From Concept to Creation: Transforming CI/CD for Embedded

Background

With over 20 years of experience in the digital 2D/3D printing and defense industries as a software engineer, I’ve specialized in low-level embedded and hardware control as well as CI/CD and build automation. Throughout my career, I often faced the challenge of needing a reliable, reusable way to test software directly on the devices we were developing. Whether I was extensively validating commands in a serial communication library or running quick smoke tests on newly built software, test fixtures were either unavailable, unreliable, or outdated.

When a test fixture was available, it often relied on legacy proprietary software, written long before CI/CD became a standard practice. Integrating these tools into modern pipelines required extra effort and introduced unnecessary friction. I envisioned a device that could be used flexibly across multiple development cycles—a device where CI/CD wasn’t an afterthought. With nothing on the market meeting these criteria, I decided to create one myself. This vision became the Cuica (pronounced "kwee-kuh"), named after the Brazilian friction drum because, quite frankly, Cuicas are awesome.

The Cuica has been meticulously developed over the past four years with a focus on quality, flexibility and ease of integration. It features all the functions I would have demanded as a CI/CD pipeline engineer and all the hardware and programming capabilities I relied on as an embedded software developer. In fact, I designed the Cuica to meet the minimum standards I would expect if I were purchasing such a device for myself. Its modular design ensures it’s not only versatile today but also well-positioned for future expansion to meet the evolving needs of the embedded software community.

Now, I’m seeking early adopters who are ready to experience the Cuica firsthand and contribute valuable feedback to shape its future. Bringing Cuica to market is an exciting milestone, and I look forward to collaborating with others who share my passion for advancing embedded software testing and automation.

Jesse Pinnell