Overview by Richard Marshall of a Guide for IoT hardware startups and scaleups to help bring IoT hardware from prototype to mass production.

2. IoT hardware from prototype to
production an overview
LPWAN Meetup #20 @ Digital Catapult, London – 26th September 2019
Richard Marshall, Xitex Limited

3. Who and what is it for?
Digital Catapult’s IoT hardware from prototype to production
guide is designed for individuals who are keen to launch
hardware based IoT products and services:
• UK entrepreneurs
• Startups
• Scaleups
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4. Startups – ‘Crossing the Chasm’*
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* From Michael Moore’s book titled “Crossing the Chasm”

5. The road to Mass Production
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The
Chasm
within
‘The
Chasm’
Mass Production
Engineering
Validation
[EVT2]
Pre-Pilot
[DVT]
Pilot Production
[PVT]
2020
Initial
Design
NPI Phases
Mass
Production
Prototype
[EVT1]
Design
Validation
Production Line
Validation at
Velocity
Production Line
Validation
Design Phases
Gate 2Gate 1
Gate 3
Gate 4 Gate 5
‘Production ‘Go’
A typical New Product Introduction:
Gate 6

6. Why Chasm within the ‘The Chasm’?
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Startups often hit significant issues at Gate 3 - the transition to production
Typically for one or more of the following reasons:
• Insufficiently defined requirements and specifications
• Lack of design maturity
• Incomplete manufacturing documentation
• Manufacturability
• Test access and testability
• EMC considerations for regulatory compliance
• Regulatory documentation

7. Hardware Design has changed
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With so many platforms available it is easy to create proofs of concept…
Moving to mass production involves significant effort…

8. The path through NPI and funding
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• The path through does not end
when the design work is
‘complete’
• The amount of funding of taking a
hardware product to market is
substantial

9. New Product Introduction in Startups
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Key challenges for a successful new product introduction [NPI]
• Robust management of design Intellectual Property
• No existing product design infrastructure – processes, CAD libraries, design rules
• Creation or adoption of product design standards for manufacture and production test
• Building relationships with a new Contract Manufacturer
• Development of new supply chains
• Dealing with the regulatory requirements and documentation
• Processes for generating and deploying security credentials to the products

10. Specific IoT development challenges
IoT product development involves some specific challenges:
• RF design of Wireless subsystem(s)
• Low power WAN and cellular networks
• Antenna selection and design
• Long operational life typically on battery power
• Security
• A wide variety of Regulatory requirements
• FCC and CE Radio Equipment Directive
• Battery Safety standards such as UN 38.3, IEC 62133 etc.
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11. Third party manufacture
• Electronic product manufacture is normally outsourced to an
EMS and CEM
• Bringing up manufacture of a wireless based product in a
third party production facility is complex:
• An understanding of modern electronic manufacturing
• Requires a knowledge of RF production test
• Potentially Complex RF pcb layout which is manufacture able
• Traceable production for compliance with FCC and RED
• Potentially high production volumes and low BOM cost
• Often requires custom firmware for production testing and registration
• Dwindling skills base for designing and manufacturing
radio products 11

12. Regulatory
• Certifying a radio product involves significant knowledge of the
testing approach
• Requires FCC and CE Radio Equipment Directive compliance
• Battery Safety standards such as UN 38.3, IEC 62133 etc.
• Lithium battery powered products involves Dangerous
Goods Regulation processes
• Often requires software customised for compliance testing
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13. Help is at hand…
Digital Catapult’s whitepaper is intended to assist
those contemplating or engaged with taking IoT
hardware to production…
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14. An overview of the Product Lifecycle
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15. Checklists
Checklists are provided for each of
the Product Lifecycle milestones:
Gates 1 - 6 in the Annex, to
demonstrate readiness for next
phase:
• Gate 1 – Feasibility
• Gate 2 – Design and Development
• Gate 3 – Factory Introduction
• Gate 4 – Launch
• Gate 5 – General Availability
• Gate 6 – Withdrawal
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16. Does this IoT Product have ‘legs’?
A sample of the Gate 1 questionnaire in the Annex
1. Are the customer use cases, requirements and feature set clearly understood?
2. Pricing - has a sale price target been identified, end user and/or wholesale?
3. Technical feasibility, is the product technically feasible?
4. Have key milestones been identified to meet the planned launch date?
5. Are customer trials required to receive customer volume orders?
6. Will the product being launched have any dependencies on other products or
services, for example network coverage?
7. Is there sufficient funding and resources available and where will the funding
come from, the customer as NRE, or some other route?
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17. Selecting a wireless solution
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18. Using 3D views to help investor and
customer engagement
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Setting the CAD library up with accurate 3D bodies:
• Improves the integration with the mechanical design
• Reduces the risk of non-fitting parts
• Used for engagement with investors and customers

19. RF Designs and the PCB Stack-up
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Wireless Designs & high speed designs require impedance
controlled pcb design of which the laminate specification is a
critical part of the design process.
• Engage with the mass production manufacturer as early as
possible:
• Having to change laminate close to production due to
availability/cost can involve significant delay and cost through re-
characterisation of the design on the production laminate
• The pcb stack up is a critical part of the manufacturing
documentation!
• Ensure the stack up is embedded in the manufacturing files
(gerber/ODB+)
• Provide a specification with all the design constraints: trace
impedances and materials

20. Manufacturability and Testability
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As a startup engage with your manufacturing partner as early as possible:
• Maximize the use of material through effective panelisation
• Integrate testing constraints into the design
• For example test point pitch…

21. Summary
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Startups - Accelerating New Product Introduction:
• Consider how is the product going to be produced at every step
• Understand how to reduce manufacturing cost by working with your chosen EMS/CEM
• Consider the impacts of RF element on the design & regulatory compliance – FCC, CE
• Trade off designing your own RF sub systems or procuring pretested ones
• Use quality design documentation to the manufacturer for efficient communication
Download the whitepaper…

22. Thank You!