Electronic Design & Firmware

Hardware circuit design

We work from your functional specification or a reference unit: architecture review, selection of the MCU and the other key parts, power and clock planning, then schematic and BOM. Part selection accounts for lead time and second sources, and single-source parts on allocation are avoided where the design allows. Power, small-signal analogue and interface protection are treated as separate blocks, with margin set first and cost trimmed afterwards.

PCB layout

Two-layer through multilayer, HDI and blind or buried vias. Placement is fixed first against thermal and mechanical constraints, then power paths and critical nets. High-speed nets are impedance controlled, with track width and spacing calculated from the stack-up and differential pairs length matched. EMC is handled on the board itself: plane integrity, return paths, filter and shield positions, rather than a late fix on a finished product.

• Substrates: FR-4, aluminium (MCPCB), ceramic, Rogers, flex, rigid-flex
• Processes: multilayer, HDI, blind and buried vias, controlled impedance
• Components: fine pitch, micro BGA, 01005 imperial (0402 metric), with 0201 imperial (0603 metric) as standard
• Outputs: Gerber, stencil data, pick-and-place file, BOM with agreed alternates

Firmware development and SDK

Firmware for microcontrollers and embedded platforms: low-level drivers, communication protocols, power-on self-test and the production test program. The production test program is written together with the test fixture, so the same sequence that proved the prototype runs on the line at volume, without a second round of debugging. Where your team will extend the product, the work is packaged as an SDK with interface documentation.

Design for manufacture, test and reliability

A board that can be built, a board that can be tested and a board that survives in the field are three different things. Each design is reviewed against all three before release. Changes made on the drawing are the cheapest changes available.

DFM, design for manufacture

What it solves: whether the board runs through the line cleanly. We check pad geometry and solder mask openings, component spacing, panelisation and process edges, fiducials, silkscreen orientation and polarity marking, then confirm that placement, through-hole (DIP) insertion and hand soldering are all workable. Tombstoning, bridging, solder balls and dry joints usually trace back to pad and spacing decisions, and correcting them here costs a drawing revision instead of a build.

DFT, design for test

What it solves: whether the board can be tested, and tested quickly. Test points are placed where flying probe and ICT probes make reliable contact, a firmware test interface is planned, and FCT coverage and pass or fail limits are agreed with you. Fixing test point positions during layout avoids flying leads and adapter boards at volume, and makes the test fixture simpler and cheaper to build.

DFR, design for reliability

What it solves: whether the board survives use. Current density, temperature rise and derating are calculated against the real operating conditions, not the datasheet maximum. Mechanical stress points, vibration, connector and screw-hole placement are reviewed, and conformal coating or burn-in is specified where the application calls for it. Prototypes can go to the in-house reliability and test laboratory before the first production build.

NPI, new product introduction

New product introduction is run by one named engineer from first document review through to volume: DFM review, material quotation and prototype build, first article inspection, pilot run, corrective action, then release to production. Every revision, test record and failure analysis is filed. Material lot and work order stay traceable after the product transfers to volume, so a question raised months later can still be answered.

• Document review: schematic, Gerber, BOM, mechanical drawings, test requirements
• Process review: DFM check, panelisation and stencil design, fixture requirements
• Prototype: built once material is complete, delivered with a first article inspection report
• Pilot run: small batch to confirm process parameters and test yield
• Production: parameters frozen, released to volume with in-process monitoring

Confidentiality and intellectual property

Your schematic, Gerber, firmware source and BOM remain your property. A non-disclosure agreement is signed on request. Customer files are handled by named staff only, stored per project, with access limited to the people working on that project at the time. Prototypes and scrap boards from the pilot run are returned or destroyed as agreed. Nothing is shown to a third party or used in our own promotional material without written consent.

Item	Capability
Service scope	Schematic design, PCB layout, firmware development, SDK
Substrates	FR-4, aluminium (MCPCB), ceramic, Rogers, flex, rigid-flex
Board processes	Layout for multilayer, HDI, blind and buried vias, controlled impedance
Component range	Fine pitch, micro BGA, 01005 imperial (0402 metric), with 0201 imperial (0603 metric) as standard
Design review	DFM, DFT and DFR review before release
Introduction path	NPI, prototype, first article inspection, pilot run, volume
Engagement model	Turnkey, partial turnkey, consigned (customer-supplied material)
Confidentiality	NDA signed on request, customer files handled by named staff only
Telephone	+86 756 516 6177