Real-time Firmware for Medical Devices

I'm Jeff Gable.

I develop rock-solid real-time firmware for IVD, robotic, and other electromechanical medical devices.

Tired of firmware developers who don't understand hardware?

Unlike most embedded software engineers, I operate with a deep systems-level understanding of the devices that I work on.

In particular, my expertise is in the following areas:

  • Real-time firmware, from requirements and architecture through implementation
  • Feedback control systems and signal processing
  • Sensors, electronics, and system architecture
  • FDA and IEC 62304 compliant development processes

"Jeff is the top tier of technical folks I've worked with, combining stellar programming skills with the ability to communicate clearly with non-technical stakeholders. He excels at aligning technical solutions with business goals and helping business leaders to understand the risk/reward tradeoffs of different development strategies. Jeff handles high pressure situations with patience and grace, and he delivers on time, on budget. His work with Flashback has been critical to putting us on a path to success."

— Kiernan McGuire, CEO of Flashback Technologies

Solve your most perplexing feedback control and hardware-interface problems

Do you have a temperature control loop, or motion control system, that always seems to overshoot or oscillate?

Does your firmware team write code that monitors and controls hardware, but no one has the necessary background to make it work properly?

I have extensive training and experience in designing and troubleshooting feedback control systems. I've spent the last fifteen years writing safety-critical control software for medical devices, hybrid vehicles, and unmanned helicopters.

"Jeff delivers high-quality software that just works. He can seamlessly switch from troubleshooting deep technical problems to creatively discussing product development plans. He is a proactive, extremely capable engineer, and I would engage him without hesitation."

— Craig Smugeresky, Electrical Power Systems Lead for Blue Moon Lunar Lander at Blue Origin

Solid, Reliable Firmware, fully documented for the FDA and for you

Code lacking proper documentation can lead to unecessary re-work, or even complete re-writes. You need to be confident that the time and money invested in developing software won't go to waste due to poor documentation. I think that poorly documented code should be discounted by 50% to account for the nearly inevitable re-work that it will require.

I include the following items with every development project:

Regulatory Documentation per IEC 62304

I work closely with you to develop clear, testable software requirements that meet the needs of your product, and then follow that up with all necessary software documentation to satisfy quality and regulatory requirements, ready for your FDA submission package.

  • Software Development Plan
  • Software Requirements Specification
  • Software Design Specification

Internal Documentation & Tools for your team

I make it easy for you to maintain and extend the firmware after our project is completed. The following items aren't required by the FDA, but are essential to get the best ROI for our work together.

  • New Developer On-Boarding Guide so other engineers can quickly understand the codebase and take over
  • Complete suite of unit tests with extensive code coverage
  • Command-line interface tool that streamlines all common operations (building, flashing, debugging, running tests)
  • Virtual machine that captures and stores complete development environment

Bug-Free Guarantee

All of my development projects include bug fixes, for up to one year after delivery, at no additional cost.

Quick, Targeted Sessions

I also offer quick, one-day or multi-day targeted reviews to help get you past your current roadblock.

These are valuable when:

  • you have an internal development team that needs an outside perspective
  • you need a detailed PCB schematic review to avoid board re-spins
  • you need urgent help troubleshooting a specific system issue

"Jeff gave a two-hour workshop on basic controls concepts. He provided clear, simple explanations that could save us days on our current and future projects. His advice on implementing PID control loops and tuning gains was spot on and extremely valuable. We can't wait for him to come back!"

— Ross Dehmoobed, VP of Software Development at Fusion Biotec

Want to learn more?

The best way to find out whether I can help you is to get in touch. Please fill out the form below, and I'll reach out shortly to see whether we are a good fit to work together.