Core Competencies in Robotics MCU Embedded SW and Employment Cheat Codes

Core Competencies in Robotics MCU Embedded SW and Employment Cheat Codes

Based on the practical know-how experienced firsthand by a current developer at a major corporation, we will help you develop the core embedded SW competencies that companies truly desire, going beyond simple coding.

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After completing the course

• Capable of low-level chip control by directly reading datasheets

  • You will perfectly control LEDs, timers, and UART communication by writing data directly to the chip's internal register addresses without using any libraries.

• Understanding the entire life cycle from code build to chip boot-up

  • You will gain a deep understanding of the entire mechanism, from the linking process where C code is converted into a binary, to the chip reading the Reset Handler upon power-up and entering the main function.

• Professional-level VSCode custom build environment and RTOS utilization

  • You will experience high-speed compilation using CMake and Ninja without heavy official IDEs, and directly implement multi-threaded operations by embedding Azure RTOS (ThreadX).

• Hardware Analysis and Debugging Sense for System Engineers

  • You will learn debugging methods to proactively identify and resolve board malfunctions by monitoring hardware signals using multimeters and oscilloscopes.

    
    

Features of this course

• 'Real, vivid industry episodes' that don't appear in books

  • An active robot developer at a major corporation generously shares hard-earned practical tips and troubleshooting secrets gained from directly manipulating registers and resolving lock issues.

• Bare-metal (Direct Register Control) vs. HAL API Comparison Practice

  • Maximize your understanding through 1:1 comparative practice by implementing the same examples (LED, Timer, Interrupt, UART communication) using both library-based methods and direct bit manipulation.

• Preparing for Frequently Asked Questions in Technical Interviews

  • You will learn the foundational knowledge to confidently answer core, frequently asked questions in embedded technical interviews, such as volatile, BSRR registers, NVIC interrupts and Timers, and MCU operation processes., v.v.

    
    

What you will learn

Section 1. Orientation and Basic Embedded Concepts

• Lecture 01: Course Introduction and Hands-on Environment Roadmap

• Lecture 02: Job Analysis for Robotics MCU Embedded SW Development

• Lecture 03: What is an MCU? (Differences from general computers and the 3 key elements)

• Lecture 04: What is a Memory Map? (Physical addresses and volatile pointer manipulation)

Section 2. Peripherals and Register Control Basics

• Lecture 05: Peripherals Concept 1: Differences between Peripherals and CPU Registers

• Lecture 06: Peripherals Concept 2: Direct Register Control vs. HAL Library

• Lecture 07: Register Bitfield Interpretation and SW Implementation 1 (MODER, OTYPER, OSPEEDR Settings)

• Lecture 08: Register Bitfield Interpretation and SW Implementation 2 (BSRR Atomic Manipulation and Software Delay)

Section 3. MCU Software Operating Principles (Secrets of Build, Booting, and Addresses)

• Lecture 09: Tracing MCU SW Operation Principles (Compile - Link - Upload Process)

• Lecture 10: Tracking MCU SW Operation Principles (Booting and main code execution process)

• Lecture 11: The Secret of Automatic Macro Substitution and Register Addresses (volatile)

Section 4. Setting Up the Hands-on Development Environment

• Lecture 12: EV Board Introduction: Reasons for Selecting the NUCLEO-F446RE Board

• Lecture 13: Setting up the development environment: STM32CubeMX hardware configuration automation tool

• Lecture 14: Setting up the Development Environment: How to Use the STM32CubeIDE Integrated Development Environment

• Lecture 15: Development Environment Setup: Building a Custom VSCode + CMake Build Environment (Optional/Advanced)

Section 5. Bare-Metal Practical Lab (HAL vs Register 1:1 Comparison)

• Lecture 16: Bare-Metal Practice 1: GPIO LED Control (Using HAL Library)

• Lecture 17: Bare-Metal Practice 2: Hardware Timer Delay (Using HAL TIM6)

• Lecture 18: Bare-Metal Practice 3: Utilizing Timer Interrupts (HAL TIM6 IT)

• Lecture 19: Bare-Metal Practice 4: UART PC Communication and printf Redirection (HAL USART2)

• Lecture 20: Direct Register Control 1: Direct GPIO LED Control (BSRR Atomic Manipulation)

• Lecture 21: Direct Register Control 2: Direct Timer Counter Control (TIM6 Polling Implementation)

• Lecture 22: Direct Register Control 3: Direct Control of Interrupt Registers and NVIC

• Lecture 23: Direct Register Control 4: UART Register Control and Baud Rate Formula Calculation

Section 6. VSCode Custom Build and Real-Time Operating System (RTOS)

• Lecture 24: CMake Build and CLI Flashing Practice (VSCode Environment Setup and High-Speed Compilation)

• Lecture 25: Introduction to RTOS (ThreadX) (Limitations of Bare-metal and the Birth of Real-Time OS)

• Lecture 26: RTOS (ThreadX) Hands-on Code Implementation and Operating Principles (Multi-thread Implementation and Scheduling)

Section 7. Hardware Analysis for System SW Engineers

• Lecture 27: How to Make a Board: PCB Design Basics and Hardware Debugging (How to Use Multimeters and Oscilloscopes)

The person who created this course

"Real know-how gained from rolling and crashing through everything from low-level HW to SW"

Hello, I am a current robotics developer at a global corporation. Over the years in the robot industry, I have experienced everything from the bottom of HW to embedded systems and the upper layers of SW.

This course is not an academic textbook filled with grand theories. I am creating this course to organize the know-how I have fiercely accumulated in the field, while also earning some side income along the way.

If you have any questions about the lecture, please feel free to leave a comment at any time. I will help you gain so much that you won't feel the cost of the lecture was a waste!

Do you have any questions?

Notes before taking the course

Hands-on Example Source Code (GitHub)

The complete source code for every step of the hands-on practice in this course is publicly available on GitHub. Feel free to use it whenever you encounter build errors or need to compare behaviors while practicing!