The Agile Embedded Podcast Podcast Por Luca Ingianni Jeff Gable arte de portada

The Agile Embedded Podcast

The Agile Embedded Podcast

De: Luca Ingianni Jeff Gable
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Learn how to get your embedded device to market faster AND with higher quality. Join Luca Ingianni and Jeff Gable as they discuss how agile methodologies apply to embedded systems development, with a particular focus on safety-critical industries such as medical devices.2021-2025 Jeff Gable & Luca Ingianni
Episodios
  • MicroPython with Matt Trentini

    MicroPython with Matt Trentini
    Jan 5 2026
    We talk with Matt Trentini, Principal Software Engineer at Planet Innovation, about using MicroPython for professional embedded development—including medical devices. Matt shares how he was drawn back to embedded development after becoming jaded with traditional C-based workflows, and explains why MicroPython's interactive REPL and rapid development cycle have become game-changers for his team.We explore the practical realities of using an interpreted language on microcontrollers: how Planet Innovation uses it for Class B medical devices, what the performance trade-offs actually look like, and how features like the Unix port enable robust testing. Matt walks us through deployment considerations, explains how to integrate C code when needed, and shares compelling stories about real-time client demos that would be impossible in C++.Whether you're skeptical about high-level languages in embedded systems or curious about alternatives to traditional development workflows, this conversation offers a grounded, engineering-focused look at what MicroPython can—and can't—do in production environments.Key Topics[03:30] Matt's background and why he left embedded development before MicroPython brought him back[08:45] What MicroPython is: a complete re-implementation of Python for microcontrollers with REPL, filesystem, and machine module[13:20] How Planet Innovation introduced MicroPython through an OpenMV vision processing project[17:15] The game-changing power of the REPL for interactive hardware development and testing[21:40] Running MicroPython code on x86 for testing, and the mock machine library approach[26:30] Python library compatibility: what works, what doesn't, and memory considerations[29:50] Integrating C and C++ code through extension modules for performance-critical sections[33:10] Performance realities: 10-100x slower in interpreter, but can always drop to C speed when needed[37:45] Tooling: MPRemote, the magical mount feature, and development workflow[42:20] When NOT to use MicroPython: cost-sensitive high-volume products and resource constraints[45:30] Using MicroPython in Class B medical devices and safety-critical applications[49:15] Garbage collection: simple, predictable, and controllable—can be disabled when needed[52:40] Real-time client demo story: modifying state machines during a call and showing results immediately[56:20] Deployment: frozen code, disabling REPL and filesystem, and OTA considerations[01:01:30] Common mistakes: logic errors and inadvertent allocations rather than memory corruption[01:05:45] Threading, AsyncIO, and the Global Interpreter Lock across different ports[01:08:20] State machine frameworks: StateChart, Yasme, and PyTransitions[01:11:40] Junior developer productivity: faster onboarding compared to C/C++ embedded development[01:15:10] Getting started: board bring-up as an ideal first use case for MicroPython[01:17:50] Hardware-in-the-loop testing as a low-risk way to try MicroPythonNotable Quotes"It's hard to overstate how game changing the REPL is. Particularly as an embedded engineer, once you see that you can interactively talk to a peripheral, you can generate your own I2C, squirt it across and see what the peripheral does with it—suddenly driver development has just become easy to experiment with." — Matt Trentini"My trite answer is that MicroPython is slow—10 to 100 times slower than C in the interpreter. But my flip side answer is that it can always be made as fast as C because you can always drop into C to write things." — Matt Trentini"There was a moment in a recent project where we were discussing the workflow of a state machine with the client, and while we were on a call, another engineer was actually making changes to MicroPython code. Literally a couple minutes after we'd been hashing out the details, they showed the changes in the state machine using the REPL. The client was blown away—in 25 years of development, I have never had that kind of turnaround in C and C++." — Matt Trentini"If you want to make a good friend of your electronics engineers, give them a build of MicroPython that can run on their custom board. In the past, they would typically be waiting for weeks or sometimes months before a software resource could be assigned. Now I can turn around a MicroPython build in a day or two, and they can test I2C, GPIOs, and UARTs themselves." — Matt Trentini"The irony is that the people who have embedded C knowledge are actually the people that can benefit the most from MicroPython. It's like having a superpower—you understand what MicroPython is doing in the background, you know you're just effectively writing a lot less code." — Matt TrentiniResources MentionedMicroPython Official Site - The official MicroPython project website with documentation and downloadsOpenMV - Computer vision project using MicroPython for camera-based applicationsMPRemote - Tool for interacting with MicroPython devices, including the magical mount ...
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    58 m
  • Terrible Habits of the Solo Developer

    Terrible Habits of the Solo Developer
    Dec 16 2025
    In this episode, Jeff and Luca tackle the unique challenges faced by solo embedded developers. Drawing from their own experiences as consultants, they explore why working alone makes it harder to maintain good development practices - from the constant pressure to multitask across different stakeholder demands, to the difficulty of wearing multiple hats as leader, manager, and contributor simultaneously.The conversation moves through common pitfalls: skipping documentation because "it's all in my head," letting code reviews slide, making questionable architecture decisions without a sounding board, and neglecting tools like simulators under time pressure.But this isn't just a catalog of problems - Jeff and Luca share practical strategies for staying disciplined, from creating mastermind groups with fellow solo developers to strategically hiring third-party reviewers for architecture decisions. They discuss how to push back on arbitrary deadlines, the value of enforcing process on yourself, and why sometimes the best productivity hack is spending money on training to force yourself to sharpen your skills.Whether you're a solo consultant, the only developer at a startup, or part of a small team, this episode offers honest insights into maintaining quality and sanity when you're working largely on your own.Key Topics[00:00] Introduction: Can you do agile as a solo developer?[03:30] First principles of agile development and why they work for solo developers[06:15] Unique difficulties: Making progress in only one area at a time[10:45] Wearing three hats: Being leader, manager, and contributor simultaneously[15:20] Budget pressure and the challenge of 'nice to haves' that actually matter[22:30] The importance of delivering something palpable after the first sprint[28:00] Bad habit #1: No documentation because 'it's all in my head'[35:45] Bad habit #2: No code reviews and potential solutions[40:15] Using LLMs for code review: What works and what doesn't[44:30] Bad habit #3: Idiosyncratic or terrible code architecture[50:00] Bad habit #4: Not making it easy for other developers to take over[53:20] Bad habit #5: Neglecting simulators and development board support[57:00] Breaking bad habits: Working solo together through mastermind groups[62:30] Enforcing process on yourself and recognizing arbitrary deadlines[67:45] Applying agility to agility: Inspecting and adapting your own process[71:00] Sharpening the axe: Jeff's experience with the Embedded SummitNotable Quotes"When you're a solo developer, you have to be the leader, the manager, and the contributor for the software effort. Those are different roles and different skills." — Jeff"You must apply agility to agility. Inspect your process, figure out what works, what doesn't work. If something is annoying to you, either it's pointing you towards a real deficiency or it's just objectively a terrible process and you should change it." — Luca"It's really scary how effective rubber duck debugging is. You start to think of what the other person would answer, even though you're just talking to a rubber duck." — Jeff"Simple and easy are not the same things. Having good development practices, just like losing weight, is simple. It's just not easy." — Jeff"Dear listeners, have you ever paid with your own money for software development? Because I have. And it's really unnerving. You tell this developer to go do something and they just sort of disappear and you can hear the meter running." — LucaResources MentionedQP Real-Time Framework - Event-driven framework by Miro Samek for embedded systems, mentioned as a game-changing architecture choice for medical device development with active object patterns and hierarchical state machinesZephyr RTOS - Open-source real-time operating system for embedded devices, discussed as an important technology for solo developers to master for modern IoT and connected device projectsEmbedded Online Conference / Embedded Summit - Premier embedded systems conference offering both online and in-person training, including hands-on bootcamps for technologies like Zephyr RTOS, organized by Jacob Beningo and Stephane BoucherAgile Embedded Academy - Luca's newly launched training platform focused on applying agile methodologies specifically to embedded systems development, offering practical courses for embedded teamsFDA Software Documentation Requirements - Regulatory documentation standards for medical device software including requirements specifications, architecture documents, detailed design, and test protocols required for FDA submissionsMob Programming Methodology - Collaborative development approach where entire team works on single task together, referenced as an alternative to traditional multitasking, promoted by Austin Chadwick and Chris You can find Jeff at https://jeffgable.com.You can find Luca at https://luca.engineer.Want to join the agile Embedded Slack? Click hereAre you looking for embedded-focused trainings? Head to...
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    54 m
  • Agile Hardware Development with Gregor Gross

    Agile Hardware Development with Gregor Gross
    Dec 3 2025

    In this fascinating episode, we dive deep into the world of agile hardware development with Gregor Gross, a civil engineer who runs Alpha-board, a PCB design service company in Berlin, Germany. Gregor shares his unique perspective on applying agile principles to hardware projects, where you can't just hit compile and get a new increment.

    We explore the practical challenges of agile hardware development, from structuring contracts differently to breaking complex PCBs into testable modules and shields. Gregor discusses the importance of mixed hardware-software teams, the role of automated documentation, and why his engineers resist pair programming despite its proven benefits. The conversation also touches on the cultural barriers to adopting agile practices in traditional hardware companies and the innovative approaches needed to make agile hardware development work in a service provider context.

    Key Topics
    • [02:30] Introduction to Alpha-board and agile hardware development services
    • [05:15] Defining agile principles: functionality-focused development and prioritization
    • [12:45] Contract challenges: moving from fixed-price to hourly service contracts
    • [18:20] Practical agile hardware: breaking PCBs into testable modules and shields
    • [25:10] Mixed teams and automated documentation for hardware-software collaboration
    • [32:40] The pair programming experiment: better results but team resistance
    • [38:55] Customer expectations and the need for end-user access in agile projects
    • [44:30] Version control and Git integration for hardware design workflows
    Notable Quotes

    "We are probably the only service provider in Germany that offers agile hardware development because I don't see so many people speaking about it." — Gregor Gross

    "Software is soft, hardware is hard. I was waiting to say that." — Gregor Gross

    "My experience from pairing was they work harder. They feel like they observe themselves... but there wasn't any mistakes. And actually they themselves said they were surprised by how much they did because they did more than twice what they expected." — Gregor Gross

    "It's better to have different shields and modules that have some of the functionality. And so you can start iterating through these functionalities and test them." — Gregor Gross

    Resources Mentioned
    • Alpha-board - Gregor's PCB design and agile hardware development service company
    • Zephyr OS - Real-time operating system mentioned for prototyping with sample boards
    • KiCad - Open source EDA tool recommended for mixed teams and transparency
    • Andrew Greenberg's KiCon Presentation - Presentation on schematic style guides for better readability

    You can find Jeff at https://jeffgable.com.
    You can find Luca at https://luca.engineer.

    Want to join the agile Embedded Slack? Click here

    Are you looking for embedded-focused trainings? Head to https://agileembedded.academy/
    Ryan Torvik and Luca have started the Embedded AI podcast, check it out at https://embeddedaipodcast.com/
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    50 m
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Two experienced developers sharing their knowledge and advice in a casual but focused discussion. They understand real-world challenges and are reasonable about implementing these concepts instead of having a dogmatic approach.

Great advice and easy to absorb!

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