·Nathan Ruttley·8 min read
What should I spend my money on first?
Typical hardware development budgets, the four early-stage blockers and where your first £15,000 should go. From an ISO 9001 design consultancy.
budgetsproduct developmentstartups
Bench Notes.
Notes from our London workshop on designing, prototyping and manufacturing electronic products. Written by the engineers who do the work, for founders and engineering teams planning their own.
·Nathan Ruttley·3 min read
nRF5x Module or Bare IC? Making the Right Call Before You Lock In Your BoM
nRF5x module or chip-down? BoM savings against NRE and certification costs, and why the breakeven for BLE products sits at 15,000 to 25,000 units.
bluetoothcertificationelectronics
·Nathan Ruttley·4 min read
AI in Physical Product Development
Where AI helps in hardware product development and where it doesn't: ideation, market research, design, firmware and the rising cost of change.
aiproduct development
·Nathan Ruttley·1 min read
Would you pay $3400 for this cable?
How a BOM review found one overspecified internal cable worth $3.40 a unit, with no retooling or recertification. Why DFM still matters after launch.
manufacturingbomdfm
·Nathan Ruttley·1 min read
The Reason I Work in Hardware
Products can be beautiful on the inside, even if nobody will ever see it. Why a shattered iPod Touch screen led Nathan Ruttley into hardware design.
engineering
·Nathan Ruttley·6 min read
Feasibility - Derisking and Proving Your Product Can Be Built
How to run a hardware feasibility study: test the risky features, build ugly prototypes, model the numbers and reach a clear go or no-go decision.
product developmentprototyping
·Nathan Ruttley·4 min read
Discovery - How to Set Your Product Development Up for Success
How to run a discovery phase for a hardware product: gather what exists, define functional requirements, map constraints and plan before you design.
product development
·Nathan Ruttley·6 min read
The State of Innovation 2024 - Barriers to Innovation from a Small Business Perspective
How Innovate UK's State of Innovation 2024 findings on finance, skills, regulation and grants compare with what we see working with hardware startups.
startupsfundinginnovation
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