Understanding Hard-Float vs Soft-Float Implementations on Cortex-M Processors
By
hasheddan
A five-star bake. Worth schmearing, sharing, saving.
Summary
The article discusses floating-point operations on Cortex-M processors, focusing on the differences between hard-float and soft-float implementations. It references a previous post about the PSA Crypto API and how ECDSA signature operations are handled on nRF52840 MCUs through closed-source libraries that interface with Arm TrustZone CryptoCell 310. The author explores the implications of floating-point variants in embedded systems libraries and their impact on performance and compatibility.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledReaders that ventured down the rabbit hole of links in the post may have noticed that there are variants of the nrf_cc310_mbedcrypto libraries for hard-float and soft-float.
In the case of the former, the ECDSA signature operation was eventually executed in a closed source library that manages communication between the Arm Cortex-M4 processor and the Arm TrustZone CryptoCell 310 security subsystem.
If you have ever hit an error from your linker of the type...
The article discusses floating-point operations on Cortex-M processors, focusing on the differences between hard-float and soft-float implementations.
You might also wanna read
Exploring the Performance of MicroPython on Microcontrollers
The article discusses the performance of MicroPython on microcontrollers, prompted by a question during a Q&A session at EuroPython 2025. Th
blog.miguelgrinberg.com·10mo ago
wolfCOSE: A Lightweight COSE + CBOR Library for Embedded Systems with PQC and FIPS 140-3 Support
wolfCOSE is a lightweight C library implementing CBOR (RFC 8949) and COSE (RFC 9052/9053) for embedded systems, using wolfSSL as the crypto
github.com·1d ago
Running Rust and Slint on a Jailbroken Kindle Paperwhite
A developer jailbreaks their 7th generation Kindle Paperwhite to use it as a nightstand clock, then explores running Rust (and Slint) on the
MuseLab nanoCH32H417: $17 RISC-V MCU Board with USB 3.0 and Fast Ethernet
MuseLab has released the nanoCH32H417, a third-party development board for the WCH CH32H417 dual-core RISC-V MCU. Priced at $17, the board f
cnx-software.com·4d ago
Flipper One Technical Documentation: Hardware, Software, and Testing Guide
This is technical documentation for the Flipper One device, covering hardware specifications (power subsystem, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, M.2 port, GP
rkdebian: Run Debian 12 on Doogee U10 Tablet via SD Card Without Bootloader Unlock
This article presents rkdebian, a build system that enables running full Debian 12 Bookworm on a Doogee U10 tablet (RK3562 chipset) without
github.com·14d ago