Microcontroller Hardware Design
Embedded Hardware Design and Development is an integral part of product development. These services are intended to complement the embedded systems design and software design and development services offered. This hardware design is for microcontrollers and microprocessors or smaller FPGA systems. The hardware design, both mechanical and electronics, is done in parallel with software development..
Embedded System Hardware Design and Development Overview
The hardware design process involves both mechanical design and electronics design. The basic process starts with conceptual design during the embedded systems design and requirements specification phase. In this activity the requirements and conceptual design is explored further to ensure suitability for the final implementation. The following factors need to be considered to ensure that all elements of the design will come together later. These elements are detailed in the embedded economics – managers section of the web site.
- ● Bill of materials (BOM) costs
- ● Manufacturing cost
- ● Usability
- ● Durability
- ● Power consumption and battery life if applicable
- ● Fit and finish
- ● Product image
- ● Design for manufacture
- ● Repair costs for expensive devices
- ● Display visibility
- ● Heat disapation
- ● Noise
- ● Acoustic quality and properties
- ● Weight
- ● Electronics size and configuration with packaging design
Hardware Design Process
The hardware design process is as follows:
- ● Node Hardware Requirements specirfication
- ● Detailed node architecture and design for electronics in parallel with detailed mechanical design and packaging concept and initial prototypes
- ● Part selection, schematic capture, printed circuit board design and layout in parallel with mechanical prototype refinement
- ● Prototype assembly and further mechanical refinement
- ● Prototype bring-up, design verification and testing
- ● Documentation and support in parallel with automated manufacturing testing and end of line testing.