Concept to 100 boards

Where the AI fits in

We've spent the last couple of years building our own AI-assisted design tools, and they do a lot of the work that used to eat the time on a small product. What they don't do is get the last word. An engineer reviews everything that comes out and signs it off, and that engineer is accountable for your board.

What it means for you is that you get to a working prototype a lot sooner than you'd expect, and for a lot less, and you know roughly what each unit will cost before anyone commits to anything. That's the bit that bites people most often on their first product, I think.

The stages

Design

Schematic, PCB and first firmware. Every part is checked for availability and against the problems we've been caught out by before, so the mistakes you'd normally find on your first prototype mostly get found before it's made. You can see the design as it progresses.

Prototype and bring-up

Usually five assembled boards from our manufacturing partner. We bring them up on the bench, get the firmware running and write down everything that's wrong. Something always is, and that's what the prototype is for.

Test jig

Self-test firmware plus a jig and a procedure, so a board can be tested in seconds with a pass or fail and a log. We've built production test for commercial products, so this isn't the first one.

The first 100

We have the run built, then programme and test every board and ship them to you, in an enclosure if you want one. Past about 100 it usually makes sense to go to a volume manufacturer, and you'll have everything they need to take it on.

What you walk away with

You own the design. There's no licence on it and you're not locked in to us.