EmbeddedFeatured2026

Chipbarn – Embedded Hardware as a Service

An HTTP service on a Raspberry Pi 4 that lets remote machines flash firmware onto Pico and ESP32 boards and stream console output live. Removes the need for physical cables and enables true hardware-as-a-service for CI/CD and AI workflows.

Project Description

Chipbarn runs as a FastAPI service on a Raspberry Pi 4 and exposes a simple HTTP interface for flashing and monitoring embedded systems. Picos (RP2040/RP2350) are wired permanently to the Pi's GPIO via SWD, while ESP32 boards of any variant are auto-discovered over USB and addressed by serial number. Console output streams back live via Server-Sent Events – no UART cables required, and on the Picos it even runs over SWD through semihosting. The result is hardware reachable from anywhere: CI/CD pipelines can flash builds straight onto real devices, and AI agents can deploy firmware and read device output – no more cable-tethering to a dev machine.

Highlights

FastAPI HTTP service on Raspberry Pi 4 for flashing & monitoring
Pico (RP2040/RP2350) wired to Pi GPIO via SWD — no UART cables
ESP32 of any variant (S3, C3, C6 …) auto-discovered over USB
Live console via Server-Sent Events — Pico over semihosting
Hardware-as-a-service: flash from anywhere, no cables
Foundation for CI/CD pipelines and AI-driven firmware deployments

Technologies

PythonFastAPIRaspberry Pi 4ESP-IDFESP32RP2040OpenOCDesptoolsystemd