embedded-systemslisted

# Embedded Systems ## When to activate Writing firmware for microcontrollers (STM32, ESP32, nRF52, RP2040), designing FreeRTOS task architectures, implementing HAL peripheral drivers, writing interrupt service routines, configuring DMA transfers, optimizing code for memory-constrained devices, or debugging timing-sensitive issues in bare-metal or RTOS environments. ## When NOT to use Linux-based embedded systems (Raspberry Pi, Yocto) where standard Linux programming applies. High-level IoT connectivity without firmware concerns (use `iot.md`). FPGA HDL design. General C/C++ application development on desktop hardware. Scripting for embedded Linux devices where Python/shell is appropriate. ## Instructions ### Memory Layout Understanding the linker sections is essential for debugging hard faults and sizing firmware: ``` Flash (read-only, persistent): .text — compiled machine code .rodata — read-only constants (const char*, lookup tables) .data — initial values for initialized globals (copied to RAM at startup) RAM (read-write, volatile): .data — initialized globals (copied from flash at startup) .bss — uninitialized globals (zero-filled at startup) .heap — grows upward (malloc region) [gap] .stack — grows downward from top of RAM Hard fault on cortex-M → check PSP/MSP for stack overflow into heap ``` Calculate stack usage with FreeRTOS `uxTaskGetStackHighWaterMark()` to find the minimum stack headroom observed since task creation. Set