Category Archives: Programming

How the Algorithm Knows Where the Qix is: a (ful)filling solution

It is not every day that one encounters a question left unanswered by Google, especially when it’s very specific and related to programming. So, to ruin this one for everyone else, here’s my solution to a cute little coding riddle from a classic old game.

A screenshot from a nice online Qix clone
A screenshot from a nice online Qix clone
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Programming Pong on a Standalone Nextion Display

Many makers are fond of Nextion displays, because they simplify the process of creating graphical touch interfaces for embedded systems, and are less expensive than other HMI (Human-Machine Interface) screens. They were not designed for games, so I decided I had to write one as a challenge!

One-player Pong game on a Nextion display
One-player Pong game on a Nextion display

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Why You Don’t Want To Use Dynamic Allocation On Your MCU

If you have some background in computer programming languages, and you just started working with low-memory MCUs, you may be tempted to do some dynamic allocation in your programs. After all, that’s what smart memory management is all about, right? Well, the truth is that in the vast majority of cases, dynamic allocation in MCUs will be pointless and even detrimental. In this post, I will explain why.

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