Internet of Things Flashtalk: Speeding up a Hardware Design. Using open hardware such as Arduino and Raspberry PI as well as Dev Kits, complemented by Application Notes, White Papers, and Reference Designs. Talk to your FAE, your Manufacturer, and your Distributor.

1. Speeding up Hardware
Designs
Internet of Things
2013-12-03
Daniel D Lindmark
Make Believe Company

2. #TLDR
Speed is important: Open Hardware is a great
start, but use Experts, MFGs, Distributors,
FAEs. Read the Whitepapers, Reference
Designs, and Application Notes.
Bonus Design Tip: To Pass FCC Certification,
create ground fences with stitched vias
surrounding the board and power islands.

3. Background: Scout Alarm
DIY Crowd Funded Home Security

4. Background: Teradyne
Building Circuits and Software to test:
Circuits and Software that are used to
test:
More circuits (Discrete Components).
Semiconductor Verification Hardware
Micro volts to hundreds of volts
Nano amps to hundreds of amps
22 layer boards, 2.5 GHz routing

5. Dogs Like Steak: Time to Market is Critical
If you beat someone to market, by the time they have their
first offering, you will have your second, cheaper offering.

6. Speed in MFP
Start with an Arduino / RasPi / DevKit Board
and accessories:
Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, Motor Control,
Zigbee, Knobs, Buttons, Capacitive Touch
If you can’t make IoT with these, you’re either a
genius or a fool. Either way, proceed.

7. I was an Arduino Hater

8. How Dare these Geeks invade my
wheelhouse?

10. Moofi Habitat
Radial LED Globe
BlinkenLicht Project
-Lakes of Fire
regional Burn )*(

11. Moofi Timeline
Software developers with zero hardware
experience
Proof of concept: Hours
Prototype: Days
Finished 1-Off: Weeks

12. Except that that is not how it went

13. Are you running towards the finish line?
Or away from the start?

14. “These Never Happen”
- no one ever
Incorrect Interoperability
Trace Coupling
Unforntunate Tpyos
Unfamiliar Parts
Bad Assumptions
Impedance Mismatching
Split Plane Routing
Decoupling Caps
High ESR
Incorrect Footprint
Unintentional Shorts
Dangling Nets
Misnamed Pins
Poor Layout Flow
End of Life
Long Lead Time
Sedimentary Code
Poor Optimization
Power Supply Folding
Counterfeit Parts
Poor Cooling
Insufficient Power
Switching Noise
Thermal Effects
Radiated Noise
Insufficient Overhead
Via Thermals

15. Find an Expert
I wasted years doing it
the hard way with
theory and
understanding.
Find someone to tell
you how to do it right.

16. Find a product advocate
Component manufacturers
and distributors have a
vested interest in you buying
their product.
If you have hot coals, let
them run over your hot
coals.

17. Your FAE is your best friend
White
Papers
Referenc
e Designs
Application
notes

18. Read every abstract / summary
Companies such as
Linear Tech and
Arrow have hundreds
of reference designs.
(And will gladly find
someone to explain
the parts you don’t
get).

19. Speed in Complete
Functional Prototype
Modify your dev hardware for
your PCB.
Arduino
Share Alike Hardware
LGPL Software
RasPi
Linux
Closed Hardware (CPU)
Dev Kit
Free as in Beer

20. Open Vs Closed
An open hardware will compete against large companies by
making it easy for anyone to emerge and difficult for the big
guns to compete. This will spur innovation.
A closed hardware will attract investment. Competition will
improve cost / features. This will spur innovation.

21. Open Hardware
Fastest time to Market
Best Reflection on Brand
Consider Fencing your Design
Consider an Open Spinoff
There is no Secret Sauce

22. You climbed up to the top all by yourself!

23. Thank you
scoutalarm.com
mblabs.org
Blog: DanielDLindmark.com
email: ddl@DanielDLindmark.com
Twitter: @MakeBelieveInc
Bonus FCC Certification Layout Content Below

24. You should be worried about emissions

25. Emissions
Vertical Emissions are from exposed traces on
the top / bottom side
Horizontal Emissions are from the side of the
board.

26. Mitigate Vertical Emissions
Bury Traces as close to the chip as possible.
Keep Top / Bottom side trace lengths short
(This means going to a
4-6 layer board)

27. Mitigate Horizontal Emissions
200 mil GND fence around periphery and power islands
100 mil stitching via
Flood top / bottom layers with GND

28. Antenna Layout
Place Antenna at outer edge of the board.
No GND / Traces / Metal to the sides
No GND underneath on any layer

29. Final Routing
No Vias from Chip to Antenna
Use Coplanar Wave Guide for impedance
matching (SaturnPcb.com)
Install PI Network to Filter

30. Thank you
scoutalarm.com
mblabs.org
Blog: DanielDLindmark.com
email: ddl@DanielDLindmark.com
Twitter: @MakeBelieveInc