Embedded Testing

Skill: embedded-testing

What I do

I provide expertise in embedded systems and firmware testing: hardware abstraction (HAL), mocking peripherals (ArduinoFake), host-based unit testing (GTest/GMock), and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) patterns.

When to use me

• Testing firmware without physical hardware (native/host tests)
• Mocking hardware dependencies (GPIO, SPI, I2C, UART)
• Setting up HIL (Hardware-in-the-Loop) test suites
• Designing testable embedded architectures using HAL and DI
• Debugging timing-critical or peripheral integration issues

Core principles

1. Test on Host First - Execute business logic on the development machine for fast feedback loops.
2. HAL Abstraction - Separate hardware access from logic using interfaces to enable mocking.
3. Dependency Injection - Inject hardware interfaces into devices to make them testable.
4. Deterministic Timing - Use controlled clocks/delays in tests to avoid hardware-induced flakiness.
5. HIL for Critical Paths - Reserve actual hardware tests for timing, peripherals, and integration.

Patterns & examples

Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL):

// Logic depends on interface, not direct register access
class GPIOInterface {
public:
    virtual void digitalWrite(uint8_t pin, uint8_t value) = 0;
};

class LED {
    GPIOInterface* gpio;
public:
    LED(GPIOInterface* g) : gpio(g) {}
    void on() { gpio->digitalWrite(13, HIGH); }
};

Mocking with Google Mock:

class MockGPIO : public GPIOInterface {
public:
    MOCK_METHOD(void, digitalWrite, (uint8_t pin, uint8_t value), (override));
};

TEST(LEDTest, TurnsOn) {
    MockGPIO mock;
    LED led(&mock);
    EXPECT_CALL(mock, digitalWrite(13, HIGH)).Times(1);
    led.on();
}

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL):

// Test frequency accuracy on real silicon
TEST(PWMTest, FrequencyAccuracy) {
    PWMController pwm(PIN_PWM);
    pwm.setFrequency(1000);
    pwm.start();
    // Measure actual period with hardware timers...
    EXPECT_NEAR(measurePeriod(), 1000, 50); // 5% tolerance
}

Anti-patterns to avoid

• ❌ Direct Register Access in Logic - Makes code untestable without hardware.
• ❌ Testing via Serial/Printf - Slow, brittle, and non-automated (use GTest).
• ❌ Arbitrary Delays - delay(100) makes tests slow and flaky; use event-based waiting.
• ❌ Only Testing on Hardware - Slow feedback cycle; test logic on host first.
• ❌ Implementation Testing - Testing private methods instead of visible behaviour.

KB Reference

~/vaults/baphled/3. Resources/Knowledge Base/AI Development System/Skills/Testing-BDD/Embedded Testing.md

Related skills

• cpp - Core C++ idioms and patterns
• platformio - Build and test runner for embedded
• bdd-workflow - Red-Green-Refactor cycle
• clean-code - SOLID for embedded systems