Related to Schematic & PCB Design and Custom Electronics Development
PCB prototyping and validation: your design data turned into assembled, tested prototype boards
Micro Digital Engineering builds and verifies prototype boards from existing design data: Gerber or ODB++ files, the bill of materials and the assembly data. We check the data package, have the bare boards fabricated by a specialised manufacturing partner, assemble the prototypes in-house, bring them up, debug them and verify them against the prototype requirements. The board can be designed by your team, by another company or by us.
Confidential task? We sign an NDA before you share technical files.
Can you build and test prototypes of a board designed by another company?
Yes. The work starts from the design data you already have. We check that the package is complete and consistent, agree what has to be verified, and then fabricate, assemble, bring up and test the prototypes. Design changes are proposed where the tests show they are needed; making them is agreed separately with you or with the original designer.
What you can start with
- Gerber or ODB++ files, drill data and the PCB stack-up.
- A bill of materials with manufacturer part numbers.
- Assembly drawings and placement data.
- Schematics, which make bring-up and debugging faster.
- The prototype requirements or a description of what the board must do.
What the prototype stage covers
Check of the data package
Completeness and consistency of the manufacturing data, the bill of materials and the assembly data; availability of the components; questions that must be resolved before ordering.
PCB fabrication and components
The bare boards are fabricated by a specialised manufacturing partner; the components are sourced for the agreed number of prototypes.
Prototype assembly
Components are assembled in-house by our engineering team, and assembly deviations and substitutions are recorded for each board.
Bring-up and debugging
First power-up with current limits, supply rails, clocks, programming and basic functions, with faults investigated on the bench.
Verification against the requirements
Functional checks and measurements to an agreed test plan, with the results recorded for each board.
Revision proposals
Deviations are analysed and the design changes they require are listed with their reasons.
Calibrated laboratory measurement capabilities
Our laboratory performs electrical measurements, waveform analysis and functional verification using calibrated measurement equipment. All measurement instruments have undergone calibration (etalonare) and are supported by calibration certificates.
For prototype boards this includes supply rails and start-up behaviour, signal and interface checks, waveform measurements and functional tests against the test plan.
The applicable measurement ranges and test conditions are defined according to the engineering task.
What you receive
| Deliverable | Format | How it is checked |
|---|---|---|
| Data package review | List of findings and open questions | Resolved with you before ordering |
| Test plan | Document | Review and written approval |
| Prototype boards, assembled in-house | The agreed number of boards | Bring-up and tests to the test plan |
| Bring-up and test report | Document with measurements, per board | Results against the prototype requirements |
| Revision list | Proposed changes with reasons | Design review |
How the work runs
- The design data and the prototype requirements are reviewed.
- The test plan and the number of prototypes are agreed.
- The bare PCBs are fabricated by a manufacturing partner and the components are sourced.
- The prototypes are assembled in-house.
- The boards are brought up, debugged and verified to the test plan.
- The test report and the revision list are handed over.
See how we work.
How it relates to other services
Board design itself is PCB design. A complete device project includes prototyping as one stage of custom electronics development. Finding the cause of a problem in a prototype that does not work is electronics troubleshooting. Test equipment for repeated testing of many boards is test benches and fixtures.
Common questions
Do you fabricate the bare PCBs yourselves?
No. Bare PCBs, including multilayer boards, are fabricated by specialised manufacturing partners. Assembly, bring-up, debugging and verification of the prototypes are done in-house.
Can you correct the design if the prototype does not work?
We find the cause and propose the changes. Making them in the design files is agreed with you, or with the team that designed the board, as a separate step.
Do you assemble production batches?
This service covers prototypes. Repeat production follows a manufacturing route agreed in the project, using the manufacturing package.
What if the data package is incomplete?
The missing items are listed before anything is ordered. Some can be completed by us, for example a bill of materials or assembly data; others need the original designer.
Discuss the prototype stage
Describe the board, the design data you have and what has to be verified.
Confidential task? We sign an NDA before you share technical files.