STM32 firmware and board development
ProtoMakers develops STM32-based boards and firmware for companies in Israel, from part selection and schematic to the code running on the microcontroller and support through production. STM32 is the microcontroller family we use most in industrial, defense and medical products.
What we do with STM32
- Bare-metal or FreeRTOS firmware, depending on what the product needs
- High-speed DMA- and interrupt-driven communication: UART, SPI, I2C and USB
- Industrial communication: CAN, RS485, RS422 and Modbus
- Reading sensors and processing signals under hard timing
- Motor control, PWM and power stages
- Bootloaders and remote firmware updates that never brick devices in the field
- Designing the board around the MCU: part selection, power supplies, protection and PCB
- Fixing and extending existing STM32 code, even when it is undocumented
When STM32 is the right choice
- You need hard real-time timing and fast, precise response
- You need many interfaces at once: CAN, RS485, SPI, UART, analog inputs and timers
- An industrial, defense or medical product that has to run for years without freezing
- You want one family to grow in: from a small, low-cost part to a powerful processor, with the same tools and coding style
- Low power consumption in a battery-powered product
When something else fits better
- The product needs built-in Wi-Fi at low cost: ESP32 is usually a better fit
- The product talks to a phone over Bluetooth and runs on a small battery: a dedicated BLE chip such as Nordic nRF52 is usually a better fit
- The product needs Linux, a camera, a large display or heavy processing: a small Linux computer fits better
- The project needs dozens of firmware engineers working in parallel: a large development company is a better fit than us
Who does the work
The same engineer designs the board and writes the firmware. That matters with STM32, because many hard bugs sit between the hardware and the code: a wrongly configured interface, a pin wired differently from the schematic, or noise that looks like a software bug. With one engineer responsible for both, there is no argument between teams about whose bug it is, and the fault is found faster. And in a small company you talk directly to the engineer writing the code, with no project manager in between, which is both faster and cheaper.
FAQ
Who develops STM32 firmware in Israel?
ProtoMakers, a development company in Kiryat Tivon, develops STM32-based boards and firmware for companies across Israel, in defense, industry, energy and medical. One engineer is responsible for both the hardware and the code, and all source code is handed over to the client.
We already have an STM32 board. Can we get just the firmware?
Yes. We write firmware for the client's own hardware, and we also fix and extend existing code, including code whose original developer is no longer available.
Can remote firmware updates be added to an STM32 product already in the field?
Usually yes. Typically we add a bootloader with a separate memory area for the new version and a CRC check, so an update that fails halfway never leaves a dead device. The solution depends on the free memory and on the communication channel the product has.
How do you choose an STM32 part?
By what the product needs. The G0 and C0 series suit simple, low-cost products, F4 and G4 suit control and signal processing, H5 and H7 suit high performance, and the L and U series suit low power. The choice is made during specification, before the schematic, and includes availability and price.
Who owns the code at the end?
You do. The source code, its version history, the design files and the documentation are handed over at the end of the project.
Have a project on the table?
A free 30-minute intro call, no obligation.