Firmware, device screens and the dashboards behind them

We write the software inside connected products and the software around them: firmware for the microcontroller, the touchscreen on the device, signed over-the-air updates, and the web platform where customers buy, pair and monitor it.

Case studies

Related work

Grolia

Firmware, the touchscreen interface and the grolia.com.au platform for Flush, a benchtop cabinet that grows gourmet mushrooms.

Wastewater controller

ESP32 firmware for an automated sewage treatment system, and a browser simulator that runs the real controller code.

What we build

Firmware & connected devices

  • Control firmware

    Sensors, outputs and control loops in C++, with safe start-up and fault handling.

  • Device interfaces

    Touchscreen interfaces for small displays, with presets, settings and pairing.

  • Over-the-air updates

    Signed releases that install in the background and roll back if something fails.

  • Simulators

    Firmware logic compiled to WebAssembly so it can be tested in a browser before hardware exists.

  • Device APIs

    Pairing, device sign-in and sensor readings stored and charted in the cloud.

  • Customer dashboards

    A web dashboard where owners see their device, and staff see the fleet.

Approach

How we build it

We keep control logic separate from hardware drivers, so it can be tested on a laptop and in a simulator long before it runs on the board.

Steve wrote the firmware that ships in Grolia’s Flush cabinets, on Raspberry Pi RP2350 boards, and we have written control firmware for ESP32 for Sterling Civil. Both are C++ with PlatformIO. We work alongside whoever designs your circuit board and enclosure.

Questions

Common questions

Which microcontrollers do you work with?

Raspberry Pi RP2350 boards for Grolia’s Flush cabinet, and ESP32 for a wastewater controller. Both use C++ with the Arduino framework and PlatformIO.

Do you design the circuit board?

We write the software. On Grolia, the cabinet and its electronics were designed by Grolia’s own engineers, and Steve worked alongside them.

Can you test firmware before the hardware is ready?

Yes. For the wastewater controller we compiled the control code to WebAssembly so the client could run it in a browser simulator before any panel was wired.

Working together

How an enquiry works

No sales calls to book. Tell us about the project and we’ll take it from there.

  1. Send an enquiry

    Tell us what you need built, what you use now and roughly when. A few sentences is enough to start.

  2. Steve reads it

    Every enquiry is read by Steve, the founder. If it looks like a good fit, he replies by email with questions.

  3. Talk it through

    If the project suits us both, we talk through what to build first and how to get there.

Building a connected product?

A few sentences is enough. Steve reads every enquiry and replies by email.

Send an enquiry