Скачать или смотреть 240326 - Embedded Linux Device Drivers

Dear friends of Embedded Systems and IoT

Once again, my apology that we had to cancel our February event on short notice due to sickness of speakers. I have rescheduled the Embedded Linux Device Drivers meetup for the 26 March 2024 (Tuesday).

As usual, everyone is welcome, from beginner to seasoned professional in SW/HW engineering. We'll actually have two engaging and interesting talks prepared for you, this time under the umbrella of embedded Linux programming and retro games design:

Talk #1: Exploring Linux Device Drivers through Raspberry Pi GPIO
Speaker: Josue Hernandez (Oracle)

Abstract: This talk offers an exploration of Linux device drivers using Raspberry Pi GPIO as a primary tool for illustration. GPIO, a simple yet powerful interface for hardware interaction on the Raspberry Pi, serves as an ideal vehicle for understanding the underlying principles of device driver development. Through practical demonstrations and clear explanations, attendees will unravel the complexities of device drivers in the Linux ecosystem.

Note: I am planning starting using gpio zero and move the conversation to the kernel and explain why in that way is possible to take more advantages of Linux as Operating System.

Talk #2: Racing the Beam: An hands-on introduction to writing games on the Atari 2600 vintage console
Speaker: Frank Zeyda (Galois Inc.)

Abstract: In previous ESG talks, we already encountered the paradigm of "racing the beam". In short, this means that CPU and video hardware (i.e., the TIA chip on the Atari 2600) have to work hand-in-hand to dynamically generate a stable video output as the beam traverses the monitor/TV (remember that vintage consoles output to CRT devices). Timing is of uttermost importance here.

In this talk, I will give a brief introduction to games development on the Atari 2600, with a few code examples in 6502 assembly language. I will also demonstrate the tools that are needed: the Stella Atari 2600 emulator and dasm assembler. For those who like to dig deeper, I shall provide a few references to online tutorials and course material.

Lastly, I will explain how the design of the Atari 2600 was a child of its time in terms of the limitations imposed by the hardware, and how important it was for developers to fully understand those limitations and the underlying hardware in order to write effective code - up to studying the schematics of those chips.