An independent hardware company with one idea: embedded development shouldn't be a guessing game.
Zolex Labs is a small, independent hardware company. It's self-funded and focused on doing one product well: the Superboard. V1 is on the bench now and heading to a Crowd Supply campaign.
This site describes what the Superboard is and what's actually working today. We'd rather be straight about what's shipping, what's in progress, and what's still rough than dress it up.
One of the hardest parts of getting started in embedded development isn't the code, it's that you can't see what's happening. Often a blinking LED is the only feedback you get, and when it doesn't blink it's hard to tell whether the problem is the clock setup, the pin mapping, the programmer, the wiring, or the code.
The usual answer is to reach for separate bench tools: a logic analyser, a debug probe, maybe a scope, each with its own cost and setup. For a hobbyist or a student that's a real barrier. So the question this project asks is: what if the development board itself could show you what's happening?
The answer (so far) is the Superboard: an RP2040 dev board with a co-processor — the on-board co-processor — that silently watches the target over a single USB cable. 16-channel logic analyser, CMSIS-DAP debug probe, 25-LED pin-mimic dashboard.
"Visible truth beats silent failure." If something is happening on a pin, you should be able to see it without reaching for an external tool.
A logic analyser that captures every sample at a known rate is more useful than a faster one that drops data. Specs are honest about what's verified vs. aspirational.
Composite USB device on Windows using inbox CDC, WinUSB, and CMSIS-DAP HID classes. No Zadig. Linux/macOS likely work too on the same standards but aren't tested yet.
CMSIS-DAP for debugging. WinUSB bulk for the LA stream. No vendor lock-in — works with OpenOCD, pyOCD, VS Code Cortex-Debug, and other SWD-aware tooling.
At the heart of the board is the on-board co-processor — a dedicated AT32F405 (Cortex-M4 @ 216 MHz) that runs alongside the target MCU. It connects to the host PC via USB and presents a composite device: CDC virtual COM (target UART), WinUSB bulk (logic analyser stream), and CMSIS-DAP (debug probe). One cable to the host, three interfaces inside.
The co-processor's LA inputs are passive taps on the target's GPIOs — it watches, captures, and reports without affecting the target circuit. The same architecture would extend to other SWD-capable target MCUs in future revisions; V1 ships with the RP2040 because the RP2040 is cheap, well-documented, and has a native USB bootloader worth keeping.
One physical product right now:
V2 is already in design and the firmware is under active development. The roadmap has the short version of what's next.
See the Roadmap Get in Touch