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Abstract
The scalability of FreeRTOS makes it a popular choice for embedded systems, yet its behavior on processors with severe memory constraints remains poorly quantified. This study conducts a rigorous empirical evaluation of FreeRTOS on the Arduino Uno platform, based on the ATmega328P microcontroller with only 2KB of SRAM. We introduce a systematic benchmarking framework designed to probe the kernel's operational limits by measuring task capacity, stack depth requirements, and scheduler overhead under controlled stress conditions. Our findings reveal that heap fragmentation is the primary determinant of task capacity and precisely quantify the performance trade-offs associated with kernel configuration. The results provide a set of validated, practical guidelines for developers, enabling more reliable design choices for deploying RTOS-based solutions on resource-limited hardware commonly found in cost-sensitive IoT applications.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Abdurrakhman Hamid Al-Azhari, Mario Norman Syah, Rizky Ajie Aprilianto
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
- C. Moll, “The Arduino Popularity Contest.” Accessed: Sep. 21, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://news.sparkfun.com/1982
- I. M. Kulmány et al., “Calibration of an Arduino-based low-cost capacitive soil moisture sensor for smart agriculture,” Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics, vol. 70, no. 3, pp. 330–340, Sep. 2022, doi: 10.2478/johh-2022-0014.
- M. M. Islam, M. A. Kashem, and J. Uddin, “An internet of things framework for real-time aquatic environment monitoring using an Arduino and sensors,” International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 826–833, Feb. 2022, doi: 10.11591/ijece.v12i1.pp826-833.
- F. M. Lopez-Rodriguez and F. Cuesta, “An android and arduino based low-cost educational robot with applied intelligent control and machine learning,” Applied Sciences (Switzerland), vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 1–26, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.3390/app11010048.
- M. Guzmán-Fernández et al., “Arduino: a Novel Solution to the Problem of High-Cost Experimental Equipment in Higher Education”, doi: 10.1007/s40799-021-00449-1/Published.
- Eclipse Foundations, “IoT & Edge Developer Survey Report,” 2021.
- A. D. Raju, I. Y. Abualhaol, R. S. Giagone, Y. Zhou, and S. Huang, “A Survey on Cross-Architectural IoT Malware Threat Hunting,” 2021, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3091427.
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- FreeRTOS, “FreeRTOS Documentation.” Accessed: Sep. 21, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.freertos.org/Documentation/00-Overview
- P. Marwedel, Embedded System Design: Embedded Systems Foundations of Cyber-Physical Systems, and the Internet of Things, 4th ed. Springer, 2021. [Online]. Available: http://www.springer.com/series/8563
References
C. Moll, “The Arduino Popularity Contest.” Accessed: Sep. 21, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://news.sparkfun.com/1982
I. M. Kulmány et al., “Calibration of an Arduino-based low-cost capacitive soil moisture sensor for smart agriculture,” Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics, vol. 70, no. 3, pp. 330–340, Sep. 2022, doi: 10.2478/johh-2022-0014.
M. M. Islam, M. A. Kashem, and J. Uddin, “An internet of things framework for real-time aquatic environment monitoring using an Arduino and sensors,” International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 826–833, Feb. 2022, doi: 10.11591/ijece.v12i1.pp826-833.
F. M. Lopez-Rodriguez and F. Cuesta, “An android and arduino based low-cost educational robot with applied intelligent control and machine learning,” Applied Sciences (Switzerland), vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 1–26, Jan. 2021, doi: 10.3390/app11010048.
M. Guzmán-Fernández et al., “Arduino: a Novel Solution to the Problem of High-Cost Experimental Equipment in Higher Education”, doi: 10.1007/s40799-021-00449-1/Published.
Eclipse Foundations, “IoT & Edge Developer Survey Report,” 2021.
A. D. Raju, I. Y. Abualhaol, R. S. Giagone, Y. Zhou, and S. Huang, “A Survey on Cross-Architectural IoT Malware Threat Hunting,” 2021, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3091427.
C. Sabri, L. Kriaa, and S. L. Azzouz, “Comparison of IoT constrained devices operating systems: A survey,” in Proceedings of IEEE/ACS International Conference on Computer Systems and Applications, AICCSA, IEEE Computer Society, Jul. 2017, pp. 369–375. doi: 10.1109/AICCSA.2017.187.
FreeRTOS, “FreeRTOS Documentation.” Accessed: Sep. 21, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://www.freertos.org/Documentation/00-Overview
P. Marwedel, Embedded System Design: Embedded Systems Foundations of Cyber-Physical Systems, and the Internet of Things, 4th ed. Springer, 2021. [Online]. Available: http://www.springer.com/series/8563