Firmware development work area

Hello folks,

there's lots of places that talk about the workspace required for electronics and soldering etc.... but I was wondering if any of you had any thoughts about your idea setup for software development on embedded devices.

In my case, firmware is developed at some point after the hardware is complete but still requires basic debugging tools such as:

Power Supply (Bench? Wall Wart?)
Basic logic debugging - evaluate I2C writes from your microcontroller etc.
Basic Oscilloscope
Multi-monitor setup
Plenty of USB connectors on the desktop (at least one of them isolated, just in case I zap something).

Would any of you be prepared to share what your space looks like, or maybe better worded, the space you dedicate to that effort.

I'm hoping to move into a small workspace nearby in the next few months, where I'll have a corner for soldering etc, a corner for embedded software etc and a corner for manufacturing (pick and place, test rig etc). Ideas on how to partition it are welcome.

Thanks again folks,

/Rochey

some nice flickr groups:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/elwb/

http://www.flickr.com/groups/hightech_workshop/

One setup I REALLY liked the look of
http://www.flickr.com/photos/screamingflamingdeath/7206789688/in/pool-1767402@N25/

Here's the graphic

I thought firmware was describing the interface functions built inside processors by the manufacturer.  We get to design glue logic, actual hardware to interface outside world to micro.

I use a standard computer desk, while my setup has expanded to several computers. Too fugly for me to photograph.

I debug and troubleshoot embedded systems right at my computer desk.

JR

Rochey said:

One setup I REALLY liked the look of
http://www.flickr.com/photos/screamingflamingdeath/7206789688/in/pool-1767402@N25/

Here's the graphic

Click to expand...

Bah, that setup is toooo neat. Nobody's actually doing any work there.

-a

My setup is basically the same as JR's. Soldering, coding, debugging and everything else are done at the same desk. Anything that's not being used (soldering kit, 'scope, whatever) lived in a cabinet. it just keeps things neater. My lab has an iMac with a second monitor, and in addition to doing design work on it, I do some audio stuff with Logic Studio, so there's also a pair of Genelecs and a Mackie Control Universal about.

-s

Andy Peters said:

My setup is basically the same as JR's. Soldering, coding, debugging and everything else are done at the same desk. Anything that's not being used (soldering kit, 'scope, whatever) lived in a cabinet. it just keeps things neater. My lab has an iMac with a second monitor, and in addition to doing design work on it, I do some audio stuff with Logic Studio, so there's also a pair of Genelecs and a Mackie Control Universal about.

-s

Click to expand...

Actually I have three different work areas...  one dedicated shipping desk for packing FG, one assembly area with iron and hot air station for final assembly of units. and a third computer area where I do embedded development (and everything else). My scope lives over by the computers, except for my rare old school side projects (like repairing a battery charger), where the small scope is portable enough to move to my bench with solder melting capability (when needed).

The embedded development environment can read voltages present at the target processor so simple troubleshooting can be accomplished  without too much effort or turning on the test equipment.

Occasionally the hardware and software worlds collide, requiring a jarring mental reboot. This adds another unneeded variable when troubleshooting.

Coincidentally at this very moment I am tweaking the code to provide some extra visibility into the hardware functioning to help troubleshoot finished assembled units.

JR

RIght now, my coding (firmware dev) and soldering area are the same. and it's a mess. and it's depressing, and I've shorted some signals in the past because a leg of a leftover resistor was on the bench and touch two points of the circuit that should not have.

I have a separate area for storage ($1 storage boxes from the "dollar tree")
Another separate area for the pick and place machine (wish it WAS from the dollar tree).

Finally a test bench setup for finished goods, comprimising of two stacked Ikea bedside tables (LACK?) - held together. With a desktop PC and test hardware.
All boards are tested with a "bed of nails".

/R

I had to look this up, because my recollection of "firmware" was different, and apparently the old definition of it was more limited and did not include software code. Now popular usage considers all the code in embedded processors as firmware.

I guess I'll need to stop making software revisions, and start calling them firmware releases.  ;D

JR

JohnRoberts said:

I had to look this up, because my recollection of "firmware" was different, and apparently the old definition of it was more limited and did not include software code. Now popular usage considers all the code in embedded processors as firmware.

I guess I'll need to stop making software revisions, and start calling them firmware releases.  ;D

Click to expand...

For what it's worth, we call FPGA designs "firmware," too, since they're as fungible as any microcontroller firmware design.

-a

Well, i have 3x19" monitors ($160 for the lot on ebay) incoming for firmware workstation, and i have an old 15" lcd that'll be used for the soldering bench.
two graphics cards in teh same machine can look after all 4 monitors.

and yes... I know 4 monitors is extreme, but they are so darn cheap these days!

/R

Rochey said:

Well, i have 3x19" monitors ($160 for the lot on ebay) incoming for firmware workstation, and i have an old 15" lcd that'll be used for the soldering bench.
two graphics cards in teh same machine can look after all 4 monitors.

and yes... I know 4 monitors is extreme, but they are so darn cheap these days!

Click to expand...

I have four monitors on my desk at work. A fifth is sitting somewhere in the warehouse.

Oh, and there's a coolant chiller and a vacuum pump under the worktables. The 'scope and the logic analyzer are on a small wire shelving unit.

-a

I'm up to a single 24" display.

I did many years of embedded dev on a 13" macbook.

Doing things on the laptop was nice, you could take it to whichever room you needed.

It really comes down to what you get used to.

If things had never progressed beyond the 9" monochrome display on my first MacPlus, I'd be fine on that (we've come a long way)

ju

It's tight but functional and somewhat ESD-safe-ish (maybe not class 0, but close enough)...  ionizer, wrist strap, wood, ESD type Pace digitally controlled soldering iron...  solder fume extraction and microscope on articulating arms... next to 6 LCD monitor workstation on drafting table running Altium etc...  Agilent gigasampling scope for some lower frequency RF work... USB scope and ARB, oldschool analog scope too...

Show-off...

8)

Ha! Yah, I'm probably overcompensating for something else . (like the fact that I only have two eyes or somethin)  8)

What's the rotary phone for?
I hope it's for something cooler than making calls ;D

The ring voltage on POTS is a nice noise interference source.

JR

The rotary phone is just an extension with the bell disconnected. Too hard to get over to the other side of the drafting table to answer the DTMF phone; when working under the trinoc scope.  Don't want that bell going off right over me head.

Microscope work is interesting for electronics. Used to have a speech synthesizer in Excel that would poll RF meters and power supplies, do some calculations then speak the results as RF circuits were tuned [while under the scope].... Also used 2 soldering irons, one in each hand.  It was good to not have head, neck and body movement whilst working under the scope.  This was for GaAs MMIC stuff but I find the microscope indispensable for SMT (although I have good eyes and almost read the silk screen on 0805s/1206s from across the room

Otherwise I would always recommend safety glasses when soldering. Hot flux spitting off of a SMD, where statistically one would have their eyes the closest to the DUT....  Hot flux on thee eye is not good. 

The rotary phone also allows mice (actual rodents) to dial out on my line. Long story, perhaps a little OT but...  Was getting callbacks from random people in the State saying that they missed a call from me. There was also a lot of static on my line. Called the phone company. They fixed it a few days later and found that a mouse was rubbing up against the punch block and loose wires in the junction box on the utility pole. It was pulse/rotary dialing random phone numbers all over New Hampshire. Pulse dialing still works as required...

Twenty Log said:

It's tight but functional and somewhat ESD-safe-ish (maybe not class 0, but close enough)...  ionizer, wrist strap, wood, ESD type Pace digitally controlled soldering iron...  solder fume extraction and microscope on articulating arms... next to 6 LCD monitor workstation on drafting table running Altium etc...  Agilent gigasampling scope for some lower frequency RF work... USB scope and ARB, oldschool analog scope too...

Click to expand...

Are those "Power Designs" supplies on the upper left of the equipment "Tower"?  I have a triple output of theirs that looks like the same series chassis/panel construction.  Actually used to have two of them, but traded one for an old heathkit high voltage supply (so sweet...).