5 Essential Steps For An Electronic Hardware Product
Posted by nblank on August 16th, 2019
The latest product development method for an electronic product or any other product in that matter is a fairly complicated process. When you ask a consumer electronic product development expert, he will tell you that the process is a painstaking task especially for those with a handful of resources. This includes entrepreneurs, start-up founders and various small enterprises. Fortunately, there’s a way to make the process simple. Below is a breakdown of the process (broken into 5 crucial steps) that can be taken into account to make the process simple and also intuitive. The steps summarized below will guide you to have a fully functioning prototype. Let’s look at the steps in great details with the help of this article.
Step 1: Circuit Schematic Design
An electronic product will go no way if there is unavailability of a PCB (Printed Circuit Board). The first step involved in making a successful PCB is the creation of a schematic design circuit. It can be treated as the blueprint of the house before its construction. Some early research needs to be done so that the best topology and affordable components can be found to begin the process. Including running simulations and bread-boarding are also advisable. To accomplish a DIY design, you will need assistance of an electronic design software.
Step 2: PCB Design
The electronic product development designer needs to create the PCB layout using various tools and software packages. Parts of it may be automatically routed, however, most boards need manual routing. This s done to get optimum performance. PCB layout can be extremely sensitive for power and RF circuits. This increases the chance of committing mistakes on the PCB. Keep that in mind. After the designer is done with the PCB layout, the design software can be used to tell if the PCB matches the schematic. Along with checking wire width and trace spacing, it will also ensure that various layouts comply with the rules for the specific PCB fabrication process.
Step 3: Prototype Evaluation And Debug
The prototype needs to be evaluated to check for any kind of anomalies. Debugging is crucial because until you know the problem, it will be difficult to predict how long the fixing will take.
Step 4: Micro-Controller Program
Most of the electronic products available today have microcontrollers attached to them. These act as the product brain and are vital for the proper functioning of the device. These are mostly developed in a computer language called “C”. If the program is required to be highly efficient or fast, then an assembly language can be used to do parts of it. In most scenarios, programming is done by the same person who designed the circuit, but on few occasions, a software specialist can be hired to do the programming.
Step 5: 3D Modeling
This is generally managed by a different engineer than who did steps 1 to 4. to begin with, you will need a 3D modeling expert. You also need to have a good vision for the product design.
This is just a brief idea for a consumer electronic product development. To learn more or design a product, you can look for websites who can deliver excellent engineering products, which is hard to find elsewhere.
