Embedded Driver Development and Debugging
Durations -20 days.
Program Structure
Modules
- Embedded Systems & MCU Architecture
- Embedded C for Driver Development
- GPIO, Interrupts & Timers
- Communication Drivers (UART, SPI, I2C, CAN)
- Memory, DMA & Power Management
- RTOS-Based Driver Integration
- Debugging Techniques & Tools
- Testing, Optimization & Standards
Experiential Project Based Learning
- GPIO & Interrupt Driver Library
- Timer & PWM Driver Framework
- Multi-Protocol Communication Stack
- RTOS-Based Peripheral Manager
- Fault Injection & Debugging Toolkit
- Low-Power Embedded Controller
- Capstone: Complete BSP & Driver Stack
Program Outcomes
Upon completion, students will have:
- Develop bare-metal and RTOS-based drivers
- Interface peripherals at register level
- Debug real hardware using professional tools
- Optimize firmware for performance & power
- Build a job-ready embedded driver portfolio
AI Tools / Platform:
Tools & Technologies
- MCUs: LPC1768 / STM32 / ESP32
- IDEs: Keil, STM32CubeIDE, Arduino IDE, ESP-IDF
- Languages: Embedded C, C++ (basic)
- Debug Tools: JTAG, SWD, OpenOCD, GDB
- RTOS: FreeRTOS
- Protocols: UART, SPI, I2C, CAN
- Analyzers: Logic Analyzer, Virtual Oscilloscope
| Embedded Systems & MCU Architecture | ||
|---|---|---|
| MCU Architecture Fundamentals | ||
| Theory | ||
| Microcontroller vs Microprocessor | ARM Cortex-M architecture overview | Memory map, registers, clock system |
| GPIO, NVIC, SysTick basics | ||
| Hands-on | ||
| MCU pin mapping and datasheet reading | Toolchain setup for LPC / STM32 / ESP32 | Blinky application (bare metal) |
| Embedded C for Driver Development | ||
|---|---|---|
| Low-Level Programming | ||
| Theory | ||
| Volatile, const, static usage | Bit manipulation and masking | Memory-mapped I/O |
| Startup code & linker basics | ||
| Hands-on | ||
| Register-level GPIO control | Header and driver file structure | |
| Driver Architecture | ||
| Practice | ||
| GPIO, Interrupts & Timers | ||
|---|---|---|
| GPIO & Interrupt Drivers | ||
| Theory | ||
| Polling vs Interrupts | NVIC configuration | ISR best practices |
| Hands-on | ||
| External interrupt driver | Button-debounce using interrupts | |
| Timers & PWM | ||
| Theory | ||
| Timer modes | PWM generation | |
| Hands-on | ||
| Timer driver implementation | PWM-based LED & motor control | |
| Mini Project: | ||
| Event-driven LED controller using interrupts & timers | ||
| Communication Drivers | ||
|---|---|---|
| UART Driver | ||
| Register-level UART driver | Interrupt-based communication | |
| SPI & I2C Drivers | ||
| Master–Slave communication | Sensor interfacing | |
| CAN Driver | ||
| CAN frame structure | Mailbox configuration | Error handling |
| Mini-Project: | ||
| Sensor node communicating via UART/SPI/I2C | ||
| Memory, DMA & Power Management | ||
| Memory & DMA | ||
| Theory + Practice | ||
| Flash, SRAM usage | DMA configuration | High-speed data transfer |
| Power Management | ||
| Theory + Practice | ||
| Sleep & deep sleep modes | Clock gating | Low-power driver design |
| RTOS-Based Driver Integration | ||
| FreeRTOS Basics | ||
| Tasks, queues, semaphores | ISR to task communication | |
| Driver + RTOS Integration | ||
| Thread-safe drivers | Priority inversion issues | |
| Debugging Techniques & Tools | ||
|---|---|---|
| Debugging Fundamentals | ||
| Theory | ||
| Common embedded faults | Stack overflow, hard faults | |
| Hands-on | ||
| Breakpoints & watchpoints | Register & memory inspection | |
| Advanced Debugging | ||
| JTAG/SWD debugging | Logic analyzer usage | Fault injection techniques |
| HardFault handler analysis | ||
| Testing, Optimization & Standards | ||
| Testing & Validation | ||
| Unit testing for drivers | Boundary and stress testing | |
| Optimization & Coding Standards | ||
| Execution time optimization | MISRA C overview | Code review practices |
| Capstone Project | ||
| Complete Embedded Driver Stack | ||
| Students develop: | ||
| GPIO, Timer, UART, SPI, I2C, CAN drivers | RTOS-based driver framework | Debug & fault handling system |
| Power-optimized firmware | ||
| Deliverables: | ||
| Source code repository | Debugging report | Demo on hardware |
