When dealing with embedded stuff, you don't always have the luxury of code at first sight. Sometimes you have to write ugly code like this code does, sometimes

When dealing with embedded stuff, you don't always have the luxury of code at first sight. Sometimes you have to write ugly code like this code does, sometimes you have to roll your own print statements because using printf pulls in a few k of code, sometimes you have to use a uart running at 600 baud to get a 60 hz timer. Of course, when you start going down the path of interesting, it's always best to write lots of good documentation to go with the cleverness, so people understand what's going on.