# Hardware-Software Co-Development with Tobias Kästner

- Show: [The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast)
- Published: 2026-04-01
- Length: 52m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2026-04-01-hardware-software-co-development-with-tobias-kastner
- Listen: https://agileembeddedpodcast.com/episodes/hardware-software-co-development-with-tobias-kastner-W6ffFMoD

## Summary

Tobias Kästner, a software architect at Inovex, explains how his team replaced six-month hardware cycles with three-week sprints by breaking monolithic PCB designs into modular 'feature boards' connected via shields. He details using Git for hardware version control with SHA-1s on silkscreens and leveraging Zephyr RTOS to enable plug-and-play firmware that matches the hardware modularity. The approach allowed them to scale agile co-development to projects with 120+ people across multiple teams while maintaining a clear path to final form-factor designs.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2026-04-01-hardware-software-co-development-with-tobias-kastner#t=0) Introduction: Tobias Kästner and Inovex
- [2:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2026-04-01-hardware-software-co-development-with-tobias-kastner#t=163) The Pain of Traditional Hardware: 6-Month Waits and 9-Month Debugging
- [9:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2026-04-01-hardware-software-co-development-with-tobias-kastner#t=557) Breaking Monolithic PCBs into Modular Feature Boards
- [18:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2026-04-01-hardware-software-co-development-with-tobias-kastner#t=1109) Version Control: Git, SHA-1s, and Silkscreens
- [25:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2026-04-01-hardware-software-co-development-with-tobias-kastner#t=1512) Firmware Architecture: NuttX, Zephyr, and Device Trees
- [35:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2026-04-01-hardware-software-co-development-with-tobias-kastner#t=2129) Scaling Agile Hardware-Software Co-Development to 120+ People
- [35:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2026-04-01-hardware-software-co-development-with-tobias-kastner#t=2154) System, Organizational, and Information Architecture

## Topics

- [PCB design & layout](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pcb-design)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [EDA & CAD tools](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/eda-and-cad-tools)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Inovex (company)
- Zephyr RTOS (tool)
- NuttX (tool)
- KiCad (tool)
- Eagle (tool)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [165: Iterative Design Processes & Tools for Hardware Development](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2023-03-02-165-iterative-design-processes-tools-for-hardware-development) (Product Startup)
- [Hardware Revision Control with Kyle Dumont](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2020-08-17-hardware-revision-control-with-kyle-dumont) (The Amp Hour)
- [VC-Backed Hardware Design Collaboration is the (All) Spice of Life](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2023-05-30-vc-backed-hardware-design-collaboration-is-the-all-spice-of-life) (Moore's Lobby)
- [The Magic of Calipers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2023-02-27-the-magic-of-calipers) (The Amp Hour)
- [Benjamin Cabé Nose Zephyr](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2023-12-11-benjamin-cabe-nose-zephyr) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

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