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Starting Embedded

2026-10-23

Hi,

My name is Roeland.

After developing custom small-business software for 25 years, it is time for something new. I am going to learn embedded software engineering.

I have a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering (specializing in electronics) from 25 years ago, but I have forgotten most of it. I mostly just remember a diode bridge, because that was drilled into us during my final year.

I have also never really used low-level languages like C or Zig. This will be the start of my learning journey, which I will share here. I will start with C, but Zig seems like a great long-term choice since it improves on C. For hardware, I bought an STM32 Nucleo board (NUCLEO-F401RE, €24). My ultimate goal is to write embedded software in Zig, using open-source tools as much as possible.

It may take a while to get there. As a first step, I ordered the book Making Embedded Systems by Elecia White (no affiliation). I am not sure if it is the best place to start, but I saw it recommended online multiple times.

Wish me luck... I will need it!

You can email me at me@roeland.xyz if you would like to share feedback or suggestions.