Hints for Working with Hardware

Working with new hardware can be a real challenge. Hardware engineers follow a different design methodology than do software engineers. (Consider the user interface on a VCR.) The following hints may help make it easier to work with a new piece of hardware.

Learn about the Hardware

Before starting a new driver, learn as much as possible about the hardware itself. Most of the information needed should be in the hardware documentation. At the very least, ensure that information is available for

  • bus architecture

  • control registers

  • error and status reporting

  • interrupt behavior

  • data transfer mechanisms

  • device memory

BUS ARCHITECTURE

The hardware's bus architecture will have a big impact on the design of the driver. Auto ...

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