizes that firmware development requires rigorous design and quality processes, arguing that jumping into code without solid requirements leads to catastrophic failures, as seen in recent medical device and aviation incidents.

    Embedded firmwareMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    8 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 20m

    493: Put the Peeps in the Chili Pot

    Elecia White and Christopher White discuss how embedded developers can distinguish themselves by mastering systems thinking and firmware integration rather than just reading datasheets. Christopher details his current project building a high-precision GPS data logger for an RC airplane using MicroPython, an ESP32 board from SparkFun, and a ZWO Seestar S50 telescope for astrophotography. They also debate the philosophy of writing effective unit tests, with Elecia sharing her experience using CFFI to drive Python-based tests for C code, and Christopher emphasizing the importance of testing core algorithms like Kalman filters.

    Embedded firmwareMicrocontrollers & dev platforms
    7 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.