This document discusses embedded development using .NET Micro Framework. It begins by defining embedded development as running small software modules on microcontrollers and external boards to control hardware components. It then introduces .NET Micro Framework, an open-source platform that improves productivity, reliability, and portability for embedded applications using C# and VB.NET. Examples are provided for getting started with a basic "Hello World" app, using object-oriented principles to create an ADC driver class, and building IoT/M2M systems with MQTT and Node-RED. A live demo is shown developing an ADC driver using classes, inheritance, interfaces, and polymorphism.

1. Lorenzo Maiorfi
Modern OOP embedded development with
.NET Micro Framework
maiorfi@innovactive.it – www.innovactive.it www.tinyclr.it

2. What does «embedded development» actually mean?
Lorenzo Maiorfi
maiorfi@innovactive.it – www.innovactive.it
www.tinyclr.it
• Small Hardware components…
•
Microcontrollers (microprocessor cores driving
electrical analog/digital peripherals)
•
•
•
small (about 1 square cm)
cheap (€1-10 each)
low-power (about 50-100 uA per MHz)
• External boards/modules/IC
•
•
running specific tasks (i.e. sensors, actuators)
bound via some communication channel (network,
serial port, CAN, I2C, SPI, etc)

3. What does «embedded development» actually mean?
Lorenzo Maiorfi
maiorfi@innovactive.it – www.innovactive.it
www.tinyclr.it
• …running small software «modules»
•
Native firmware
•
•
•
•
Hard to write/debug/maintain
Vendor/platform specific (not portable)
Uses «old» languages/paradigms (C, assembler, core
registers access, memory-based actions, etc)
Managed firmware
•
•
•
•
Easy to write/debug/maintain
Portable
Uses OOP/OOD concepts
Abstracts both «machine model» and interactions
with other «actors» of whole solution

4. Introducing .NET Micro Framework
Lorenzo Maiorfi
maiorfi@innovactive.it – www.innovactive.it
www.tinyclr.it
An open-source platform (runtime/libraries , toolchain
and IDE) that excels in:
• Productivity
– Visual Studio IDE, C#/VB.NET compilers, debugger and
emulator make up the most productive suite on the embedded
market
•
Reliability
– managed runtime keeps under control all application layers
•
Portability
– could be ported to all known technologies, at this time covers
most microcontrollers whose core is based on 32 bit ARM™
•
Support
– open-source under Apache 2.0 license, contains many
community-provided resources

5. How to write applications with .NET Micro Framework
Lorenzo Maiorfi
maiorfi@innovactive.it – www.innovactive.it
www.tinyclr.it
1. Developer writes code by mean of high-level languages
such as C# or VB.NET
2. Compiler generates one or more «assemblies»
3. Assemblies binary images are stored in device flash (i.e.
non-volatile) memory
4. Once reset, device runs a bootloader, that on its turn
fires managed runtime (TinyCLR)
5. TinyCLR loads both framework and «user» assemblies,
and soon after it runs entry-point method, i.e. the
«Main()»

6. Demo #1 – Getting Started
Lorenzo Maiorfi
DEMO
Hello,world
(with 3 different patterns)
white led
button

7. OOP/OOD with .NET Micro Framework
Lorenzo Maiorfi
maiorfi@innovactive.it – www.innovactive.it
www.tinyclr.it
• OOP/OOD is very suitable for embedded development,
since it naturally maps physical objects to software
models, by mean of classes, objects and interfaces
• Encapsulation allows for better component isolation
(black-box model)
• Inheritance allows for better code reuse when using
several «variants/flavors» of same component
• Polymorphism allows for a better way to connect objects,
by mean of «outlet» abstraction, i.e. interfaces

8. OOP/OOD with .NET Micro Framework
Lorenzo Maiorfi
maiorfi@innovactive.it – www.innovactive.it
www.tinyclr.it
We’re going to apply this paradigm on a simple “devicedriver” for a small integrated-circuit (IC): MCP3201 ADC
1. Do some “lab” (quick & dirty demos, test SPIcommunication with a scope, etc)
2. Encapsulate functionalities into a class
3. Add features (such as async events in our case) via
inheritance
4. Extract “Interfaces” (i.e. abstract behavior)
5. Re-implement Interfaces differently

9. Demo #2 – OOP/OOD Demo
Lorenzo Maiorfi
DEMO
ADC Driver
This is a POT to change voltage
+
This is MCP3201!

10. IoT/M2M as the killer app for .NET Micro Framework
Lorenzo Maiorfi
maiorfi@innovactive.it – www.innovactive.it
www.tinyclr.it
.NET Micro Framework killer applications are IoT/M2M
systems, since:
• It has a rich TCP/IP network stack
• There are many libraries implementing both IoT
protocols (first and foremost HTTP REST, both client and
server) and M2M protocols (primarily MQTT & CoAP)
• There are many libraries that allow for «bridging» across
other technologies, such as ZigBee, Bluetooth, BLE,
vendor-specific 2.4GHz/433MHz radio modules (we’re
developing Z-Wave stack, too)
• OOP features are great for building systems made of
devices that interact in an abstract way!

11. IoT/M2M with mqtt & node-red
Lorenzo Maiorfi
maiorfi@innovactive.it – www.innovactive.it
www.tinyclr.it
• Mqtt is a lightweight pub/sub protocol whose primary
focus is communication in IoT/M2M applications
• Mqtt client libs are available for all platforms/languages
• Node-Red is an open software (based on Node.js) whose
purpose is to design and run “flows”
• Flows are made of “nodes” targeted to specific functions
• Among built-in nodes: tcp-in/out, udp-in/out, httpin/out, mqtt-in/out, twitter, mail, files, mongodb, etc.
• Many “logic” node blocks (function, template, switch)
• You can write (and debug, via node-inspector) your own
nodes, too!

12. Demo #3 – IoT/M2M Demo
Lorenzo Maiorfi
APIs
Node-Red
http
“javascript”
Remote #1
mqtt
Mqtt Broker
Remote #2
mqtt
mqtt
Radio
Bridge
radio
websockets
Robot

13. Thank you!
Lorenzo Maiorfi
maiorfi@innovactive.it – www.innovactive.it - @innovactive
Tech Blog: www.tinyclr.it - @tinyclr