How we work
No mystery about what happens next.
A short, honest description of how a project runs, how you can engage us, and what we will not do.
The process
Five steps from brief to production.
- 01
Brief
What the product must do, cost and weigh — and when it has to exist. We would rather disagree about scope now than at the prototype stage.
- 02
Design
Architecture, schematic, layout and firmware. Parts are chosen for availability as well as performance, because the people who buy them are on the same team.
- 03
Prototype
Build, bring up, test, revise. Each loop is short because nobody is waiting on a third party to reply.
- 04
Source
The full bill of materials quoted, risk lines flagged, alternates qualified against your actual circuit rather than a datasheet table.
- 05
Production
A documented, repeatable handover — to your factory, your contract manufacturer, or a build we manage for you.
Engagement models
Three ways to work with us. Pick the one that fits the problem.
Most projects use more than one over their life — an investigation on time and materials, then a fixed scope once everyone knows what is actually being built.
Fixed scope
Best when the requirement is well understood
An agreed deliverable for an agreed price. Works well for a defined board, a specific bring-up, or a bounded sourcing exercise. You know the number before we start.
- Defined deliverable
- Agreed price
- Milestone based
Time and materials
Best when the problem needs investigation first
Billed against time actually spent. Suits diagnostic work, inherited designs, and anything where scoping the job accurately would cost as much as doing it.
- Pay for what is used
- Change direction freely
- Full visibility of hours
Ongoing support
Best when you need capacity, not a project
A standing arrangement for teams who need engineering or sourcing capacity available continuously — revisions, sustaining work, and supply problems as they arise.
- Reserved capacity
- Priority response
- Rolling term
Straight answers
Things we will tell you that you may not want to hear.
That the schedule is not real
If the date you have been given cannot be met, you will hear it at the brief rather than three weeks before the deadline.
That starting again is cheaper
Sometimes an inherited design costs more to rescue than to replace. We will show you the comparison and let you decide.
That the part you chose is a risk
A component can be perfect on paper and impossible to buy. We flag those lines before they are designed in, not after.
That we are not the right fit
If the work needs something we cannot do well, we will say so at the first conversation instead of learning it at your expense.
Questions
Everything clients ask before starting.
Working together
How does a project usually start?
With a conversation and, if you have them, your existing files. We will tell you what we think the real problem is — which is not always the one you came in with — and what it would take to solve. That review costs you nothing.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes, before anything technical is discussed if you prefer. Send yours or use ours.
Who owns the intellectual property?
You own everything created for you: schematics, layouts, firmware source and documentation, in editable form, on final payment. We retain nothing but general expertise.
How do we stay informed during a project?
A short written update at an agreed rhythm, plus a call when a decision is needed. Some clients want a weekly review; others prefer milestones only. Either is fine — tell us which.
Design
Can you take over a design someone else started?
Frequently. We begin with a review so both sides understand what is reusable, and we will say plainly if starting again would be cheaper than continuing.
Do you work in our EDA tools?
We match the toolchain your team already uses wherever possible, so the files remain editable in-house after handover. Confirm your tools with us before the project starts.
Do you handle certification?
We design toward the target standard and run pre-compliance checks so formal testing is not a surprise. The accredited testing itself is done by a certified lab, and we support you through it.
Components and supply
Do you sell components?
No. We are not a distributor and we hold no stock for resale. We specify and qualify components for the hardware we engineer, and we purchase them through authorised channels for those builds. Every component we buy is consumed in a product we have worked on.
Can we use component engineering without a design project?
Yes for the engineering itself — a bill of materials review, an alternate qualification or an obsolescence plan can stand on its own. Buying does not stand alone: procurement runs as part of a build we are engineering.
How do you protect against counterfeit parts?
We buy through the manufacturer or its authorised distributors. That is policy rather than preference, and it is why we would rather qualify an alternate than chase a scarce part through channels we cannot trace. Incoming parts are inspected and documented against their paperwork.
What happens when a part goes end-of-life?
There are three options: a final purchase sized against real forecast, a qualified replacement, or a targeted redesign that removes the dependency. We will tell you which is cheapest across the remaining life of the product.
Can you review a bill of materials we already have?
Yes. Send it over and we will come back with the lines we think are a risk — single-source parts, anything heading for obsolescence, and anywhere the availability will not support your build volume — including the ones you have not asked about.