PCB Design Services

Schematic capture, multi-layer PCB layout and design for manufacture, delivered by engineers who also build and test the boards they design.

We turn an idea or a rough prototype into a detailed schematic and a manufacturable circuit board. Our layouts cover multi-layer stack-ups, high-speed signals and sensitive analogue sections, and every design is reviewed for manufacturability before it reaches a production line.

Start a project

What this includes

Schematic capture and design review in KiCad, so you truly own your design with no software subscription fees
Multi-layer PCB layout, including high-speed and mixed-signal
Design for manufacture (DFM) and design for test (DFT)
BOM optimisation for cost, lead time and lifecycle risk
Prototype assembly, bring-up and functional testing
CE, UKCA and FCC pre-compliance and certification support
Return current, IR drop and thermal analysis before fabrication

Schematic capture and multi-layer layout

Every project starts with a schematic that documents intent, not just connectivity. From there we lay out multi-layer boards with controlled impedance where the design needs it, careful attention to return paths and grounding, and separation between noisy digital sections and sensitive analogue front ends. We work in KiCad, and hand over complete, editable source files at the end of the project.

Design for manufacture, built in from the start

A board that works on the bench but cannot be built at volume is a failed design. We apply DFM constraints while the layout is still moving: component availability and second sources, panelisation and tooling strips, test point placement, and assembly tolerances. We place assembly with the same vetted partners we use in production, so the constraints we design against come from lines that actually have to build the board rather than from a generic checklist.

KiCad by default, so your design data stays yours

We design in KiCad and use open source tooling wherever it is the right tool for the job. That is a deliberate choice on your behalf: you do not need an expensive seat licence or an active subscription to open, review, modify or quote your own design data, and neither does the next engineer you hire or the supplier you want a second opinion from. Design files that can only be opened by paying an annual fee are a form of lock-in, and we would rather not hand you one. Our mechanical work is the exception, where we use SolidWorks.

BOM, sourcing and certification support

We optimise the bill of materials for cost, lead time and lifecycle risk rather than unit price alone, flagging single-source and end-of-life parts before they become a production problem. Where a product needs CE, UKCA or FCC approval we design with pre-compliance in mind and support you through the test process.

Layout checked by analysis, not just by eye

Design rule checks catch clearance errors. They do not tell you whether a buck converter hot loop is small enough, whether a battery feed will drop too much voltage at full load, or whether a temperature sensor will read high because it sits next to a regulator. Before a board goes to fabrication we analyse the things that cause late failures: current return paths and loop inductance, DC current density and IR drop across power nets, reference plane integrity under high-speed signals, and heat flow from hot components into sensitive sensors. Problems found this way cost a layout change. Found after fabrication, they cost a board spin.

Common questions

How much does PCB design cost?

It depends mostly on board complexity, not size: layer count, how many high-speed or RF interfaces there are, and how much analogue or power design is involved. A simple two or four layer board is a small, fixed-scope piece of work. A dense multi-layer board with a radio, a processor and a battery system is a larger project. We give an itemised estimate before any work starts, and we will tell you if a design review of an existing board would answer your question for less.

Are you a PCB manufacturer?

We design boards and manage their manufacture, but we do not run our own PCB fabrication or SMT lines. Bare boards and assembly come from vetted partners in the UK, Europe or Asia, chosen to suit your volume and cost target. Box build, programming, test and packing happen in our London facility. You get one point of contact from schematic to finished product.

Do we own the PCB design files at the end of the project?

Yes, and you can actually open them. We design in KiCad, so reviewing, modifying or re-quoting your design data costs you nothing in software licences, now or in five years. You own the schematic, layout and manufacturing outputs, and we hand over editable source files rather than locked exports. We would rather you were able to take the design elsewhere and chose not to.

Can you take a design straight into production?

Yes, and we manage the whole route. PCB assembly is placed with carefully vetted partners in the UK, Europe or Asia to suit your volumes, lead time and cost target. Box build, final assembly, provisioning, functional test, packaging and low-volume distribution then happen in our own London facility. You deal with one team throughout rather than handing the design over a wall to a separate manufacturer.

Will you work with an existing PCB design?

Often. We review third-party designs, fix manufacturability and reliability problems, and modernise legacy boards where components have gone end-of-life. A review is usually the cheapest way to find out whether a redesign is actually needed.

Ready to take your product to production?

ISO 9001 certified electronics, firmware and mechanical engineering, from first prototype to small-batch manufacturing.

Book a discovery call