Turning a custom PCB into a usable embedded platform takes more than a neat schematic and a working prototype. To explore the practical reality of open embedded hardware, Elektor presents an Elektor Engineering Insights episode with Andreas Kurz on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.

Event Details

Register now to secure your spot. The €25 show is free to attend thanks to Elektor Academy Pro. If you can’t attend live, you’ll still get access to the full recording after the event.
 
  • Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2026
  • Time: 16:00 CEST (14:00 UTC / 10:00 AM EDT)

Register here!

Elektor TV thumbnail for Engineering Insights #60 showing Andreas Kurz, the CoffeeCaller board, and the title “CoffeeCaller, nRF52840 and Open Embedded Hardware.”
CoffeeCaller, an nRF52840-based open-hardware board, is the focus of Elektor Engineering Insights #60 with Andreas Kurz.


In this session, Andreas Kurz will discuss CoffeeCaller, an open-hardware embedded platform built around Nordic Semiconductor’s nRF52840. The board began as a coffee-themed office gadget, but the engineering story reaches much further: PCB design, manufacturing, assembly, firmware support, documentation, and the work needed to make a hardware project reproducible.

The discussion will cover how CoffeeCaller moved from KiCad design files to manufactured and assembled PCBs, including board shape, single-sided SMD layout, JLCPCB production, revisions, BGA-related complexity, and the point at which outsourcing becomes the sensible engineering choice rather than a luxury.

Andreas will also explain how Zephyr and Bridle support help turn a custom board into a usable embedded platform. The focus will be on practical integration and real-world engineering decisions rather than abstract theory.

This Engineering Insights episode is aimed at embedded developers, makers, hardware designers, open-source hardware contributors, and anyone interested in taking a connected device from prototype to something other people can build on.

Giveaway

Elektor is giving away a copy of Building Wireless Sensor Networks with OpenThread (see Related Products below) during the live stream. The book covers Zephyr-based OpenThread development, network setup, packet analysis, and practical embedded examples, making it a strong fit for a show about nRF52840 hardware, Zephyr/Bridle support, and open embedded development beyond the prototype stage.

About Andreas Kurz

Andreas Kurz is a software developer at inovex and the developer behind CoffeeCaller. He brings a practical system-integration view of open hardware, from PCB design and assembly to firmware support, documentation, reproducibility, and the trade-offs that appear when a board has to work in the real world.

This CoffeeCaller episode is part of Elektor’s ongoing focus on practical engineering, embedded development, open hardware, and the tools and workflows that help turn ideas into working electronics.

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