M4MCU Board

About the Customer and the Project

Our customer is a company in the industrial sector specializing in the development and provision of combined heat and power (CHP) plants. As part of our collaboration, we provided comprehensive support, from hardware development to series production of the devices, as well as embedded software development on the developed embedded platform.

A key aspect of the project was the integration and porting of the open-source .NET nanoFramework onto the developed STM32F4-based embedded platform.

This enabled a unified and maintainable software development approach based on C#.

Our Services

CSA was entrusted with the full development of a universal embedded platform based on an STM32F4 microcontroller, designed for use in CHP plants. In the first phase, the embedded platform electronics were developed. Subsequently, the focus shifted to porting and commissioning the open-source .NET nanoFramework.

The .NET nanoFramework allows the development and operation of C#-based applications on embedded devices – a significant simplification compared to conventional programming languages in the embedded environment.

Within the project, CSA handled both the hardware development in multiple versions and the adaptation of the framework to meet the specific requirements of the target platform.

Additionally, production tests were developed and integrated into the manufacturing process for quality assurance. CSA actively supports the ongoing series production, ensuring smooth implementation.

In the software domain, various communication protocols such as TCP/IP, SSL, CAN, RS485, and Modbus were implemented. Additionally, key features for operation were integrated, including a secure remote software update functionality and data encryption using the "Networking and Cryptography Library" (NaCl) to ensure secure data transmission.

To seamlessly integrate into the development environment, a dedicated Visual Studio extension was created. The result is a consistent, scalable, and maintainable solution that provides the customer with maximum flexibility and accelerates the further development of their systems.

Added Value

The porting of the .NET nanoFramework to the STM32F4 platform provided the customer with a sustainable technological and economic advantage.

By using a unified programming language (C#) across all system components, development effort was significantly reduced, and maintainability was greatly improved.

The need to maintain different software modules for various platforms was completely eliminated.

Moreover, the integrated features, such as the remote software update functionality and secure communication via NaCl encryption, enabled a future-proof and scalable system architecture.

This led to an accelerated time-to-market and increased flexibility in expanding and further developing system functions.