How do you manage and update embedded software to maintain or improve power efficiency over time?

It is a good practice to tie the floating pins to the ground in order to avoid electrical noise and leakage current as it can cause errors or even damage to the microcontroller.

For the money, I really like using a JouleScope https://www.joulescope.com/ . Some of the devboard makers, like Nordic, are either bundling current detection tools into the devboard or selling lower cost add on boards to monitor the current waveform in realtime. I used to be able to use a one ohm shunt resistor, but especially with RF chips that transmit, you need something autoranging to get reasonable accuracy in the few microamps range as well as in the hundred milliamp range. For much less, the current ranger https://lowpowerlab.com/ almost works, but the last one I tried would switch ranges with a visual LED indicator, but no automated way to record what range the data you captured was in.

Dynamic Power Management: 1. Implement different power modes such as sleep, deep sleep, and active modes. Transition to low-power modes when the system is idle. 2. Use clock scaling. Slow down the system clock when full performance is not needed.

Debugging when necessary. Some of the software applications dump debug data all the time which uses UART most of the time. One of the best way to reduce power consumption is to put certain conditions or special message code that can enable/disable debug log during run time.

Imagine this: Your delivery app is super secure and reliable, with all practices in place such as task identification and smart containerization. You've demonstrated it works smoothly even when there's lots of demand on memory and power. You Integrated assembly languages and mechanisms for memory management units (MMUs) and microprocessor units (MPUs) depending on your industry requirements. However, your safety protocols require additional creativity in the long run projection, particularly in cost-effective scenarios. Integrating APIs for health checks is a wise and affordable solution, with potential benefits for your firmware update strategy.

Most important thing is requirement Analysis: Clearly define the power requirements and constraints for the device. Consider factors like expected battery life, operational modes (idle, active, sleep), and power sources. Maintaining or improving power efficiency is an ongoing process. As devices age, batteries degrade, and newer software features are introduced, power profiles can change, and hence, periodic revisiting and re-optimization are essential.

Ensure software interacts efficiently with the hardware, such as utilizing hardware peripherals judiciously and putting unused components in sleep mode. Another way is to implement user-configurable power-saving options, like screen brightness adjustments, to empower users to manage power consumption.