🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉 Here’s to making 2024 the best year yet.

2023 was an exciting year for Interrupt, with 36 new articles, 13 new external contributors, 12 community Meetups, and a partridge in a pear tree. Thanks for being a part of it.

Here are the articles, videos, and tools that we’ve been excited about this December.

We hope you enjoy these links, and we look forward to hearing what you’ve been reading in the comments or on the Interrupt Slack.

Articles & Learning

• Just about every Windows and Linux device vulnerable to new LogoFAIL firmware attack | Ars Technica
  Many UEFI packages can be exploited by modifying the boot image. - Eric

• Lessons Learned by a Software Guy Venturing into Hardware – SidecarT – Atari ST/STE/Mega cartridge emulator on Raspberry Pi Pico steroids
  This fun article details a software engineer’s journey to building hardware. They built a ROM cartridge emulator using the Raspberry Pi RP2040.

• 3GPP specification series: 36series
  A convenient link to all the 3GPP documents in the 36 series (the series on LTE). - Gillian

• LTE-M vs NB-IoT Field Test: How Distance Affects Power Consumption - Blogs - Nordic Blog - Nordic DevZone
  Neat results from an experiment comparing how distance from an eNB affects power consumption for devices using LTE-M vs. NB-IoT. - Gillian

• My personal C coding style as of late 2023
  A somewhat 🌶️ blogpost detailing a C style that had some interesting but maybe impractical suggestions. Discussing it internally though revealed how some very important language constructs like const matter so much more in embedded environments than others. - Eric

• Using Zig to Unit Test a C Application · mtlynch.io
  A relatively simple example of wrapping a C library with Zig and then using Zig’s built-in testing features to test. Still a long way from MCU targets but it feels like we’re getting glimpses. - Eric

• Exploring the section layout in linker output | MaskRay
  Article covering how the linker section layout works with dynamic loading. Specific to x86-64, but is a good read nonetheless.

Projects & Tools

• Zeus WPI | Unveiling secrets of the ESP32: creating an open-source MAC Layer
  The ESP32 is one of the most popular and cheapest WiFi chips out there. This article dives into creating an open-source MAC layer for the ESP32.

• cnlohr/rv003usb: CH32V003 RISC-V Pure Software USB Controller
  Bit-banged USB on a very cheap microcontroller. - Noah

• floppy.cafe
  Bit-banging a floppy drive (in rust!)! Find the project code here. - Noah

• EYE on NPI - Analog Devices LTC4332 Point-to-Point Rugged SPI Extender #EYEonNPI @DigiKey @ADI_News - YouTube
  Cool SPI range extender chip, up to 1200m over twisted pair. Neat tristate speed select using 2 pins, provides 8 speed options from strapping configuration.

• Forget Houses! Check Out This Gingerbread ESP32 Dev Board - Hackster.io
  A gingerbread esp32! - Noah

• AtomVM
  And Erlang-based VM for embedded devices, including the ESP32. I personally don’t write in Erlang, but maybe someone out there does!

• The Berry Script Language
  A scripting language for embedded devices, using as little as 40K code size and 4K heap. Feels very similar to the various JavaScript engines that are running on Cortex-M devices!

News & Announcements

• Quintauris: advancing the adoption of RISC-V globally
  RISC-V is going forward. :) - Martin Lampacher, Interrupt Author

Upcoming Events

• FOUNDERS & FRIENDS at CES 2024
  Will you be at CES 2024? Request an invite to attend FOUNDERS & FRIENDS on Thursday, January 11th, hosted by Misty West and Memfault. Enjoy cocktails and appetizers while networking with some of the hardware industry’s key decision-makers, and get an exclusive preview of some of the latest advancements in cutting-edge technology.