Who Should Attend

This course is designed for professionals working on embedded systems who want to build or strengthen their RTOS capability, including:

• Embedded Software Engineers
• Firmware Developers
• Systems Engineers
• Engineers transitioning from bare-metal to RTOS-based systems
• Technical Leads and Senior Engineers

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• understand the architecture and core concepts of Zephyr RTOS
• develop applications using tasks, threads, and scheduling mechanisms
• manage concurrency and shared resources safely
• work with timers, interrupts, and real-time behaviour
• integrate and configure device drivers and hardware interfaces
• use Zephyr’s build system and tooling effectively
• design embedded systems that are scalable, maintainable, and reliable

Course Content

Introduction to Zephyr RTOS

Participants begin by understanding the role of RTOS in modern embedded systems and how Zephyr fits within this landscape.

Topics typically include:

• RTOS fundamentals and when to use them
• overview of Zephyr architecture and design principles
• comparison with bare-metal development
• understanding Zephyr’s ecosystem and supported platforms

Development Environment and Tooling

Participants set up and work with the Zephyr development environment.

Topics typically include:

• installing and configuring the Zephyr toolchain
• using West (Zephyr’s meta-tool)
• project structure and configuration
• building, flashing, and debugging applications

Threads, Scheduling, and Task Management

This section focuses on how Zephyr manages execution and system behaviour.

Topics typically include:

• thread creation and management
• scheduling policies and priorities
• context switching and execution flow
• designing responsive and efficient task structures

Inter-Thread Communication and Synchronisation

Participants learn how to safely manage shared resources and communication between threads.

Topics typically include:

• semaphores, mutexes, and message queues
• avoiding race conditions and deadlocks
• synchronisation patterns in embedded systems
• designing safe and predictable concurrent systems

Timers, Interrupts, and Real-Time Behaviour

This section focuses on handling time-critical operations and external events.

Topics typically include:

• software timers and delays
• interrupt handling in Zephyr
• designing for deterministic behaviour
• balancing responsiveness with system stability

Device Drivers and Hardware Integration

Participants explore how Zephyr interacts with hardware and peripherals.

Topics typically include:

• device model and driver architecture
• working with GPIO, sensors, and peripherals
• configuring hardware using Devicetree
• integrating and extending drivers

Memory Management and System Resources

This section focuses on efficient use of limited embedded resources.

Topics typically include:

• memory allocation strategies
• stack and heap management
• optimising resource usage
• debugging memory-related issues

Networking and Connectivity (Optional / Platform Dependent)

Where relevant, participants explore connectivity features within Zephyr.

Topics typically include:

• networking stack overview
• communication protocols
• integrating connected devices into systems
• building IoT-enabled embedded solutions

Debugging, Testing, and Optimisation

Participants learn how to identify and resolve issues in RTOS-based systems.

Topics typically include:

• debugging tools and techniques
• logging and tracing
• performance monitoring
• system optimisation and tuning

Practical Application and Case Studies

The course includes extensive hands-on exercises to reinforce learning.

Participants will:

• build and extend realistic embedded applications using Zephyr
• apply RTOS concepts in practical scenarios
• troubleshoot and refine system behaviour
• explore best practices for production-ready systems

Delivery Approach

This is a hands-on, engineering-focused programme with a strong emphasis on practical application.

It includes:

• instructor-led sessions
• guided coding exercises
• real-world embedded scenarios
• collaborative problem-solving and discussion

Duration

5 Days

Delivery Options

This course can be delivered as:

• a public scheduled course
• a private team programme
• virtual delivery
• on-site classroom training

Outcomes

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

• develop embedded applications using Zephyr RTOS with confidence
• manage tasks, timing, and concurrency effectively
• integrate hardware and software within an RTOS environment
• build systems that are scalable, reliable, and maintainable
• apply RTOS principles to real-world embedded projects

Additional Notes

This programme is particularly valuable for teams moving from bare-metal development to RTOS-based systems, or those looking to standardise on a modern, scalable embedded platform.

Participants are encouraged to bring their own use cases or system challenges, allowing learning to be applied directly to their development environment.