If you are a hardware, firmware, or both (or, as we say in Brazil, “play with both legs”) developer, you have probably experienced the euphoria of starting a project.
That moment when everything seems possible, where any challenge is just a matter of effort and goodwill. Every developer starts a project with the motivation of The Brain (Pinky and the Brain). For those unfamiliar, the most famous quote from Pinky and the Brain is:
“Are you pondering what I’m pondering?”
“The same thing we do every night, Pinky… Try to take over the world!”
However, by the end of the project, after sleepless nights, integrations that defied the laws of physics, and some creative “contingencies,” the final result often feels more like a “this is good enough” delivery.
But it doesn’t have to be that way! If five key action groups are followed, most surprises can be avoided, ensuring a smoother (as much as possible) delivery.
Now, let’s explore the five main challenges of hardware development and the most effective strategies to overcome them.
Deadlines: Every Project Starts Late
I have never seen a hardware project with a comfortable deadline.
The client arrives excited, eyes shining, with an extremely tight schedule. The problem? They want everything yesterday. Time-to-market is a term that haunts every embedded developer, but it’s an essential market demand. Our mission is to explain that a hardware and firmware project follows clear phases:
Concept and requirements gathering
Architecture definition and platform selection
Schematic design and PCB layout
Prototyping and initial testing
Adjustments, compliance tests, and certifications (every hardware project has revisions, meaning previous interactions multiply)
Firmware development (one line of code, an entire universe of complexity)
Initial implementation and unit testing
Integration with hardware and compatibility testing
Debugging and performance optimization
Final validation and production preparation
Mass production (not just any scale, but I’ll get to that later)
If you don’t want your project to turn into an exhausting battle against impossible deadlines and unexpected technical challenges, learn to say no to unrealistic schedules. Trade show launch? (yes, I have personal traumas here). If your timeline doesn’t align with the event, reconsider your planning to avoid unnecessary risks. The chances of success are close to zero.
Resilience: The Only Certainty Is That Something Will Go Wrong (And We Don’t Even Need Murphy’s Law to Know That)
If engineering teaches anything, it’s that nothing works perfectly the first time.
The microcontroller has a new errata (errata: real-world exceptions), the battery that was supposed to last a month barely lasts two days, or that bug that disappears the moment you turn on debugging logs. But let’s not badmouth bugs — after all, they fuel a developer’s endorphins (after they are fixed, of course).
If none of this happens to you, congratulations! But maybe you’re working on projects that are too simple. Problems are inevitable, but that’s where we grow as engineers.
Workaround: Necessary Adaptation or Temporary Fix?
Purist developers suffer.
I’ve seen (and I include myself in this) people waste days searching for the perfect solution when a small adjustment would have solved the problem in time. A workaround is not a hack — it’s a pragmatic solution.
For example, if a microcontroller has an unexpected reset bug (which can vary in severity depending on the application and its frequency), you could spend weeks investigating it, or you could implement a well-configured watchdog timer and move on. The trick is to not compromise robustness just to meet deadlines.
Solve the Hardest Problem First
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is: if the most challenging part of the project isn’t tackled first, everything else might be wasted effort.
I’ve seen projects where months were spent on software, layout, and interface, only to discover at the end that the chosen sensor lacked the necessary precision.
The solution? Mini-prototype projects. Convince the client to test the most critical component first before building the entire system. It’s like trying to bake a giant cake without first checking if the yeast works.
If the Prototype Worked, the Project Still Isn’t Done
A classic mistake: popping champagne with the client when the prototype works on the bench. The next day comes the hangover of mass production.
What worked for one unit should (likely) fail at 10,000.
The air-conditioned lab where you developed the product is not the same environment where it will be used. It may be exposed to direct sunlight, salty air corrosion, or vibrations that crack solder joints — and this is where you’ll start appreciating the specifics of hardware production.
Challenges such as mass soldering processes can directly impact the final product’s quality. Small variations in reflow oven temperature, incorrect thermal profiles, or wrong solder alloy choices can cause intermittent failures, compromising device reliability.
My rule (definitely not my own invention, but I live by it): produce in orders of magnitude.
This approach is widely used in product engineering to minimize risks. Staggered production helps identify issues early, preventing catastrophic failures when volumes are high.
First 100 units
Then 1,000
Only then, consider full-scale production
If a problem appears, it’s manageable. If you start directly at large scale, prepare for a nightmare recall.
Additionally, an often neglected yet essential process is accelerated aging tests. Thermal stress tests, humidity cycles, and fatigue tests can reveal failures that would only appear after months or years of use. This validation allows for adjustments to components and processes before mass production, ensuring greater reliability and longevity.
Surviving (and Enjoying) Hardware Development
Developing hardware is a journey full of highs and lows, but in the end, it’s incredibly rewarding.
Every solution found, every bug fixed, every ingenious workaround (which you’ll never publicly admit) is part of the learning process.
So, next time a client comes in with a revolutionary idea and unrealistic deadlines, smile, take a deep breath, and get ready for another adventure — because what are we going to do today?
The same thing we do every day: deliver the project on time!
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