Embedded Firmware Solutions

How can Simplexity deliver lower risk AND faster time-to-market in addition to competitive product cost? We have invested our own time and money to design, build, and test firmware solutions for the embedded systems space. The result is analogous to what industrial component suppliers have done for the low-volume markets, but our solutions are optimized for the mid- to high-volume product space. Our solutions are cost-effective and ready for use.

SNAP2 Framework

A key factor in reducing cost and time is Simplexity’s SNAP2 firmware framework, an all-purpose firmware baseline solution for embedded systems. SNAP2 is good for rapid prototyping and ensures that your embedded solutions are ready sooner: it allows the firmware and motion controls teams to start working in parallel with the electrical team rather than being blocked and forced to serialize tasks. This cuts your time to market.

Early development starts with the SNAP2 framework running on industry standard, low cost, easily procured, off-the-shelf microcontroller development boards. General control can come from a connected host using Python or from a command line interface or, for stand-alone operation, from control written directly into your embedded application. With such a head start, your firmware and control algorithms can be ready to test as each hardware component is available, allowing your algorithms to be tested on real hardware immediately, not after additional weeks of development.

Your design can later transition to a custom PCA into which the existing firmware is ported seamlessly. You own the design of this custom PCA, giving you complete control over the product life cycle. In short, SNAP2 will jump start your product development, so you don’t have to begin with a blank sheet of paper or use expensive industrial components.

SNAP2 Features

SNAP2 provides key features that reduce your risk, development cost, and time to market:

• A complete firmware architecture, tested and tailored for real-world products.
• Flexible custom application integration.
• Built-in support for microcontrollers from industry leaders STMicroelectronics and Nordic Semiconductor with the flexibility to port to microcontrollers from other suppliers.
• Components for hardware drivers and higher-level product behaviors
• Motion control solutions for:
• • Various motor types: DC, Brushless DC using field oriented control (FOC) and stepper motors.
  • PID control loops, with the ability to step up to modern control algorithms.
  • Motion trajectory generation
  • Multi-axis motion planning and coordination via G-code including cornering high speed motion.

• Hardware interfaces for the rich variety of Arduino shields.
• Validated firmware components and up-to-date vendor drivers
• Existing, tested example applications.
• Development environment that is strictly revision controlled and effortlessly reproduced
• Includes industry-standard unit test environment, with tests in place for all components.
• Short procurement lead times.
• Liberal licensing terms with no per-unit fees, which don’t encumber sales for your company.

SNAP2 Hardware

SNAP2 is fundamentally a firmware framework based on the highly flexible Nucleo series of boards from STM and the similarly flexible nRF development kits from Nordic Semi.

Further information on the base controller hardware can be obtained from their respective vendors:

• NUCLEO-L4P5ZG | Product - STMicroelectronics
• nRF52 DK - nordicsemi.com

Controller pinouts may be fully customized or based on Arduino-compatible shields for rapid deployment of additional hardware. The team may utilize off-the-shelf Arduino-compatible shields for testing sensors before custom hardware is available.

These shields are just examples of Arduino shields that could be used; more details are available on the Adafruit website and the Elecrow website. There are numerous other Arduino-compatible expansion boards available. For some projects, it may be more beneficial to do custom prototype of a high-risk subsystem using the industry-standard Arduino form factor for easy integration with the Nucleo.

SNAP2 Software and Firmware

The diagram below shows the SNAP2 embedded firmware stack and PC host software components. The blue areas are SNAP2’s components, drivers, and libraries.

SNAP2 Block Diagram

SNAP2 Applications

SNAP2 is a general development framework. However, it is particularly suited to support two of Simplexity’s other areas of expertise:

Mechatronics and Internet of Things.

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