PLC and controller firmware
Software layer of industrial control boards, from boot-up to bus communication.
Service 04 · Embedded & real time
When the millisecond matters, off-the-shelf software no longer cuts it
C/C++ firmware optimised for your microcontrollers and boards: controlled latency, small memory footprint, deterministic behaviour.
The service at a glance
Unlock the potential of your embedded hardware
We write software optimised for low latency, minimal memory footprint and maximum reliability. Our embedded solutions are aimed at industrial equipment where performance and determinism are non-negotiable.
The goal: predictable performance, lower hardware cost and a longer service life for systems built to last.
Key features
- Language expertise — development in C and C++ for resource-constrained environments.
- Real-time capabilities — support for the FreeRTOS and Zephyr RTOS and for bare-metal programming.
- Protocol support — integration of CAN, Modbus, SPI, I2C and specific industrial buses.
- Hardware compatibility — STM32, i.MX6, ESP32 microcontrollers, Raspberry Pi boards and bespoke boards.
- Remote updates — OTA with secure bootloader, dual bank and automatic rollback.
Use cases
Where our firmware runs today
Robotic control systems
Motion planning and sensor fusion with low-latency control loops.
Edge computing
Local processing of IoT data so that only useful information reaches the network.
Safety applications
Emergency stop systems and critical functions with deterministic behaviour.
The expected outcome
Deterministic performance and hardware that lasts
Well-written firmware often makes it possible to stay on a cheaper microcontroller, avoid a hardware redesign and extend the life of an equipment range by several years.
- Lower hardware cost — software optimisation avoids over-specifying the target.
- Predictable behaviour — response times bounded and measured, not estimated.
- Longevity — code documented, tested and maintainable across the whole product life cycle.
Technical specifications
Hardware targets, real-time systems and buses
Development
- C, C++ — bare metal and RTOS
- Assembly for performance-critical sections
Quality
- Unit tests on target and on host
- Static analysis and coverage measurement
- Continuous integration with cross-compilation
Microcontrollers
- ARM Cortex-M — STM32, Nordic nRF, NXP LPC
- ESP32, ESP8266 for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth applications
- AVR, PIC for legacy systems
Single-board computers
- Bespoke boards — guidance on component selection
- Raspberry Pi — CM4, Pi 4
- BeagleBone, NVIDIA Jetson for AI at the edge
Real-time systems
- FreeRTOS, Zephyr, VxWorks
- Pre-emptive scheduling and deadline analysis
Embedded Linux
- Yocto Project, Buildroot
- Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC
Industrial
- CAN, Modbus, EtherCAT, Profibus, Profinet
Wireless and wired
- Bluetooth LE, LoRaWAN, Zigbee, Wi-Fi
- SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet
Control
- Low-latency control loops for axis control and robotics
- Power management for battery-operated equipment
Life cycle
- Over-The-Air updates with automatic rollback
- Secure boot and firmware encryption
- On-board logging for post-incident diagnostics
Frequently asked questions
Questions about embedded systems
Yes. We start from your schematic and bill of materials to develop or take over the firmware. If the board is still to be designed, we advise on the microcontroller choice and review the schematic from a software standpoint before routing.
Bare metal suits simple firmware, with a single control loop and a minimal memory footprint. An RTOS becomes necessary as soon as several concurrent tasks have to meet distinct deadlines — communication, acquisition and control in parallel. We decide during scoping, backed by CPU load figures.
Yes. We implement Over-The-Air updates with a secure bootloader, dual memory banks to allow automatic rollback on failure, and cryptographic signing of the firmware to prevent any unauthorised image from being installed.
Going further
The other building blocks of your software chain
HMI & supervision
Operator interfaces, SCADA and touch panels connected to your PLCs.
Desktop applications
Machine configuration, simulation, diagnostics and quality analysis on your workstations.
Mobile applications
Work orders, field readings, code scanning and machine alerts for your technicians.
Firmware to write, take over or optimise?
Tell us the hardware target and the real-time constraint to meet: we come back to you within 24 working hours with a first feasibility analysis.