Custom Software and Firmware

Portable Knowledge has a long history of development of custom software for various applications. We can work with your engineering team to develop custom firmware for your hardware designs, can develop plug-ins for a wide variety of desktop applications, and can develop code to perform custom processing and data conversions where needed.

Custom Firmware Design and Implementation

Too many good hardware designs fail for want of good firmware. An effective small engineering company - that kind of company that is able to create and produce truly innovative new hardware - is full of smart engineers. But software development, especially when designing firmware to interact with users, is a very different beast; the same mindset that makes good hardware can hamper the development of good software.

At Portable Knowledge, we have worked both sides of this equation. We have an extensive experience working closely with hardware engineers to produce custom software that works seamlessly with their hardware. While we can produce firmware for your already-complete hardware, experience has taught us that its best to design the software step-for-step with the hardware. This produces a clean, consistent, and complete design; it makes the entire device look, act, and feel like it is a single entity. That's our ultimate goal - to make the software disappear and let your hardware design shine through.

We have written direct firmware for a wide variety of microcontrollers, and also have deep experience with VxWorks, QNX, and RTLinux real-time operating systems. In addition, we have developed Windows-based software for kiosk-type hardware. Whatever your device and application, we can work with you to make your vision a reality.

Desktop Application Plugins, Developer's Libraries, and Custom Data Processing

Portable Knowledge can implement your custom processing requirements in a number of desktop applications. We have experience developing:

- FxPlug plugins for Apple's Pro Tools (Final Cut Pro, Motion)
- Plugins for Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom
- Remote-Control software for DSLRs
- Applications to compile and monitor remote instrumentation equipment
- Utilities to migrate historic data from proprietary data formats to modern standards
- Protocols to transfer data between disparate systems
- Self-contained .NET libraries to encapsulate complex behaviors (user authentication and authorization, RS232 communication abstraction, file caching and manipulation, data encryption and compression, etc.)
- Fully custom firmware for bespoke hardware with high-uptime requirements

In addition, we are registered developers with a number of hardware providers, including RED and Canon cameras, Nook and Kindle e-readers, and nearly every mobile platform. Whatever your unique requirement, we look forward to helping you get your data where, when, and how you need it!