Embedded Systems & Product Development Consultancy · London, UK

Embedded product development, from idea to production

From requirements to a product a factory can build, test and certify. Electronics, firmware, mechanical design and the apps around the device, developed by one team that is accountable for how it all fits together. Start with us at the idea, or bring us in at any stage.

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Why good prototypes stall before production

Getting a prototype to work is the visible part. Getting it to the point where a factory can build, test and certify thousands of them is where most of the time and money go.

A proof of concept built on development kits that has to be redesigned from scratch to become a product.
Separate suppliers for electronics, firmware, enclosure and app, and nobody owning how they fit together.
Certification left until the end, so test failures arrive after the tooling has been paid for.
No production test, so every unit is checked by hand, or not at all.
Design knowledge that lives in one engineer’s head rather than in documents.

We plan for manufacture and certification from the first block diagram, so the prototype is already on the route to production.

See how we work

From idea to production

Six stages, one team. You can start with us at any of them.

Concept and feasibility

We turn the idea into requirements, test the risky parts early and tell you honestly what is feasible, what it will cost to develop and what it will cost to make. You get: requirements, a feasibility report and a first cost estimate.

You get: requirements, a feasibility report and a first cost estimate.

Architecture

Processor, radio, power, sensors, software stack and cloud chosen together, with certification and production in mind from the start.

You get: system architecture, block diagrams and a bill-of-materials estimate.

Design

Electronics and PCB, firmware, mechanical design and the mobile or desktop apps around the device, developed in parallel by one team.

You get: schematics, layouts, source code, 3D models and apps.

Prototype and test

Boards built and brought up, enclosures printed, firmware and apps tested on real hardware under real conditions.

You get: working prototypes and test reports.

Certification

Pre-compliance checks, then support through CE, UKCA and FCC testing and, where the product needs it, ATEX or IEC 61508.

You get: a product ready for the test house, and an engineer beside you during testing.

Production

Production test jigs, calibration and provisioning, manufacturing files and handover to your contract manufacturer.

You get: a product a factory can build and test, and documentation your team owns.

What we build

From the first register write to the update that ships three years later.

Electronics and PCB design

Schematics, multilayer layouts and component choices made for EMC, cost and manufacture.→

Embedded firmware

RTOS and embedded Linux firmware, drivers, connectivity and field updates. →Embedded Software & Firmware Development

Mechanical design

Enclosures, mounting and assemblies designed alongside the PCB, ready for 3D-printed prototypes and production tooling.

Mobile apps

Companion apps that set up, control and update the device over Bluetooth or the cloud.

Desktop and cloud software

Configuration and calibration tools in C# and Python, and cloud connections to AWS IoT Core and Firebase.

Ways to work with us

The whole product. From idea to production, with one team accountable for how everything fits together. A good fit for startups and companies without an embedded team.

Join at any stage. Take over a prototype, a stalled project, or a design that needs to be certified or made ready for manufacture.

Extend your team. Engineers who work inside your process, repositories and tools, on the parts you don’t have in-house.

Products we’ve developed

Client names stay private. The engineering doesn’t.

Detection algorithms and safety-critical firmware for a device built at over a million units

A six-month evaluation of software, hardware and sensor technology with a large cross-functional team, before the design was committed.

Read the case study

An air-quality monitor for power stations, and its redesign

Technical lead and design reviewer for the hardware and firmware teams, from system architecture to acceptance at a regulated power-generation site.

Read the case study

More debugging work

Firmware faults at −25 °C in environmental testing, upload errors on a marine VHF baseband chip, message timing outside an industry standard and more.

View case studies

Frequently asked prodcut development questions

Do we need a full specification before we start?

No. A clear idea of what the product must do, and who it’s for, is enough. Turning that into requirements is the first stage of the work.

Can you take over a prototype someone else built?

Yes. We review what exists, keep what works and tell you plainly what needs redesigning before it can go into production.

Do you design the enclosure and the app as well?

Yes. Mechanical design and companion mobile apps are part of our product development work, so the board, the housing and the app are designed together.

Who manufactures the product?

Your contract manufacturer, or one we help you choose. We prepare the manufacturing files and production test, and work with the factory through the first builds.

Which certifications can you help with?

CE, UKCA and FCC for most products, and IEC 61508 functional safety or ATEX where the application needs it. We prepare the product and its documentation, and support you at the test house.

Who owns the design?

You do. Schematics, layout files, source code, mechanical models and documentation are handed over in full.

Have an idea, or a prototype that needs to become a product?

Tell us what you want to build and where you are now.

Share your project with us, and we’ll get back to you within one business day.

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