/ FAE ROUNDTABLE
Hello, World!
The prototype exists in a special place between ideation and realization. But in an age of over-the-air updates, pre-certified modules and single-board computers, is prototyping just a luxury rather than a necessity?
If asked, many engineers may say that prototyping is one of the most interesting stages in product development. It’s never certain that something will work until the switch is flipped and the lights come on. There’s a reason why the first piece of code written for any hardware platform is usually “Hello, World!”
Prototyping can be a deeply personal process. Engineers need to make the decision on whether they should prototype a design and how much of the design should be prototyped. Avnet’s engineers spend a lot of time working with customers at the prototyping stage, so we asked for some opinions on what prototyping means today.
The clips below cover each point discussed. You can also watch the video in full by following this link.
"The antenna is the point where digital theory meets the analog reality. You have to prototype to see if the RF works smoothly."
Participant bios
Matt Brown
Technical Marketing Manager Read Bio
Jon Cooper
Technical Manager, Avnet Abacus Read Bio
Thomas Kupfer
Area Technical Manager, Sensors & Wireless, Avnet Abacus Read Bio
James Lau
Director, Design Services, Avnet Read Bio
Philip Ling
Senior Technology Writer, Avnet Read Bio
Wallace Ly
Senior Software Field Applications Engineer, Avnet Read Bio
Milan Milanović
High-End Processing Technical Support Center Engineer, EBV Elektronik Read Bio
Brian Willess
Technical Solutions Engineer, Avnet Read Bio
What comes first, the prototype or the specification?
Building a prototype can be an organic process, as new functions and features are added. There is a temptation to use the prototyping stage to refine or perhaps replace a specification. Avnet’s experts have seen this and even fallen into the same trap. The flexibility offered by extensible platforms that are often used at the prototyping stage now makes it easy to succumb to “mission drift.” The discipline needed here is to know what you want to achieve before going too far down the prototype stage.
“It means asking ‘what is it I want to accomplish’ and limiting the scope of the prototype.”
The joy of prototyping
Given enough time, engineers can develop almost anything. When this creativity is enabled through hardware and software designed to fuel productivity, the result can be hugely rewarding. The danger is that engineering teams can be caught in “prototype hell,” where the momentum of iterative and agile design means the prototype takes the project in an entirely new direction. This can result in an entirely different experience.
“You need to be very aware up front about what you want to accomplish at the end, so you don’t go off on a big tangent.”
The potential pitfalls of prototyping
If the momentum does take over, the results can be unpredictable. Most engineering teams will admit to experiencing the potential pitfalls of prototyping. This includes reaching a point where they have lost track of where the design should be heading, sacrificing good engineering practices for the innovation of rapid development. Many new platforms almost encourage this, with easy access to standard functions that are often preconfigured. Documentation is provided, to some extent, by the board manufacturer, leaving developers free to explore new ways to implement those features.
“It started in the prototype, and nobody went back to fix it.”
Can OTA save the day?
Over-the-air updates, or OTA, have become commonplace in connected devices. It is a useful feature, essential some say, in applying patches to embedded software to fix security risks. Others use OTA as a step toward software as a service (SaaS), where new features are enabled as part of a subscription or additional fee. The potential to rely on OTA as a design tool is clearly present. It could allow design teams to deploy a product while the firmware is still in development. Combining OTA with the prototype stage creates a new dimension to design that didn’t exist until recently. Although OTA is a powerful feature, Avnet’s FAEs advise caution. The security risks associated with OTA need special attention at an early stage. It creates a scenario, where the prototype is used primarily to refine the OTA feature.
“It’s a really critical tool… but if you don’t get the security right…”
Prototyping reduces risk
The use of prototypes is closely associated with reducing risk. Our experts agree that if the project includes risk, then a prototype of some kind may be appropriate. Risk is often largely subjective, based on the skill, experience and knowledge of the design team. In some cases, however, the application will dictate the decision. Prototyping is viewed as a serious and essential stage by some certification bodies. As our experts observe, often the choice to prototype is not a choice at all.
“There are some applications where [prototyping] is actually built into the ISO compliance.”
How do you feel about prototyping?
Experience counts for a lot when it comes to design. The use of prototypes, when an option, might be questioned by some. Others will favor the prototyping stage, perhaps because it can offer insights into new features that were not considered at the early stages. We asked our experts to give a short response to the following questions:
Would you recommend prototyping when…
- Trying out a new component or solution for a new product or function Y/N
- Developing a new product or function using a familiar component or solution Y/N
- Learning about a new product or solution for a new product or function Y/N
- If the budget and timescale allow, regardless of what you’re doing Y/N