Faster time to design with Planet Debug

With »Planet Debug«, Serbian embedded specialist MikroElektronika is launching a new Hardware-as-a-Service platform. The goal is to accelerate and simplify the development of embedded solutions. Starting at USD 4 per day, interested companies can test the service.

Starting today, embedded specialist MikroElektronika (MikroE) is launching Planet Debug, its hardware-as-a-service platform. Developers of embedded systems can use it to develop and debug remotely without having to invest in hardware.

The idea is that developers can reserve time on a Planet Debug station configured to their requirements and then develop and debug their own applications on it. The cost is at least USD 4 per day. The only requirement is MikroE's integrated development environment (IDE) »Necto Studio«, which the developer must install on his computer - without any hardware components on site.

Nebosja Matic, CEO of MikroE, explains what's behind it: »Developers who are pursuing different approaches, or who only need about ten days of development time, can book one of more than 74 development boards on one of the Planet Debug Stations starting at USD 4 per day. MikroE then ensures the desired configuration with MCU/peripherals/display - the developer can start testing the very next day. Through the Necto IDE, he can see real images of the actual boards in real time«. Planet Debug is possible with MikroE's "Codegrip" technology, a device that enables programming and debugging over LAN or WLAN.

For developers who want to make a longer-term commitment to hardware, suitable »Fusion DevBoards«, »SiBrain« MCU cards and Click peripheral boards from MikroE might prove a better option instead of Planet Debug. They can be purchased from the manufacturer for about USD 400.

For education, study and work

By using Planet Debug, developers save time and money, plus they practically get a kind of trial period before buying. During this time, they can change the peripherals, display or even MCU without buying hardware, learning new software or writing new code. Planet Debug is equally suitable for teaching, studying and working. In the training and teaching environment, for example, resources are shareable and systems run without prior configuration. For designers in their day-to-day work, time is often the most valuable commodity - Planet Debug allows them to respond to the ever-changing demands of product marketing. Similarly, external influences such as chip shortages have less impact on development times.

Currently, Planet Debug locations are set up in the nearby University of Novi Sad, in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and in Mexico, according to the company. Nebosja Matic expects to add another site in Asia in the near future. With Planet Debug, the embedded specialist brings together all the pieces of the puzzle: from Click boards, to SiBrain MCU boards, to Fusion development boards, plus Codegrip and Necto.