Firmware continuous-integration bench

Draft page. Content brief: PLAN.md §4.4. Final copy to come (EN + FR).

PAGE OUTLINE

What it is & how it differs from ATE — not hardware integrity; validates firmware behaviour against its specs, on known-good reference boards, automatically, at every release. Stays permanently assembled.
Automated firmware build — reproducible, traceable pipeline triggered by each commit/tag/MR; versioned ready-to-flash binaries linked to commit hashes; hosted CI or a dedicated local build server if the toolchain needs it.
The testboard — pogo-pin interface to all firmware-relevant signals; controllable stimulus sources to emulate peripherals (button presses, sensor values, fault conditions); measurement/monitoring to verify behaviour.
The mechanical fixture — permanent assembly holding the testboard + the golden boards.
The test software — firmware specs → structured test cases (nominal, boundary, fault); clear measurable pass/fail; flash → stimulate → observe → compare, fully unattended; detailed reports referencing the firmware version; integrated into the CI workflow; designed to add new tests as firmware evolves.
Why bother — without it, every release needs extensive manual testing → more effort, more human error, incomplete coverage. With it, the full suite runs unattended on every candidate; regressions caught before deployment.
CTA.