This guide is written specifically for entrepreneurs, startups, inventors, and small businesses innovating new electronic hardware products. ... read more
When you’re developing a new electronic product, it’s easy to get pulled toward the latest and most advanced technologies.
But the truth is, many of these choices will make your product nearly impossible to develop, at least without a … read more
If your product costs too much to build, you’re going to feel it everywhere.
Your margins will be too thin to make a profit. Your retail price will be too high to compete. You’ll struggle to scale, or even … read more
Your PCB design can look flawless in CAD.
But if it can’t survive once customers start using it, then you don’t have a product, you have a prototype.
And a prototype that fails after shipping isn’t just annoying.
It’s … read more
Failing FCC or CE emissions testing can kill your product before it ever ships.
And it happens far more often than you’d think.
What makes this failure so devastating is that it’s not something you can patch or fix with … read more
Battery life is one of the most important design factors for many products, and one of the easiest to screw up.
What should last for days might only last hours.
Poor power efficiency can even create a false need … read more
The ESP32 looks like the perfect chip.
You get Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, dual-core processing, plenty of memory and peripherals… and it’s dirt cheap.
It’s also everywhere from DIY maker projects to full-scale commercial products. It’s one of the most popular chips … read more
Wireless is one of those things that makes or breaks a product. Your PCB can be designed perfectly for functionality, but if the wireless doesn’t work reliably, your product is dead in the water.
So in this video, I’m going … read more
Just because you’ve got a working prototype doesn’t mean your design is ready for production.
I saw this when I was a chip designer at Texas Instruments. A new engineer was bragging to me that his latest design worked perfectly … read more
Certification testing is already time-consuming and expensive, and that’s assuming you pass the first time.
But if your product fails, it can quickly spiral into redesigns, extra testing fees, and long delays.
I’ve seen plenty of designs that were fully … read more
Doing a sales test before going all-in on manufacturing is one of the smartest things you can do.
It gives you real validation: actual customers, actual money, and actual units in people’s hands.
It is the most reliable way to … read more
If you’re developing an electronic product, you’ve probably tested your prototype by hand checking voltages, probing signals, or just seeing if it turns on.
That part’s easy.
But what about when you’re building a hundred or ten thousand units?
How … read more
If you’re developing an electronic product, chances are you’ve programmed your prototype manually using a development board or an external programmer.
That part is easy. But what happens when you’re ready to build hundreds or even tens of thousands of … read more
So you think your product doesn’t need certification? Because it uses a pre-certified module? Or doesn’t have wireless functionality? Or because the product seems totally harmless?
Think again.
Here’s the first thing to remember, certification applies to the entire product, … read more
Nearly everyone drastically underestimates the cost required to develop, scale, and manufacture a new electronic product.
This is one of the main reasons so many hardware startups ultimately fail.
Without knowing all of the various expenses, you’ll either run out … read more
The biggest danger when launching a product isn’t a bad idea, lack of funding, or not having the right skills. It’s overconfidence. ... read more
Watch two engineers battle to design two ESP32 PCBs in only 1 hour! ... read more
Copyright 2026 Predictable Designs LLC. Privacy policy | Terms
10645 N Oracle Blvd, Ste 121-117, Tucson, Arizona 85737 USA