Device driver development
Drivers for the peripherals your board actually uses, tested on hardware.
Discuss thisFirmware & EmbeddedFirmware that matches
Firmware that matches
the hardware it runs on.
Firmware is where hardware decisions become product behaviour. We develop drivers, real-time control, bootloaders and update paths alongside the board they run on, so the code matches the actual electrical and timing design.
- Drivers & RTOS tasks
- Bootloaders & field updates
- Written against the board
Why firmware projects stallFirmware written after the board
Firmware written after the board
is already built.
Code developed against a datasheet rather than the real board produces timing surprises, register mismatches and drivers that work on the engineer’s desk but not in the enclosure, at temperature, or across production units.
We develop firmware against the schematic and layout as well as the part datasheet, and validate on real hardware early. Registers, clocking, pin assignment and peripheral routing are checked rather than assumed.
Hardware and firmware are designed together. Peripheral choices, clock trees and power states are agreed as one design, not frozen before code starts.
- 01Written against the real board
Drivers follow the actual schematic and pin assignment rather than a generic reference design.
- 02Timing that is measured
Real-time loops characterised on hardware, with jitter and margin reported rather than assumed.
- 03Updates that recover
Bootloaders and field update paths designed so a failed update cannot brick a unit in the field.
- 04Built to be maintained
Coding standards, build scripts and documentation delivered so your team can extend the code.
- Hardware-verifiedDrivers are exercised on the assembled board, not only in a simulator or IDE project.
- Timing characterisedReal-time loops are measured for jitter and margin under representative load.
- Update path includedBootloader, recovery and rollback are considered as part of the design, not added later.
- Maintainable outputCoding standards, build scripts and design notes are delivered alongside the source.
What we deliver
Firmware development services
Firmware work can be scoped as a full product codebase, a driver layer, or a focused fix to an existing system.
RTOS application development
Task design, scheduling, synchronisation and resource planning on FreeRTOS, Zephyr or similar.
Discuss thisBootloader development
Bootloaders with secure boot, signature checks, recovery paths and rollback.
Discuss thisBoard support packages
Clock, pin, peripheral and startup configuration packaged for repeatable builds.
Discuss thisFirmware performance tuning
Interrupt latency, jitter, power state and flash access characterised and improved.
Discuss thisFirmware update services
Over-the-air and wired update paths designed to fail safely in the field.
Discuss thisWhat is included in scope
Scope is agreed in writing before work starts, so deliverables and responsibilities are clear.
- Platform selectionMCU or SoC chosen against performance, cost, toolchain, availability and long-term support.
- Architecture and task designTask split, priorities, timing budget and interrupt strategy agreed before coding.
- Driver and peripheral layerDrivers written against the real schematic, then exercised on assembled hardware.
- Boot and update pathBootloader, secure boot, image validation and recovery designed as one flow.
- Timing and power validationLatency, jitter, current draw and low-power behaviour measured on hardware.
- Handover packageSource, build scripts, coding standards, design notes and test results delivered together.
Capabilities
Firmware capability, layer by layer
Drivers, real-time logic and applications are developed against the board they run on, so interfaces line up and timing is predictable.
Device drivers
GPIO, ADC, DAC, PWM, timers, UART, I2C, SPI, CAN and sensor drivers written for your board.
RTOS task design
Task decomposition, priorities, synchronisation and deadline planning with measured jitter.
Bootloaders & secure boot
Second-stage boot, signature verification, anti-rollback and recovery paths.
Low-power design
Sleep state planning, wake sources, current budgets and battery life measurement.
Field update mechanisms
Wired and over-the-air update paths with integrity checks and safe failure behaviour.
Connectivity firmware
Protocol stacks and radio integration for Wi-Fi, BLE, LoRa, Zigbee and cellular.
Test & verification
Unit, integration and hardware-in-the-loop testing with coverage reporting.
Performance tuning
Flash access, DMA, interrupt latency and power state optimisation with before/after data.
For Linux-based products, see embedded Linux & RTOS. For connected sensor nodes, see IoT & sensor firmware.
Our process
How firmware reaches production
Platform choice, architecture, driver layer, then validation on real hardware.
Platform & architecture
MCU or SoC, toolchain, RTOS choice, task split and timing budget agreed first.
Architecture briefDriver & HAL layer
Peripheral configuration and drivers written against the real schematic and pin map.
Driver libraryApplication & boot
Application logic, bootloader, secure boot and update path implemented together.
Firmware buildValidate & harden
Timing, power and update-recovery behaviour measured on production-representative hardware.
Validation report
Technologies
Firmware platforms and tools
Platforms are chosen around your performance, cost and lifecycle needs rather than what is most familiar to us.
- RTOSFreeRTOS, Zephyr and equivalent real-time kernels with task design and timing analysis
- MCU familiesARM Cortex-M, RISC-V and 8/16/32-bit microcontroller platforms
- Bare-metalDirect register-level development with disciplined structure and HAL discipline
- Connectivity stacksWi-Fi, BLE, LoRa, Zigbee, NB-IoT and cellular protocol integration
- ToolchainsReproducible build scripts, version pinning and continuous-integration friendly output
- VerificationUnit, integration and hardware-in-the-loop testing with coverage measurement
Firmware that cannot be rebuilt reproducibly becomes firmware nobody can maintain. Build scripts, pinned toolchain versions and coding standards are part of the deliverable, not an extra.
Industries
Firmware that fits your industry’s constraints.
Safety, connectivity and lifecycle expectations differ by sector, and they shape the architecture from the start.
Industrial
Control panels, motor drives, gateways and automation hardware for continuous operation.
IndustrialAutomotive
In-cabin electronics, LED drivers and control units designed around automotive electrical and thermal expectations.
AutomotiveEnergy & power
Monitoring, metering, conversion and control electronics for energy and power systems.
Energy & powerHealthcare
Diagnostic and monitoring devices designed with patient safety and compliance in mind.
HealthcareRailways
Onboard and signalling electronics built for vibration, temperature cycling and long maintenance cycles.
RailwaysDefence
Rugged, secure and mission-critical systems with controlled supply and documentation.
DefenceCapability examplesSee the engineering problem.
See the engineering problem.
Imagine the possibilities.
The scenarios below illustrate the kind of work we do — they are not published client case studies or measured results. Ask us about relevant experience for your product.
Illustrative · Industrial controller
A motor control loop with tight timing
Challenge: A control loop had to meet a deadline while several peripherals were active.
Approach: Task priorities and interrupt strategy designed first, then jitter measured on hardware and tuned.
Explore motor driversIllustrative · Field-deployed sensor
A battery node that must update remotely
Challenge: Firmware updates over the air risked leaving units unusable if interrupted.
Approach: A bootloader with signature checks, dual images and rollback, tested through interrupted updates.
Explore IoT & sensorsIllustrative · Low-power handheld
A device with a fixed battery budget
Challenge: Average current sat well above the design target, shortening runtime between charges.
Approach: Peripheral clocking and sleep states reviewed against the datasheet, then current draw measured per state.
Explore battery technologyFrequently asked questionsGood questions.
Good questions.
Clear starting points.
What buyers usually want to know before scoping this kind of work.
Ask about your requirements →What firmware development services do you provide?
Device drivers, RTOS application code, bootloaders, board support packages, field update paths, low-power design, performance tuning and hardware-validated testing.
Which platforms do you work with?
Microcontroller and RTOS projects on ARM Cortex-M, RISC-V and 8/16/32-bit parts, plus selected Linux-based platforms. The choice follows your performance, cost and lifecycle needs.
Do you write drivers for our specific board?
Yes. Drivers are written against your schematic and pin assignment and exercised on the assembled board, rather than a generic reference design.
How do you handle firmware updates in the field?
Bootloaders, secure boot, image signature verification and rollback are designed as one flow and tested through interrupted updates, so a failure cannot brick a unit.
Can you work with our existing codebase?
Yes. We can review an existing codebase for structure, timing, error handling and maintainability, then prioritise fixes or take on ongoing development.
How is the code handed over?
Source, reproducible build scripts, pinned toolchain versions, coding standards, design notes and validation results are delivered as one package.
Related services
Firmware & Embedded
Explore the rest of the programme, or get in touch about this service directly.
Start your projectLet’s write firmware
Let’s write firmware
that matches your hardware.
Have a new platform, an existing codebase that needs work, or a timing problem that is hard to pin down? Tell us about the hardware and the behaviour you need.
No complete specification needed. A short brief of your product and goals is enough to start.
What happens next?
- Share your product goal, application and current stage.
- Discuss the components, interfaces and constraints that matter.
- Agree a practical next step and the scope for a proposal.