Embedded Executive Podcast

Pierre Gal, Head of Product Development at The Embedded Kit, discusses surprising challenges faced by embedded developers, such as complexities in integrating open-source software, differences in Linux distributions, and the significance of operating systems in cybersecurity and compliance. The podcast explores insights from a recent survey revealing varying perceptions of OEMs and developers on operating systems complexities and regulations.

Do you understand the metrology that applies to semiconductor manufacturing? I know I certainly didn’t, and found out how little I knew about this essential technology when I spoke to David Doyle, the President and Managing Director of Heidenhain Corp. While mostly applying to semiconductors, the technology can be deployed on any manufacturing platform. But semiconductor manufacturing has to be so precise, and that’s putting it mildly, that things are measured in terms of microns and nanometers. Check out this week’s Embedded Executives podcast. to get the baseline understanding on how important this technology is to our semiconductor industry.

The LoRa Alliance recently conducted a user study to see how far LoRaWAN technology has penetrated into the community. If you’re not familiar, LoRaWAN is a low-power wide-area network that has a range that can be measured in miles.I wanted to understand what the results of the user study showed. Do developers feel confident in deploying the technology? How does it work globally? To understand more I spoke to the Alliance’s Chairwoman and CEO, Donna Moore, on this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.

Explore the differences between SOMs and COMs in the embedded systems sector with insights from a Global Director at Samtec. Discover how to choose between the two for your application, considering functionality, compute power, and software requirements. Learn about the flexibility and scalability of SOMs and COMs for board design, including interchangeable modules and high-performance interconnects.

Infineon introduces isolator technology without a power supply, reshaping relay technology for solid-state relays in various sectors. Enhanced energy transfer, reduced power dissipation, and integration with switches for reliability and cost considerations are discussed, revolutionizing the industry.

MEMS have been used in lots of sensors and even in microphones. But, until now, I hadn’t seen them used in speakers. xMEMS Labs is one vendor that’s doing just that, and the sound is incredible. When you hear how it works, it really makes a lot of sense. And if you listen to this podcast, you will hear exactly how it works. Check out my discussion with Mike Housholder, the Vice President of Business Development at xMEMS Labs in this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.

There’s a new sheriff in town when it comes to the Z-Wave Alliance, a newly formed standards development organization. The new Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Z-Wave Alliance is Avi Rosenthal, whose day job is the Managing Partner of bluesalve partners.I know Z Wave has been around for quite some time, but the Alliance was previously a manufacturer-owned group, and now it’s independent. That “launch” comes on the heels of a second supplier being added to the mix. Previously, you had to go to Silicon Labs to get your transceivers. Now that the spec is truly open, other transceiver manufacturers will likely come on line, and Trident IoT is the first to join. To hear more about what this means and where the spec and the Alliance is headed, check out this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.

COM Express has been around for at least a decade. While many people think of it as a standard architecture (it is), it can be customized in lots of different ways. To understand how a standard can be made custom while remaining standard, I spoke to Earle Foster, a Senior Vice President, Sealevel Systems in this week’s Embedded Executives podcast. It’s actually easier than you might think.

Frédéric Desbiens, from the Eclipse Foundation, discusses Microsoft's decision to release the ThreadX operating system to the open-source community. They explore the implications of ThreadX becoming vendor neutral and the permissive license it offers. The podcast also dives into Microsoft's involvement and transition to open source, along with the benefits of open sourcing ThreadX for the open source ecosystem.

We appear to be over the hump between hype and reality when it comes to GaN technology. Components and end products are readily available. But according to David Snook, the product line manager for  GaN products at Texas Instruments (TI), we are just scratching the surface of where GaN’s potential lies. Hear more in this week’s Embedded Executives podcast.