esp32arduinoarchitecture
PulseHSM v2.0.0 — I Moved the State Table to Compile Time
I released PulseHSM v2.0.0 this week. It is a hierarchical state machine library for embedded C++ Arduino, AVR, ESP32, RP2040, STM32, SAMD. No heap allocation, no RTTI, single header. This version has one big change: state tables are now `constexpr` arrays instead of being built at runtime. It is a breaking change, and I want to explain why I did it.
Sep 18, 2026 · 5 min
arduinoesp32STM32embedded systems
From Spaghetti to State Machines: Meet PulseHSM
Why embedded firmware slowly turns into spaghetti, and how a small hierarchical state machine library brings the order back.
Sep 2, 2026 · 10 min
avrarduinoarchitecture
STK500 v1 and v2: the AVR programming protocol every embedded developer should understand
A deep dive into Atmel's STK500 programming protocols — what they are, how v1 and v2 differ, how avrdude uses them, how to debug every error, and how to upload firmware directly from the browser using the Web Serial API.
Aug 24, 2026 · 15 min
esp32arduinoarchitecture
ESP32 blink without delay: your first non-blocking firmware
Learn why delay() is broken for real firmware and how to replace it with millis()-based timing. Includes a live simulator — run the code in your browser, no hardware needed.
Jul 27, 2026 · 6 min
esp32architecture
Event-driven firmware on ESP32: why polling is killing your code
Polling loops are the goto of firmware architecture — everyone uses them, everyone knows they're bad, nobody stops. Here's how to build a proper event-driven system on ESP32 with FreeRTOS queues, and why you'll eventually want something like AdvancedSignalSlot.
Jun 19, 2026 · 15 min
esp32freertos
ESP32 FreeRTOS: tasks, queues and semaphores in plain English
FreeRTOS is already running on your ESP32 whether you know it or not. Learn task creation, stack sizing, inter-task communication, mutexes, and how to not shoot yourself with shared state.
Jun 19, 2026 · 16 min
