Modern Embedded Systems

LEVERAGE OUR ADVANCED EXPERTISE IN
HARDWARE, FIRMWARE AND EMBEDDED APPLICATIONS

Embedded systems are specialized computer systems designed to perform specific functions within larger devices/systems and are commonly found in everyday devices such as smartphones, digital cameras, household appliances, automobiles, medical devices, etc.

• They are typically built with a combination of hardware and firmware components that are tightly integrated to optimize performance and efficiency
• They are characterized by their real-time capabilities, responding to events and process data in a timely manner
• They are low-power and compact, as they are often deployed in resource-constrained environments

Embedded systems rely on microcontrollers or microprocessors, which are specifically designed for embedded applications. They incorporate various types of sensors and actuators to interact with the physical world and perform tasks based on the input received.

Thinxtream has extensive expertise in designing and developing embedded systems using multiple chipsets and operating systems.

We have implemented bare metal and operating system-based embedded hardware, firmware and applications on varied embedded platforms.

With our extensive embedded systems expertise in ARM® based and other microcontrollers and microprocessors, Thinxtream can implement hardware, firmware and applications for embedded devices with board support package, network connectivity, drivers for various interfaces, edge intelligence, integration with other sub-systems using wired/wireless interfaces, device security and automated testing tools.

While we have delivered embedded devices on a turnkey basis, we have also worked in collaboration with our customer’s hardware designers and suppliers, to deliver firmware and embedded applications for embedded devices.

EMBEDDED HARDWARE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

Leveraging our advanced embedded systems expertise, Thinxtream can deliver hardware design, development and testing for low cost and small footprint microprocessor & microcontroller-based embedded devices.

• Microprocessor & microcontroller-based embedded hardware design, development and testing for a variety of applications
• Embedded hardware selection & component benchmarking, system design, proof of concept solution, prototype development, board bring up, embedded firmware integration and testing, pilot production, manufacturing support
• Hardware design & development across:
• Chipsets from various vendors including Microchip®, STMicroelectronics, NXP, Nordic®, Espressif™, Texas Instruments™, Dialog™ Semiconductor, Marvell®, Intel®
• Operating Systems such as Unix®, Linux flavors, Android
• RTOSs such as FreeRTOS, Zephyr, TI-RTOS, Mbed OS, VxWorks®, etc.
• Bare metal

EMBEDDED FIRMWARE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

After the hardware for your embedded device is developed, Thinxtream can provide microprocessor & microcontroller-based firmware design, development and testing for your embedded devices. Leveraging our advanced embedded systems expertise, Thinxtream can deliver board support package, network connectivity, device drivers and power management.

• Embedded firmware design, development and testing
• Embedded IDE tools like MPLAB® X, Atollic TrueSTUDIO®, Keil®, CodeWarrior™, SEGGER Embedded Studio®, Wind River Tornado®, Wind River® Workbench, TI Code Composer Studio™, Dialog SmartSnippets Studio, Mbed Studio, etc.
• Embedded boot code implementation/updation, if required
• Board assembly verification, board bring-up & basic hardware testing for validation of hardware prototype
• Operating system and compiler integration, flashing, booting and testing, if applicable
• Low-level device drivers implementation to test peripherals
• Basic embedded application implementation to validate that the device is up and running
• Device drivers for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee®, Cellular and GNSS
• Serial device drivers for bus connectivity like USB, I2C, SPI, PCI and UART
• Porting and Integration of OEM supplied Linux based drivers like Wi-Fi, LCD and Touch
• Custom driver development
• Power management
• Embedded firmware upgrade solutions
• System testing and debugging
• Various tools like STM32 CubeMX, MPLAB Code Configurator, etc.

EMBEDDED APPLICATIONS/SOFTWARE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

Once the hardware and firmware are complete, Thinxtream can also design, develop and test embedded applications for your embedded devices. Leveraging our advanced embedded systems expertise, we can implement edge intelligence, connectivity, device security and custom embedded applications.

• Embedded applications/software design, development and testing for different verticals
• Embedded applications/software connectivity to mobile and cloud platforms
• Embedded device to mobile workflow solutions design, development and testing
• Embedded device to cloud workflow solutions design, development and testing
• Android front panels, touch screens design, development and testing
• Enhancement and integration of middleware software
• Network enabling standalone devices
• Connectivity and protocol stacks implementation
• Porting proprietary and open source based applications across different operating systems and its flavors
• Embedded security solutions design, development and testing
• Device hardware simulators design and development

EMBEDDED TESTING

• Determining embedded testing strategy, determining/preparing test environment and test ware (i.e. test cases, suites and harnesses), automation of build, test setup and execution, performing product QA tests, tracking results, problems/bugs and fixes, employing defect tracking mechanisms, tools and traceability matrices
• Embedded testing focus areas address white-box, black-box, scenario, regression, performance benchmarks, load, reliability and stress, scalability, deployment, interoperability, code coverage, OS and browser compatibility, security requirements and updates
• Leveraging test automation tools, performance tools, test management tools, test simulation