Product Development

Before we begin the development process—working closely with stakeholders—it's essential to first identify your direct competitors and gather product ideas. This involves researching similar products to understand what other companies are offering.

Equally important is gaining deeper insight into the market and identifying the needs of potential users. If there's a specific problem or missing feature that hasn't been addressed yet, this presents an opportunity to create a targeted solution that fills that gap.

Through comprehensive market research, we can define a realistic budget, set clear business objectives, and outline the right development strategy for your product.

The Product Definition Phase focuses on planning the product’s features, functionality and electronic components. Depending on the complexity, this phase can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. It typically includes the following steps:

█  Brainstorming ideas.

█  Carrying out site visits.

█  Creating a product concept.

█  Drawing up a preliminary project.

█  Plan and prioritize tasks.

A preliminary product design is essential for effectively managing the development project. This phase covers both the electronic and mechanical components of the product, along with defining requirements, specifications, estimated costs, profit margins, and a feasibility analysis. It provides a clearer understanding of the product’s potential and helps evaluate its overall profitability.

The system-level block diagram is a critical tool in the preliminary design phase, providing a high-level visual representation of the interconnections between functional components. Most embedded systems incorporate microprocessors or microcontrollers interfacing with various active (e.g., sensors, ICs) and passive (e.g., switches, motors) components. Defining this architecture enables us to identify all necessary subsystems, communication protocols, and power requirements, allowing for the selection of appropriate processing units and peripheral interfaces tailored to the product’s functional specifications.

At the next stage, we identify and evaluate manufacturers and suppliers capable of providing the required components and semi-finished products necessary for the new design. We compile a comprehensive list of all fundamental components to generate a preliminary Bill of Materials (BOM). The BOM outlines each part, its specifications, unit cost, and sourcing options—serving as a foundational document for both prototyping and mass production. This component overview is essential for accurately estimating production costs and planning the financial aspects of the overall product development lifecycle.

In addition to individual component costs, it’s essential to estimate the total production costs—or Cost of Goods Sold (COGS)—which encompass a broader range of expenses, including but not limited to:

█  PCB fabrication and assembly.

█  Enclosure manufacturing (injection molding, CNC machining etc.).

█  Wiring, connectors, and harnesses.

█  Testing and quality control procedures.

█  Packaging materials and assembly.

█  Logistics and freight.

█  Tooling and setup costs for production runs.

█  Labor costs (manual assembly or supervision in automated lines).

Accurately calculating COGS is crucial for determining pricing strategies, profit margins and overall product viability in the market.

The Architecture phase is centered around developing a Proof of Concept (PoC) to validate the product idea.

A Proof of Concept is a simplified prototype that demonstrates the core functionality of the product. While it may not reflect the final design or appearance, it includes essential features that allow for early feedback and validation.

At this stage, the goal is not to perfect the prototype, but rather to test the viability of the concept. A PoC typically excludes detailed technical design and focuses instead on proving that the core idea can work in practice. This approach helps determine whether the concept has market potential—before investing significant time and resources into full-scale product development.

The design of the electronic hardware is carried out using Altium™ Designer, a professional PCB design software suite.

At this stage, we focus on developing two key components:

█  Schematic Circuit Diagram.

█  Printed Circuit Board (PCB).

The Schematic Circuit Diagram is an advanced and detailed representation of the initial system block diagram created in the early stages of the project. At this point, each block is expanded to include all relevant sub-circuits, resulting in a complete schematic of the electronic system. It is important to note that this is not a basic or conceptual diagram—it must comprehensively include every component required in the final product. Any misplacement or incorrect implementation of a part can significantly impact the device’s performance and functionality.

Once the schematic is finalized, we proceed to design the Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The PCB is the physical foundation of the electronic product—a fiberglass board with copper traces that electrically connect all components. Depending on complexity, some PCBs require multi-layer technology, using several copper layers to accommodate high-density designs.

Altium™ Designer provides integrated validation tools to verify the PCB layout and ensure compliance with design specifications. It's critical that the PCB meets all quality and design standards to guarantee proper functionality.

The time needed to complete the PCB layout varies based on the board’s size, complexity and the specific design requirements. Special attention must be given to voltage routing, RF clock signals, high-speed data paths, wireless circuit design, current flow optimization and grounding strategies to ensure optimal performance and stability.

After the first version of the PCB is produced, flawless performance is not guaranteed. Before deploying a complete prototype (also known as a pilot), it’s essential to thoroughly test the PCB and identify any bugs or functional issues.

At this stage, issues are often found within the microcontroller (µController) section. The Microcontroller Unit (MCU), in coordination with the embedded Microprocessor, acts as the "digital traffic controller" of the electronic system. It manages critical components such as memory, sensors, actuators, displays and switches.

If any bugs are detected within the microcontroller, reprogramming is necessary. Our developers typically use compilers like Visual Studio Code with C or C++ to program at the hardware controller level. In cases involving embedded software platforms, C# (C-sharp) or CodeFusion Studio™ may also be used.

This cycle of debugging, testing and evaluating may need to be repeated several times to ensure the desired functionality is achieved—and, most importantly, that the product operates with long-term stability and reliability.

The PCB prototype has been successfully developed and tested. The next crucial step is integrating all components to better visualize the final product’s appearance and functionality.

The steps for creating a prototype its Physical Design include:

█  Designing a 3D model.

█  Building the 3D prototype.

█  Evaluating the prototype.

Before creating the actual physical prototype, it's essential to first visualize the product. This involves collaborating with a 3D Modeler or Industrial Designer to create a detailed 3D model using software like SolidWorks™ or AutoDesk™ Inventor.

Once the digital 3D model is complete, it can serve as a powerful marketing tool—helping customers understand what the product will look like. Alternatively, you may choose to skip this step and proceed directly to building the physical prototype.

To construct a physical 3D prototype, an additive manufacturing process—commonly known as 3D printing—is used. This process builds the object layer by layer using plastic. However, it's important to note that the resin used in 3D printing differs in both appearance and properties from the plastics used in Micro Injection Molding (MIM). MIM allows for much smoother surfaces and significantly tighter tolerances (ranging from 10 to 100 microns) than typical 3D printing.

After producing the initial prototype, it’s common to identify areas that need refinement. Before conducting any formal testing, we recommend producing multiple versions of the prototype. This enables a thorough and accurate evaluation, ensuring that the final, market-ready electronic product meets all design and functionality expectations. Iteration during this phase is often necessary to achieve the desired outcome in terms of aesthetics, usability and performance.

With the prototype now developed, the next step—before drafting a full Production Manual and entering mass production—is to begin creating Pilot units.

Pilots are the first hardware units manufactured during the product development cycle. These early versions are designed and built by our team based on the feedback and adjustments identified during the prototype evaluation phase. The purpose of Pilot units is to collect real-world feedback from end users, identify any remaining issues and assess potential risks before committing to large-scale manufacturing.

Following the pilot phase comes the full production stage, where manufacturers begin large-scale fabrication of the electronic hardware for customer delivery. During this stage, Quality Control Managers and Supervisors carry out detailed inspections of processes and components—both individual parts and semi-finished assemblies—to fine-tune the production workflow and ensure the highest product quality.