It defines all the functions and features of the device. Usually, the specifications are supplied by the customer, but they will be discussed, worked on and completed with our team. Without anticipating needs, there will be no solid basis for the product.

It's a technical drawing that defines how the various electronic components will be connected, enabling the device's functionality to be realized. At this stage, it's vital to have a perfect grasp of what you're doing, and to size the components correctly so as to obtain a safe, reliable device. We also need to anticipate requirements for CE, FCC, etc. certification.

This is the phase when the schematic is transformed into a technical drawing for the physical printed circuit board. The printed circuit board (or PCB) is the mechanical element that supports and electrically connects the electronic components in accordance with the schematic. Here again, experience and rigor are required to create a robust, functional system that complies with current standards.

This step enables us to check that the board will be produced without any major problems, and that the functionalities work as desired. Our production department takes charge of this phase, which ensures rapid assembly and precise feedback to our R&D department concerning any difficulties encountered during assembly.

Most electronic boards are equipped with a microcontroller that requires an embedded program to operate. This is done during the software development phase, generally once the prototype has been produced. The software (or code) is an algorithm in text form that enables the board to function. This is the intelligence of the board or device. It may also be necessary to develop interface software. This is a program that can be installed on a computer and used to interact with the board. During all these phases, the code must be clean and well-designed to be fast, bug-free and robust.

A single electronic board can constitute a complete R&D system. For a device, it is necessary to design the mechanical assembly around this board. This may be just the housing, or the various standard or customized mechanisms to be produced for the device. Mechanical design work therefore consists of conceiving the housing from a design, and imagining the mechanisms and their operation. The parts thus imagined are modeled in 3 dimensions, enabling us to see the overall assembly of the device virtually. Drawings of the parts are then produced from this 3D model, and can be manufactured using different processes, depending on their shape, production quantities and complexity. In this phase, too, parts can be produced using prototyping processes to validate the complete device. In general, development ends here with the customer's validation of the circuit's functionality.