Schedule and Sessions

High gas prices and environmental concerns are mandating that automotive engineers produce electronic solutions for reducing the impact of vehicles. Simultaneously, consumer demand is creating opportunities for innovative in-vehicle entertainment, information and connectivity features. This DevCon 2008 topic covers three exciting technologies useful for designing solutions in these areas. The first is FlexRay^TM for implementing fast, deterministic, fault-tolerant networks for powertrains and backbone applications. Another is MCU-based techniques for controlling electrical motors, both the high-power types used in hybrid vehicles and the many smaller motors that power operational and convenience functions. The third technology is advanced multimedia chips for implementing digital car radio, hands-free and navigation systems, etc. 

• Introduction to FlexRay^TM and Renesas FlexRay Solutions
• Applying Advanced Processors to Design Enhanced Telematics Applications
• Hybrid Electric Vehicle Control: Motors, Engines and Batteries

Robust and reliable, CAN and LIN are finding new applications far beyond the automotive market for which they were originally designed. Car makers have long understood the advantages these networking technologies provide in areas such as EMI immunity, available software stacks, dynamic network expandability, critical message delivery guarantee, and low total solution cost. Now development teams in diverse markets are scrambling to incorporate them into white goods, industrial automation equipment, home appliances, UPS systems, medical monitoring systems, and office equipment, among many other applications. The sessions in this DevCon 2008 topic aim to facilitate the incorporation of CAN and/or LIN connectivity into a wide span of multi-processor distributed embedded systems. Presentations and labs provide basic technical information including which H8, SuperH and M16C microcontrollers are recommended for new networked system designs. In addtion, solutions using higher-level protocols such as CANOpen and DeviceNet are also discussed.

• Advantages of CAN and LIN in Networked Embedded Systems
• Fact: We 'CANOpen' the Support Channel for a Higher-level CAN Protocol
• An Introduction to CAN in Multi-node Systems and its Simplified Use with an API
• Quick-start Guide to Using the Renesas CAN API
• Using CAN in a Multi-node Environment to Control Many Applications

Ethernet technology enables reliable wired communications in homes and businesses, and it's quickly gaining ground in embedded system markets as more microcomputers with Ethernet capability become available at lower cost. Topics covered in the sessions in this DevCon 2008 topic include TCP/IP stacks (both open-source and licensed software types), trade-offs between various microcontroller solutions, and how to apply Ethernet to implement "industrial control" grade communications links. Issues related to the use of MCUs to help maximize the availability of servers are also described.

• Understanding the Ethernet Capabilities of Low-cost MCUs
• Introduction to System Management and IPMI for ATCA and MicroTCA Applications
• Using Open-source TCP/IP Stacks
• Resource Requirements of MCUs Running TCP/IP stacks

Microcontrollers with on-chip flash memory are becoming ubiquitous in embedded systems because they offer major benefits during system development and production and also enable improved product quality, extended longevity and increased end-user satisfaction. Renesas has mastered this technology, becoming the world leader in Flash MCUs with over 1 billion Flash MCUs sold. To help engineers take advantage of the maximum design potential of these versatile devices, the presentations and labs in this DevCon 2008 topic explain the characteristics, features and functions of flash MCUs and highlight important technology advances. Subjects covered include key device design characteristics, tools that aid the system development and manufacturing process, and the best ways of implementing product upgrades in the field. MRAM, the next wave of Renesas non-volatile memory is spotlighted as well. MRAM will break the boundaries and limits of the on-chip flash technologies now being used, opening up amazing new applications.

• Introduction to Flash Programming of Renesas MCUs
• Fundamental Flash: An Introduction to Rensas MCU Flash Technology
• Design Considerations for In-field Reprogramming of Application Firmware
• Exploring the Next Generation of On-chip Flash Technology

Recent introductions of popular portable products have pleased and amazed consumers with innovations that clearly demonstrate how LCD screens can be used to simultaneously make graphical user interfaces (GUIs) more powerful, yet also more friendly and easier to use. With the latest advances in microcontrollers, the electronics for controlling the LCD screens and system operation can be simplified and cost reduced. Among the subjects discussed in the sessions of this DevCon 2008 topic are advanced direct-drive LCD operation, low-cost connectivity to TFT LCD panels, graphics libraries for accelerating user interface designs, and the embedded GUI/graphics package included in a Renesas evaluation and development kit (EDK).

• Applying an API to Implement Direct-drive LCD Operation
• Low-cost Solutions for Connecting to TFT-LCD Panels
• Applying an Embedded GUI/Graphics Package to a TFT-LCD System
• Creating Advanced, Rich-looking GUIs for the iPhone Generation

There are many ways to control electric motors, and new and better methods are being perfected that take advantage of advances in microcontrollers. The presentation and hands-on lab sessions in this DevCon 2008 topic give hardware and software engineers new information readily applicable to diverse product designs. Subjects discussed and explained range from the operation, advantages and drawbacks of various motor-control algorithms, to specific implementations on Renesas 16-bit and 32-bit CISC and RISC MCUs, to ways to use low-end microcontrollers to build proportional-integral speed loops without DSP chips, and more.

• Introduction to Electronic Controls for BLDC Motors
• Implementing Six-step Trapezoidal Control with Hall Sensors
• Brushless DC Motor Control with Back-EMF
• MCU Performance Requirements for Control Algorithms for BLDC Motors
• Speed Control using a Digital Encoder and Vector Formulation
• Sensorless Vector Control for BLDC Motors

Three embedded control applications are covered in the events in this DevCon 2008 topic: a Linux-based videophone, a networked media server and a media player. The presentation and laboratory sessions introduce and illustrate important real-world system development issues. They include using a 'lean and mean' implementation strategy to achieve performance goals while meeting tight cost targets and completion deadlines, using software tools to build an application, and testing the design and measuring the performance of a microcomputer in the SH-Linux environment.

• Quintuple Play - A Platform for Converging Wireless, Web, Media, and Security Technologies
• Developing Small Digital Picture Frames within Budget, to Schedule
• Implementing Factory Automation and Industrial Panel Control with WinCE
• Building and Testing Media Server Applications
• Implementing Internet Connectivity for Mobile Devices

The future looks bright for low-power wireless networking solutions, and Renesas will facilitate progress in this area with upcoming solutions at compelling price points that resolve software issues due to insufficient Flash size. Solutions now in development are described in this DevCon 2008 topic. Other subjects covered include the large difference between a full ZigBee implementation and the much simpler 802.15.4 stacks, a method for building a 900-MHz wireless product in 30 minutes using the OpenRF^TM development platform, and the hardware platform and components (camera, LCD panels, etc.) of a ZigBee implementation that uses an Embedded Linux.

• Techniques for Adding Wireless Connectivity to Embedded Systems
• Choosing the Optimum Low-power Wireless Communications Solution
• Building a Long-distance 900MHz Battery-powered Mesh Network
• Build a Wireless Product in 30 Minutes using the OpenRF^TM Platform
• ZigBee Explained: Everything from Node Creation to Traffic Analysis

On a daily basis we hear about stolen files, identity thefts, security breaches, illegal accesses, technology counterfeiting, etc. Security issues are critically important to the widespread use of electronic financial transactions, file sharing mechanisms, access control systems, and the like. But no longer can security be added to a system at the last minute; it must be built into the design right from the start. In this DevCon topic, experts conduct multiple sessions on the latest security technologies and methods for implementing them, especially those that are easier to apply yet offer greater levels of protection. Security threats and countermeasures, risk mitigation processes, cryptography, security best practices, hardware based security, are among the subjects discussed.

• Introduction to Security Solutions for Embedded System Applications
• Simplified Method for Implementing Machine-to-machine Authentication
• Security Threats and Countermeasures for Embedded Systems

USB connectivity is fast becoming standard in many applications. This DevCon 2008 topic examines the subject in depth, both from the microcontroller side and the host side. Presentations and hands-on labs explain the process of adding USB to an embedded system, as well as the use of a Windows-based development environment to implement cost-effective solutions. Other subjects covered include bus topology, and connection speeds, as well as software APIs for multiple forms of connectivity and data traffic. The challenges of moving a USB-enabled design from the embedded side of development to the Windows medium are also discussed, and effective solutions for doing so are presented.

• USB for Embedded Systems, Viewed from the Embedded Target Side
• Taking Advantage of the Renesas USB API
• USB for Embedded Systems, Viewed from the Host Side
• Adding USB Connectivity to an Embedded System

This DevCon 2008 topic provides insights into many aspects of Renesas' latest technology. For example, it reveals details of the new "RX" (Renesas Extreme) CISC architecture - a next-generation design that achieves 250 MIPS performance with single-cycle flash access, yet offers very low power consumption: 500µA/MHz. Other subjects discussed include high-performance computing (600+ MHz/1080 MIPS, FPU, DSP, power advantages), high-speed wired and wireless connectivity, and a stable OS/RTOS configuration with hardware for solutions (Linux, WinCE, ThreadX, others). Power-saving technology for extending the battery operating times of portable designs is covered, as well.

• Introduction to a 200MHz MCU Architecture (Renesas Extreme)
• MultiCore Architectures Usher in the Next Era of Embedded Computing
• Renesas Extreme Revealed

Developers of software for embedded systems can make their tasks easier and gain efficiency by taking full advantage of the features and capabilities of the latest system development tools. Thus, this topic of DevCon 2008 provides details of what the tools can do and tips on how to use them effectively. Sessions cover subjects ranging from integrated development environments (IDEs) and graphical code generation for peripheral module initialization, to high-level visualization and interaction with embedded applications using Windows APIs and run-time analyzers. Techniques are described for advanced debugging of embedded applications with state-of-the-art tools. Proven "tricks and tips" are presented for tracking down elusive bugs and problems.

• Using HEW's Many Capabilities to Boost Software Development Productivity
• Rapid Configuration of On-chip Peripherals using the I/O Wizard
• Overview of the Eclipse IDE for the Renesas SH7722-based Platform
• Run-time Data Visualization of Embedded Systems with µC/Probe
• In-circuit Debugging utilizing Renesas Development Tools and On-chip Resources
• Obtaining Interactive Control of an MCU and Development Tools using HEW Target Server
• Advanced Emulator Capabilities for Debugging Embedded Systems
• Advanced Debugging Features of the JTAG and AUD Trace Port
• Applying Embedded Tools for I2C, SPI, and USB Debugging and Development

Many low-end embedded systems perform simple tasks and don't need an operating system. But an increasing number of them do, as the functions they perform become more numerous, complex and precise. In this DevCon 2008 topic, experts discuss issues relating to operating system technologies, while covering tinyLinux, µC-OS-II, QNX, ThreadX, Linux, and WinCE, among other OS products. Subjects include the impact of an RTOS on the development cycle, how OS overhead impacts system performance, file systems for embedded flash memory, board support packages, the extended debugger interface (eXDi), making the transition from sequential to the modern event-driven programming, and much more.

• A Big Decision: Does the Embedded System Need an RTOS?
• Design Issues of Embedded Flash-based File Systems
• Unison^TM - An Introduction to Ultra Tiny Embedded Linux^TM for MCUs
• Applying the µC/OS-II RTOS
• Applying the µC/OS-II RTOS
• Using an RTOS to Shorten the System Development Cycle
• Industrial Control Panel Applications using the QNX Operating System
• Development Issues for Embedded Systems that Use Windows CE Covering BSP to eXDI
• Harnessing the Power of Open Source Development in Embedded Platforms
• Event-Driven Programming and Hierarchical State Machines
• B#: An Object-Oriented Answer to C for Small Footprint Embedded Systems
• Implementing a Reusable Memory Manager in ANSI C for Any Embedded Platform

The sessions in this topic of the DevCon 2008 conference discuss fundamental MCU system design requirements and issues. Subjects have been selected that highlight key problems and considerations that often arise in the design of embedded systems. Renesas experts detail the causes of common difficulties and ways to solve them, while also providing guidelines for avoiding many types of time-consuming, resource-wasting development problems. Analog-to-digital conversions, low power requirements, system performance issues, and safety concerns are discussed, along with system interface issues.

• Designing Embedded Systems for Low Power and Battery Power Operation
• Low-cost Solution for Adding Audio Capabilities to 8- or 16-bit Systems
• Specialized Hardware and Software Methods for Handling IEC-60730 Safety Regulations
• Design Tips for Getting Optimal Performance from On-chip A/D Converters
• Noise Fundamentals and Techniques for Minimizing EMI Problems
• Developing Embedded Systems using Low-power Design Techniques
• Hardware Design Fundamentals for MCU-based Embedded Systems
• Proven Ways to Achieve the Best Possible System Performance
• The Pros and Cons of Fixed Point and Floating Point
• Taking the Plunge into "C" for Embedded System Design

Face-to-face, interactive discussions often are the best ways to cover technical topics of particular interest to audience members. In the one-hour roundtable sessions at DevCon 2008, presentations by panel members will be followed by allow ample time for answering questions from the audience and discussing any alternate points of view held by panel members. In DevCon 2008’s two-hour informal ‘meet the experts’ sessions, Renesas personnel will be available to answer questions from attendees, participate in impromptu discussions of topics of particular interest, meet and greet attendees, and generally have a good time in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere characterized by excellent hospitality.

View the expert panels

• Software Development Tools
• Hardware Development Tools
• Embedded System Development
• Designing Wireless Systems
• Design issues for Using LCD Panels
• Motor Control Design Issues
• Secure Machine-to-Machine Interfaces
• Multimedia Issues in an Embedded Design
• MCU: Future Device Developments and Application Issues