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Custom Hardware & Firmware Engineering

February 1, 2025EMBEDDED HARDWARE DESIGN

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🛠️ Case Study: Custom Hardware & Firmware Engineering

Sector: Industrial IoT
Role: Hardware Designer & Firmware Engineer
Client Impact: Reduced costs, increased control, and enabled scalable hardware systems

🎯 Objective

To eliminate reliance on costly, inflexible PLCs by designing custom IoT hardware and firmware from scratch.

⚠️ Challenge

Clients were stuck with:

  • High costs per device from commercial PLCs
  • Rigid form factors and I/O limitations
  • Vendor lock-in and poor adaptability

🧩 Solution

I engineered a complete hardware solution, delivering over 30 custom-built PCBs tailored to real-world industrial challenges.

Key Components:

  • Circuit Design: Professional-grade PCBs with LAN/WiFi redundancy and rich I/O (RS485, CAN, Analog).
  • Firmware: Highly structured and configurable C/C++ firmware enabling rapid deployment across use cases.
  • Hardware Lifecycle: From 3D case prototyping to outsourcing at JLCPCB and PCBWAY, I managed the entire lifecycle with full quality control.

📊 Impact

  • 💸 Significant cost savings compared to commercial PLCs
  • 🔌 Greater flexibility and control over system behavior
  • 📦 Fast adaptation to new project requirements with minimal firmware tweaks

🧪 Technical Stack

Layer Technology Used
Firmware C/C++, Python
Communication TCP/UDP, Serial, rs485, CAN, Digital I/O
Hardware Custom PCB Design, 3D enclosure
Environment RTOS, ESP32, Easyeda, KiCad, VsCode, Arduino IDE, Bambu Studio

💡 Key Takeaway

By controlling the hardware stack, I unlocked new levels of efficiency, scalability, and freedom—turning cost centers into strategic assets.