Looking back on 2004 in embedded control

With your busy schedules, you might have missed some of our coverage in the past year. Here are items from 2004 Control Engineering relating to embedded control that you might want to catch up on or revisit.

By Control Engineering Staff December 9, 2004

With your busy schedules, you might have missed some of our coverage in the past year. Here are items from 2004 Control Engineering relating to embedded control that you might want to catch up on or revisit. Topics include software tools, Linux operating system pros and cons, miniaturization of embedded hardware, etc.—in our print editions and accompanying Online Extra materials. Much more information is available and searchable at top of the home page at www.controleng.com.

Software Tools Advance Embedded Control ” (April 2004) looks at how embedded application software developers targeting optimal code generation, code sizing, execution speed, and reliability.

Is Linux at the Gates of the Factory? ” (May 2004) explores this “hot” industrial operating system (OS) topic. Significance of Linux OS is no longer in question for office automation, telecom, and server applications, yet this operating system’s role on the shop floor remains to be decided, as some “pro and con” issues show.

Shrinking Hardware, Increasing Functions ” (July 2004) examines current trends in embedded hardware miniaturization. Not as catchy as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” yet the trend toward smaller and more feature-dense board-level and semiconductor products continues with strength.

Finally, here are a few items from Information Control E-Newsletters earlier in 2004.

  • ” High-speed, low-power Pentium M processor 745‘hot’ in new embedded products “

  • ” ADI’s new A/D data converters set speed, accuracy marks “

  • ” Enea combines RTOS and Linux in distributed systems platform “

Best wishes for the new year; and I look forward to your continued readership in 2005.

—Frank J. Bartos, executive editor, Control Engineering, fbartos@reedbusiness.com