A Second Opinion
Sometimes a fresh perspective on a problem or a way forward can help get a project back on track or give confidence that a technology product development is heading in the right direction. Milliamp Technologies can give an unbiased, professional opinion on an existing development at any stage – from concept to post-manufacture – in any area we have expertise.
Independent Design Reviews
If your product development is already at an advanced stage, and you require the extra confidence of having us carry out an independent review of the work undertaken so far, we would be more than happy to help. This can be especially useful where staff or subcontractors have left a project and documentation is lacking – we are able to untangle things easily.
We have a tried and tested review processes which we can apply to an ongoing development to identify any existing or future issues, increase its robustness, and help reduce total time and cost of development. This includes:
- Specification and Outline Design Strategy Review – we can check and advise that the design has been taken in the right direction and meets original design aims and overall specifications.
- Circuit and Schematic Review – we are able to check that circuits have been implemented correctly in accordance with component manufacturer and best practice recommendations.
- PCB Layout Reviews – we can advise if the layout has been carried out in accordance with component manufacturer or best practice, including signal integrity (SI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) best practice to ensure reliable operation.
- Firmware and Software Reviews – we are able to undertake full code audits, static source code analysis and decision tree analysis, including simulations, to check your code is functioning how you expect under all conditions.
- Testing and Certification – we can provide assurance that the planned certification activities meet legal and regulatory requirements, such as CE, FCC, UL and European Directives.
If your product is ready for manufacture we are able to undertake a Design for Manufacture (DfM) review to identify any possible manufacturing issues and make suggestions for cost saving strategies that can be made at the design stage or suitable drop in component substitutions.
Design & Manufacture Troubleshooting
“Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” – We are able to quickly jump on board at any stage of a product lifecycle to try and resolve problems that have occurred and get things back on track – from fixing newly discovered design “features” to working with operatives on the “shop floor” during manufacture to fix problems. This includes:
- Rapid Design Workarounds or Alternative Solutions – quickly resolve problematic designs with workarounds to enable production progression in the short term and drop-in replacement design solution where more time available.
- Failure Analysis – we are able to evaluate existing design and manufacturing to get to the bottom of what is going wrong.
- Technology Manufacturer Support – we can leverage support from component and part manufacturers, sometimes being able to get prioritised assistance including access to special unreleased information which may have the answers to a design issue. As design partners for a variety of global manufacturers, our close relationships allow us to quickly reach out to the right people to solve problems fast !!!
- Manufacturer Assessment – we are able to understand and identify practical failures in the build process to get product manufacture back on track, including compliance against IPC and JEDEC assembly standards.
Best Practice & Customer Training
We can help supplement our customers in-house design knowledge by providing both on and off-site technical support, training or one-to-one tuition if needed in all areas of electronics, software development and manufacturing services that we undertake. Our customers learn in different ways and we try to fit in with their style as best we can, so we are happy to deliver this in whatever format suits them – from traditional meeting based discussions to electronic means via phone, email and online chat (Google Hangouts, Facebook and Skype).
As engineers with many years of hand-on design experience we deliver our training in an enthusiastic, hands-on, easy to understand manner which can really boost your team know-how allowing you to keep your future project costs down and the design activity completely in-house.
