Make Makefile Tip #4: GNU Make Standard Library (GMSL)

Next tip in our on going series of Make/Makefile tips is to use the GNU Make Standard Library (GMSL). GMSL supplies the features that you've wanted to use in writing your complex Makefile but could not figure out how to get it done.

The GNU Make Standard Library (GMSL) is a collection of functions implemented using native GNU Make functionality that provide list and string manipulation, integer arithmetic, associative arrays, stacks, and debugging facilities. The GMSL is released under the BSD License.

• Associative Arrays
• Integer Arithmetic Functions
• List Manipulation Functions
• Logical Operator: AND
• Logical Operator: NAND
• Logical Operator: NOR
• Logical Operator: NOT
• Logical Operator: OR
• Logical Operator: XOR
• Miscellaneous and Debugging Facilities
• Named Stacks
• Set Manipulation Function
• String Manipulation Functions

Past Makefile Tips:

• Transforming files with wildcards in Make. Makefile tip #3. Manipulating .hex files, and auto CRC generation.
• Recursive use of Make. Makefile tip #2. Want a secret tip to faster development?.
• Building product variations without duplication of code and configuration. Makefile Tip #1.

How do I get started in this field? With "Understanding Small Microcontrollers".

A recurring cyclic theme I'm sure we all see, is someone with the Knack wants to get started in the embedded field. My recommendation for the first thing to start with is the book, for the long obsolete 68HC05, Understanding Small Microcontrollers by James M. Sibigtroth.

Which I'm sure many readers of this blog might find odd. Just because it is old doesn't mean it is still not educational. The book covers the fundamentals like computer numbers and other things that more experience authors gloss over. It is also free, a price a budding seven year old can afford, until someone can drive them to the library. Obviously lots of resources on Internet, but to me the best way for a young person to learn is with books, to spur the imignination.

Japanese Earthquake Update from International Atomic Energy Agency

Wanted to point out the site of the International Atomic Energy Agency as a follow up to my post last week, Japan nuclear power plant at Fukushima-Daiichi to become a real China Syndrome?.

IAEA has a page that they are updating regularly with information coming from Japan.

Also Scientific American [TM] has posted a page How Radiation Threatens Health. Lets hope the rest of us don't need to find out.

Maybe it is time to take a look at Thorium Fluoride Molten Salt Reactors that are passively safe, rather than safe by extraordinary measures?

The glue that holds the electronic industry together falls apart, Bismaleimide Triazine (BT) resin shortage.

We are now one week out from Japan's worst earthquake and the problems that effect the electronics supply chain are starting to appear.

Something that most of us have never heard of, Bismaleimide Triazine (BT) resin, is about to impact our electronic production lives. Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (MGC) seems to be the major supplier of this material to the world. This was posted on their website on March 14th, 2011:

Recovery Working of MGC's Electronic Materials Subsidiary

This is a brief report on the most recent status of recovery operations at Electrotechno Co.,

Ltd. (Nishishirakawa-gun, Fukushima), the MGC electronic materials production subsidiary affected by the major earthquake that struck off the cost of Eastern Japan on March 11,

2011:

The earthquake has caused damage to part of the interior of the Electrotechno buildings and to some equipment; however, power and gas supplies have now been restored.

Since Monday, March 14, Electrotechno management and staff have been working with construction experts to conduct a close inspection of its buildings and equipment, while at the same time making every effort to restore operations. On the basis of information obtained during this inspection, MGC will announce its outlook for the restoration of Electrotechno on Friday, March 18. [None was posted today, Saturday March 19th.]

At present, MGC estimates that product supply from Electrotechno will be hindered for the immediate future, but is committed to making every effort to restore production as soon as possible. Further reports will be provided as soon as more information becomes available.

Where is BT used? It is the 'glue' that holds together the glass yarn fibers, which is also now in short supply due to damage to a different factory, that make up FR4 PCB laminates that almost all of us build our products on.

BT is also used to hold the chip dies in place on the packaging substrate material. So even if we have the printed circuit board itself, we still might not be able to get the chips from ICs to FETs, to put on it. Blank wafers will also be in short supply from damage to yet other factories.

Alternates suppliers for BT exists but unless the that maternal has already been qualified it can lead to cracking of the body of the part when exposed to heat, as no two manufacturer's process is exactly alike. It can take a long time to qualify new material.

The cracking can lead to moisture ingress that can damage ICs when they go through the soldering process. A single tiny, relative to the size of the IC, drop of water can produce enough steam to fracture the die from the sudden pressure change when the water transitions from liquid to gas.

Moisture Sensitivity Level (MLS) is one of those obscure items found on data sheets, if it can be found at all, that most designers ignore thinking it has no relevancy to them. Sometimes the MLS ratings are not even on the data sheets, but in separate reliability documents that few look at. MLS is a number from one to six indicating how long an IC can be exposed to room air before it would be damaged by the soldering process due to moisture ingress. ICs don't come in those big nitrogen filled silver bags just for the fun of it. They are in the nitrogen to keep the moisture out.

An IC with a MLS of one, can be exposed to air indefinitely, a MLS of six can not be exposed at all, it must be baked, at a low to moderate temperature before it can be exposed to the high temperatures of the soldering process, to drive the moisture out, then soldered while still warm.

We can only hope that those at the top have learned their lessons in relying on single suppliers in a single location. Maybe it is time to bring manufacturing back home? Anyone know of any second sourced modern Micros anymore? Companies don't like second sourcing as there is little profit to be had. Once again greed corrupts all. The hording, "Stockpiling for Q311", and gouging has already started; DigiKey raised the prices on some capacitors this week by fifty percent. Also these problems are only going to make the counterfeit parts problem worse.

In the end lets not get so self-absorbed that we lose sight of those in Japan that have lost literally everything, and do what we can to help them.

Senate Armed Services Committee Announces Investigation Into Counterfeit Electronic Parts in DoD Supply Chain

Seems that counterfeit electronic parts have gotten so bad that now even the politicians are getting involved. I've personally experienced this, having gotten some tantalum capacitors that were marked with higher voltages than their true working voltage. They'd last about six months in the field then *exploded*. With the problems in Japan right now, I expect there will be massive increase in counterfeiting of parts that should be coming from the legitimate Japan supply chain:

WASHINGTON – Following is a statement by Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, regarding the committee’s investigation into counterfeit parts in the DoD supply chain:

"U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has initiated an investigation into counterfeit electronic parts in the Department of Defense's supply chain. Counterfeit electronic parts pose a risk to our national security, the reliability of our weapons systems and the safety of our military men and women. The proliferation of counterfeit goods also damages our economy and costs American jobs. The presence of counterfeit electronic parts in the Defense Department’s supply chain is a growing problem that government and industry share a common interest in solving. Over the course of our investigation, the Committee looks forward to the cooperation of the Department of Defense and the defense industry to help us determine the source and extent of this problem and identify possible remedies for it."

James Grenning to present "Test is not for finding bugs", Cleveland March 23, 2011, 5:30PM

James_Grenning_March23_2011_Event_Flyer

It is with great pleasure that Firmware Engineers of Northeast Ohio, Cleveland Agile Group (CleAg), and the IEEE Cleveland Computer Society welcome James Grenning. He will be speaking to us at our upcoming event on March 23rd, 2011.

James Grenning trains, coaches, and consults worldwide. His considerable experience brings depth in both technical and business aspects of software development. James is leading the way in introducing Agile practices to the embedded world. He invented Planning Poker and is one of the original authors of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development (February 2001).

Mr. Grenning will present "Test is not for finding bugs".

Test is something that has to get done sometime before shipping the product. Test can wait while we do the important work of specifying, designing and coding the system. Test helps find bugs. Test happens at the end.

Wait! Don’t quote me on that!

Test is not that unpleasant activity at the end of the *development phase*, it is an integral and critical part of everyday work. It does not add drudgery, and overhead, it adds rewarding feedback and makes it possible to put more value into the software instead of wasting time chasing bugs. Test is not about finding bugs anymore. Test is specification; test is defect prevention, test drives good designs. Tests must be largely automated. You may think that you cannot afford to automate; when in reality, you cannot afford not to.

This will be the first time that Cleveland Agile Group (CleAg) and FENEO/IEEE have joined forces to bring such talent to Cleveland.

Donations are very welcome and appreciated. A donation box will be available at the sign in table. Please make all checks out to IEEE Cleveland. Also, FENEO is always looking for new sponsors.

Space is limited! To reserve your seat, please RSVP by March 21 at http://www.clevelandieee.org/jgrsvp.

Are we to reliant on GPS/GNSS? Royal Academy of Engineering says we are.

I have blogged in the past about our reliance on GPS technology here Politicians replace Air Traffic Control RADAR with GPS and here Scientists, Politicians Take Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Threat Seriously. Human Exposure to EM Fields, now the Royal Academy of Engineering in London has released a new report: Global Navigation Space Systems: reliance and vulnerabilities.

This report details how we have become to reliant on the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), Global Positioning System (GPS) is currently the most widely used and best known example of GNSS.  GPS is used a for more things than just getting us from Point-A to Point-B with maps of dubious accuracy.  Telecommunication Network timing and the International Banking System are a couple of examples of 'hidden' uses of GPS. The timing aspect of GPS is used by the infrastructure systems more than the position aspect of the system.  The report covers other infrastructure uses, and how they might be attacked and exploited.

The report also says that there should be an independent backup to GPS.  It is interesting to note that the U.S. recently destroyed the LORAN system, with explosives no less, under the guise of saving money; it cost more to dismantle the system that it would have cost to keep it running.  The paranoid among us might think there is a conspiracy to get everyone relying on a technology then take it away to advance a yet unknown agenda.

Japan nuclear power plant at Fukushima-Daiichi to become a real China Syndrome?

The headline reads: Huge blast at Japan nuclear power plant at Fukushima-Daiichi, are we seeing a real life version of the China Syndrome about to playing out? Let us all pray that is not the case.

The China Syndrome is when there is a loss of coolant in the reactor vessel. The idea being the reaction becomes so hot that it burns down through the Earth until it comes out the other side in China. What really happens is the hot reaction burns down until it hits Ground Water, which is then turned into superheated steam, blowing the whole mess back up into the environment.

Obviously somewhat outdated, as it says "Operating Fully", design information on Fukushima-Daiichi can be found at Global Energy Observation. Fukushima Daiichi is located at 141.0329686159818, 37.425775181836 if you'd like to find it on Google Earth.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulates commercial nuclear power plants that generate electricity, in the United States. They have a lot of educational material on how Nuclear Reactors work. There are several types of these power reactors. The two types that are most prevalent, in the United States, only the Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) and Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) are in commercial service. I've been told by people more knowledgeable than I that Japan's reactor is a BWR type.

• Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs)
• Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs)

Images curiosity of the NRC.


The Teachers instruction manual Reactor Concepts Manual might be of interest to you to read, especially chapter five:

• The Fission Process and Heat Production Generation
• The Fission Process and Heat Production
• Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) Systems
• Pressurized Water Reactor (BWR) Systems
• Radiation Terminology
• Natural and Man-Made Radiation Sources
• Radiation Sources at Nuclear Plants
• Dose Standards and Methods for Protection Against Radiation and Contamination
• Biological Effects of Radiation
• Radioactive Waste Management
• Transportation of Radioactive Material

There are various radiation monitoring systems in operation around the world. The one of most interest in northern Japan is at present either damaged or disabled. Which shows that we must always consider catastrophic design issues in our Embedded Systems designes.

Other monitoring systems that I know of are the German radioactivity monitoring network ODL-Netz, which opens a map with about 1800 stations, the stations are clickable and show the measurements in the last seven days. There is also the Community Environmental Monitoring Program in Nevada, where Gamma Radiation is measured and recorded near real time.

Do you know of any others, particularly ones that are World Wide? [Shades of Harold King's novel Red Alert where a super secret world wide radiation monitoring system is a central part of the plot.]

The U.S. Geological Survey has a map of the Latest Earthquakes in the World - Past 7 days

Some have speculated that recent Earthquakes have been the result of increased solar activity, such solar activity is documented by NOAA / Space Weather Prediction Center.

For those that really want to crawl out on a limb, some say around March 20th, and/or April 18th, will be the next massive Earthquake, probably in New Zealand, based on a recent trend, and the Moon reaching lunar perigee, its closest approach until 2016. That there is a connection between the Moon and Earthquakes is not speculation, it is Tidal forces at play.