May 2026: Delivered UART-based thruster control interface, replacing I2C, to improve communication efficiency and scalability. Telemetry now publishes powergood and current measurements and enables camera lights control. Included CI/code hygiene improvements to ensure robust builds. Commit reference: cfa05ed0ba36476adb34a3f0e08c2fc317d72db8.

In April 2026, delivered PWM-based motor speed and position control for the Vortex AUV embedded platform. Implemented PWM control for motors, added header files, and configured ADC and I2C interfaces to support motor management. Introduced timers and state machines to drive motor control. PR #41 merged (commit 247a72ba5157045afc0f8c4d012c2e68142d1b7c). No major bugs reported this month; this work lays the groundwork for robust motor control loops and future sensor integration.

October 2025 monthly summary for vortex-auv-embedded focusing on shipping key features, stabilizing the build and repository hygiene, and strengthening the CAN/state-machine architecture for scalable onboard control.

September 2025 – vortex-auv-embedded: Key features delivered, major fixes, and codebase improvements aimed at reliability, energy efficiency, and maintainability. Highlights include structured CAN FD messaging enhancements, energy-aware interrupt handling, and a modernized project layout with improved build tooling, plus comprehensive PWM/Gripper firmware documentation.

August 2025 highlights: Delivered foundational reliability improvements to the CAN subsystem, reorganized system initialization for a cleaner startup, and implemented targeted code quality enhancements that reduce maintenance burden and accelerate future feature work. The work emphasizes stability in embedded communication, predictable startup behavior, and improved developer experience through clearer code structure and documentation.

June 2025 focused on strengthening startup reliability, code maintainability, and deployment flexibility for vortex-auv-embedded. Key features delivered include an initialization refactor migrating startup to system_init with static inline helpers, a thruster table for simplified configuration, encoder/ADC improvements with robust polling and cleaner read paths, and an ISR modernization with a dedicated message to reduce interrupt nesting. Additional improvements enhance power efficiency and deployment options, with I2C post-init switch capability and idle sleep mode for the pwn_generator, complemented by targeted documentation updates to improve onboarding and maintenance. These changes reduce startup risk, streamline configuration, lower power usage, and accelerate future development cycles.

April 2025: Achievements across vortex-auv-embedded focused on deprecation cleanup, reliability hardening, and telemetry groundwork. Deprecated the PSM Orin ROS2 driver and I2C read path, migrated nodes to the vortex-status repository, and completed codebase cleanup to reduce maintenance risk. Implemented I2C/encoder reliability improvements and gripper servo control refinements, establishing a more robust control loop. Laid the foundation for telemetry data collection on SAME51 Curiosity Nano and updated the build system to support faster iteration and deployment.

March 2025 performance highlights: End-to-end propulsion control improvements and production-readiness enhancements across vortex-auv-embedded. Implemented PWM Generator integration and 8-channel thruster PWM updates, enabling precise multi-thruster control with a 16-byte input, plus LED PWM with CAN/I2C support. Established MPLABX build and device upload workflow to streamline firmware deployment. Implemented TC4-based LED PWM with clocking and interrupt handling for robust status signaling. Advanced modularity and driver development with PSM_ORIN I2C driver integration and ADS node scaffolding to improve sensor data flow. Enhanced observability and data analytics with spdlog-based file logging and CSV formatting, including CSV export on PSM_ORIN launch and improved measurement reporting. Additional reliability and maintainability improvements: nested I2C interrupt handling, standardized function return values, project cleanup and code organization, and PWM timeout handling for thruster safety.

February 2025 (vortex-auv-embedded) monthly summary: Achieved stabilization and feature progression across the embedded stack. Key efforts focused on repository hygiene, architecture refactor, hardware integration, reliability improvements, and documentation. Delivered a robust foundation for autonomous operations with cleaner codebase, event-driven state handling via CAN, and enhanced current-sense and peripheral support. These changes reduce maintenance costs, improve reliability in the field, and accelerate future feature development.