Embedded design & firmware
Low-level firmware in C/C++ and assembly, custom bootloaders, device bring-up, board diagnostics and field-update strategies tailored to your hardware.
From Embedded Systems to Complete Software Solutions
We bring legacy hardware & modern software together for real-world products.
ToughDev Studio is a small, hands-on engineering team specialising in embedded systems, retro hardware restoration, reverse engineering, and custom tools for niche and legacy platforms. We design, repair, and integrate systems that most teams no longer touch, occasionally pairing them with simple desktop or mobile front ends.
Embedded development
MCUs, firmware, board-level work
Reverse engineering
Protocols, firmware, undocumented systems
Legacy systems
DOS, Win9x, BIOS, vintage hardware
End-to-end delivery
From low-level code to desktop/mobile apps
Technical writing
Documentation, guides, articles, deep-dives
About the studio
A small team obsessed with how systems really work.
ToughDev Studio brings together embedded engineers, full-stack developers, and retro-hardware enthusiasts. Our background spans bare-metal firmware, Windows internals, custom bootloaders, and modern cloud-backed applications.
We are comfortable stepping into unusual environments: legacy industrial systems, vintage PCs, control boards and one-off hardware that must not fail. From protocol sniffing and board-level diagnostics to building user-facing tools, our goal is simple: make complex systems understandable, reliable and useful again.
What we do
From firmware and drivers to tools your team can use.
Legacy & retro systems
Restoring and extending vintage PCs, DOS/Windows 9x systems, BIOS environments and industrial controllers so they can keep doing their jobs.
Reverse engineer
Protocol analysis, firmware inspection and related tools to understand undocumented behaviour, unlock integrations and support long-term maintenance.
Desktop, mobile & web apps
Operator consoles, monitoring dashboards and companion apps that speak your device’s language and make complex systems approachable for users.
VoIP systems & telephony
Design, troubleshooting and integration of reliable VoIP solutions using open-source and commercial platforms, from small deployments to custom call flows.
Infrastructure & support
Pragmatic, maintainable environments for your systems: from build chains to small server footprints across Windows and Linux platforms.
Selected work
A few of the projects we like to talk about.
Super 8086 Box
PC XT-class emulator with Adlib, MPU-401, joystick and NE2000 support — designed for modern reliability with classic hardware behaviour.
Office 2007 on Windows 98
A port of Go-oo (OpenOffice fork) allowing Windows 98 systems to open Office 2007 documents — used in legacy industrial deployments.
dsMP3 Embedded Radio
Full-band radio with MP3 playback/recording using dsPIC + Si4735, featuring custom firmware and control interfaces.
Hacking 360Eyes Pro CCTV
Dumping firmware via uBoot, patching binaries, fixing RTSP streaming, and enabling hidden telnet services.
Reverse Engineering CH375 ISA–USB Adapter
Complete firmware analysis, driver disassembly, BIOS dumps, and board schematic documentation.
Retro68 GCC-based SDK for 68K Macintosh
68k development environment for Retro68 together as a Ubuntu Virtual Box image
picojpeg for PIC24
A tiny JPEG decoder for PIC24HJ128GP202, requiring just 16KB SRAM.
MSX-DOS & CP/M on FPGA Laptop
Exploring OneChipBook FPGA laptop behaviour, bootloaders, storage, and compatibility with MSX-DOS & CP/M environments.
Mario Final v2.0 — MS-DOS Platformer
A highly optimized, fully custom Super Mario-style platformer for MS-DOS with unique rendering techniques.
Technical Writing
Engineering-focused content, clearly explained.
Short Technical Article (500–600 words)
Clear, focused write-ups for product updates, small features, or lightweight engineering insights.
USD $500–$800In-Depth Guide / Deep Dive (1000–1200 words)
Detailed explanations, tutorials, or hands-on walkthroughs for hardware, firmware, or protocols.
USD $1000-$2000Documentation & Engineering Notes
Developer guides, architecture notes, system docs, or onboarding material for hardware/software teams.
USD $90–$140/hrFinal pricing depends on research depth, testing time, and whether hardware or reverse-engineering access is required.
Browse Writing Samples ➜Work with us
Tell us about your projects, old or new.
We usually work with engineering teams, founders and organisations who:
• Rely on legacy or niche hardware that cannot simply be replaced.
• Need firmware, tools or integrations around existing systems.
• Value clear, low-level documentation and reproducible engineering work.
If that sounds like you, send us a short overview of your projects and what you would like to achieve. High-level ideas are welcome — we can help refine the scope and technical plan with you.