hardware
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🧪 Is 13 board revisions too many?
I was in a meeting recently with a potential customer, and they said they did not want to go through 50 prototypes to get a product out the door. 50 is a bit of an exaggeration, but I routinely see printed circuit boards (PCBs) at version 1…
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🏷️ IDs are not about details
With part numbers, serial numbers, and similar identifiers, the natural tendency is to over-specify. Why not encode the color, size, shape, and material in the part number? Why not encode the manufacturing date, the version, and the phase o…
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🛰️ Simple IoT now processes GPS data
Simple IoT can now read position data from a serial NMEA receiver, from gpsd, or from a simulator, and hand it to VictoriaMetrics and Grafana for storage and viewing.
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🧩 From PCB change to mechanical model in one script
KiCad and FreeCAD both expose command-line and Python interfaces, so a PCB change can flow into the mechanical assembly with a single script.
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🔌 GitPLM: An easy way to manage your KiCad library using CSV files in Git
GitPLM now supports the KiCad HTTP Library API for an easy connection between your part library and KiCad.
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🔗 What defines reliability?
Reliability is a common concern - this thing is critical - it needs to work! Many things affect the reliability of a system: Bugs in software we write Bugs in 3rd party components (OSS, etc.) Hardware failures Edge condition failures (thin…
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🚀 RDPD - Release Driven Product Development
Yesterday we talked about Test-Driven Product Development. Release-driven product development is another perspective. Build the release/deployment mechanism before implementing the design. Automate as much of the release as possible. This …
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🧪 TDPD - Test Driven Product Development
We’re familiar with TDD (test-driven development) in the software world. Basically the idea is to create unit tests before implementing a feature. What if we extend this to systems, hardware, and even mechanical? Write end-to-end system te…
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♻️ How to iterate quickly on hardware
Today, we mostly think of iterating quickly on software, but it is becoming increasingly possible to also do this with hardware. A few ideas: Printed circuit boards (PCBs) are now relatively cheap and quick to manufacture in low quantities…
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Think Horses, not Zebras
There is a popular quote in medical circles: When you hear hoofbeats, think of horses, not zebras. – Dr. Theodore Woodward “Zebra” is the American medical slang for arriving at a surprising, often exotic, medical diagnosis when a more com…
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Adventures with a ATSAMA5D27 board
Recently, we brought up a new PCB (printed circuit board) a customer had designed based on the Microchip ATSAMA5D27C-D1G processor. We encountered several interesting challenges. The first issue was that the design only had serial ports (a…
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How do modern USB chargers work
As we help customers design products, we often try to leverage the latest cell phone practices and technologies. One of these is USB charging. There has been a push in recent years to standardize on USB chargers for cell-phones. There ar…