Welcome to the September issue of Circuit Cellar, where we explore how modern embedded systems engineering is evolving from isolated circuits into deeply integrated systems. Today’s engineers can no longer view hardware, firmware, user interfaces, or network security as independent siloes. Instead, resilient, intelligent systems require unified perspectives across every layer of design.
At the foundation of any physical system are perception and motion. Tony Hanna continues his deep dive into radar, showing the mathematical principles, such as the radar equation, and how they translate into practical laboratory setups for range detection and spatial awareness. Moving from RF sensing to physical locomotion, Connor Lynaugh and Sarah Grace Brown present a 12-degrees-of-freedom quadruped robot that uses LiDAR mapping, infrared thermal sensing, and IMU orientation tracking to autonomously navigate complex environments. Hardware perception and interactive control also drive Madelin Prak and Junwoo Kwon’s “CodeBuddy Timmy,” an educational mobile robot that bridges abstract software decisions with physical motion using visual block programming and sensor feedback loops.
As embedded devices grow in capability, creating intuitive human-machine interaction becomes equally critical. Brian Millier reviews Bridgetek’s fifth-generation EVE5 display controller (BT820), demonstrating how high-definition touchscreens and rapid graphical rendering can be integrated with host microcontrollers to build responsive dashboards.
Powerful hardware and interfaces rely heavily on robust connectivity. Danny Lemos examines cellular network infrastructure, demonstrating how signal analysis tools such as the Siretta SNYPER 5G map and verify LTE-M and NB-IoT coverage to ensure dependable remote IoT communication.
Connecting systems to wider networks introduces critical operational responsibilities. As highlighted in our feature on Operational Technology (OT) security, connectivity brings security risks that demand security-by-design, Zero Trust architectures, and holistic lifecycle management from hardware conception through device retirement. Complementing this proactive security stance, Colin O’Flynn explores the software analysis side, showing how Large Language Models (LLMs) paired with reverse engineering tools such as Ghidra can streamline firmware disassembly and assist engineers in identifying undocumented code behavior.
One of the unifying characteristics of all our articles and projects this month is the intelligent use of tools, whether those tools are old-school oscilloscopes or state-of-the-art LLMs. Electronic design and engineering has been evolving for more than a hundred years and successful practitioners will continue to evolve with changing tools and technologies. And that brings me to this month’s question: Which evolving tool or technology are you most looking forward to in the future? Is it a soldering iron that never produces a cold joint? An inexpensive, desktop oscilloscope that automatically changes its innards to work with frequencies from DC to terahertz? LLM AI engines that know the answers to all your questions before you ask them? Let me know what you think—and which tools Circuit Cellar should include in its projects and articles in upcoming issues.
email: c.franklin@circuitcellar.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/curtisfranklin/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/curtis.f.franklin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curt_franklin/
Mastodon: https://mastodon.sdf.org/@Kg4gwa
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/kg4gwa.bsky.social
Issue Table of Contents can be found here,
as articles are made available online they will be linked.
PUBLISHED IN CIRCUIT CELLAR MAGAZINE • September #434 – Get a PDF of the issue
Fuel your passion! Subscribe to keep the innovation flowing.
Curtis Franklin has been a journalist working in the computer and technology fields for more than forty years. From his early career as a columnist at Computer Shopper and the founder of the BYTE Testing Lab, he has covered computing devices from handheld to supercomputing and applications from trivial to life-altering. In 1988, he was the first editor of an exciting startup publication that was then called Circuit Cellar INK. Since then, he has edited and written for publications including ComputerWorld, NetworkWorld, InfoWorld, InformationWeek, and Dark Reading. Most recently, he was Principal Analyst for Cybersecurity Management at Omdia.
Curtis co-wrote one of the first books on podcasting and has been a host or co-host on more than 500 episodes of various podcasts, including hundreds of episodes of This Week in Enterprise Technology, a production of the TWiT Podcast Network.
When not telling stories of computers and the people who make them, Curtis is an amateur radio operator (KG4GWA), an artist, and a Florida Master Naturalist. He’s also active in the maker community, working on the teams that produce Maker Faire Orlando and Maker Faire Miami.
