Electronic design and prototyping of connected devices
Picodev, a design office in Aix-en-Provence, designs the electronic architecture of your connected device and builds its prototype, on an existing or a custom board. For the production board (schematics, layout, manufacturing file), we work with SGAME as part of the IoTou® offer.
Picodev, a design office in Aix-en-Provence, designs the electronic architecture of your connected device and builds its prototype, on an existing or a custom board. For the production board (schematics, layout, manufacturing file), we work with SGAME as part of the IoTou® offer.
What we do
Device architecture
Before choosing a component, we start from the use: where the device will be installed, how it will be powered, what it must measure and where it sends its data. Sensors, power supply, interfaces and radio follow from there. This step avoids finding out too late that a battery does not last or that an enclosure blocks the signal.
Component selection
We select the microcontroller (ARM, STM32, PIC, ESP32…), the sensors and the radio modules, and we explain each choice: power consumption, development tools, availability from distributors, cost in production. You know why each component is there, and what would change with another one.
Prototype
We build a first version of your product with all its sensors, on your board, on an off-the-shelf board or on a board designed for the project. The prototype validates the choices on a real device: measurements, radio links, power consumption, software behaviour.
Interface selection
USB, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE-M… We choose the interfaces according to the device's use and your infrastructure, with configuration, maintenance and updates in mind.
Production board with SGAME
For the production board, we work with SGAME as part of the IoTou® offer: schematics, layout, manufacturing file and manufacturing in France. The software developed on the prototype carries over to the production board.
When to call on us
- You have a product idea and need to know whether it is feasible.
- You need to show a working device to your customers, partners or investors.
- You are hesitating between several microcontrollers or radio technologies.
- Your prototype exists, but it must be rethought before production.
Technologies
ARM, STM32, ESP32, PIC, nRF52840, Raspberry Pi, Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, LoRa, Zigbee, NFC, LTE-M.
What you receive
- The working prototype and its firmware.
- The design file: architecture, component choices and their reasons.
- For the production board: the manufacturing file prepared with SGAME.
How we work
- Scoping: use, power supply, environment and product constraints, recorded in a shared document.
- Architecture: choice of components and interfaces, presented with their alternatives.
- Prototype: build and tests on the real device, in conditions close to its use.
- Review with you, then move to the production board with SGAME if the project continues.
Related projects
- Bourbon Offshore – Bourbon Offshore: prototype unit fixed on top of ship cranes, measuring the distance, speed and acceleration of the load (lidar, Raspberry Pi, Wi-Fi, Python).
- Reeflect – Reeflect turns sound alerts into visual alerts: Picodev adapted the Zigbee device control and developed a LoRa smart plug prototype (ESP32).
- R&D – Picodev R&D: a Zigbee bridge that remotely reads a standard 4-20 mA industrial probe, in a mesh network or as a transparent link between two bridges.
Before you entrust us with your project.
Can you start from an existing board?
Yes. We prototype on your board, on an off-the-shelf board or on a board designed for the project.
Who designs and manufactures the production board?
We build it with SGAME, as part of the IoTou® offer: design, layout, manufacturing file and manufacturing in France, with a single point of contact.
Is the prototype the final product?
No. It validates the sensors, the interfaces and the software on a real device. The production board takes over these choices and adapts them to manufacturing.
Can you help us choose the radio technology?
Yes. We compare Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, LoRa, Zigbee or LTE-M on range, power consumption and available infrastructure.
Let's talk about your connected device.
Fill in our project form or write to us.