How to avoid hardware traps in production: A guide by Radeus Labs

[New Guide!] You built the prototype, it worked great… until production hit. Then came the EOL parts, ballooning licenses, and thermal meltdowns. Sound familiar? Our engineers at Radeus Labs created From R&D to Production, a no-fluff guide to avoiding hardware traps like: • Components going end-of-life mid-project • Hidden software licensing fees • Lab vs. field performance mismatches • Over-engineering that inflates costs • Team misalignment on lifecycle planning This isn’t theory. It’s real-world insight from teams who’ve been through it. Check out the post - check out the new guide! https://hubs.la/Q03GG9YW0

[New Guide!] You built the prototype, it worked great… until production hit. Then came the EOL parts, ballooning licenses, and thermal meltdowns. Sound familiar? Our engineers at Radeus Labs created From R&D to Production, a no-fluff guide to avoiding hardware traps like: • Components going end-of-life mid-project • Hidden software licensing fees • Lab vs. field performance mismatches • Over-engineering that inflates costs • Team misalignment on lifecycle planning This isn’t theory. It’s real-world insight from teams who’ve been through it. Check out the post - check out the new guide! https://hubs.la/Q03GG7_F0

What's the difference between making a hardware vs software product? HW product gross margins are ~30-45% whereas software is usually 60-75%. Physical products also take longer and have more stringent regulations. Also think about design, scalability, manufacturing and user feedback challenges. That and more here: https://lnkd.in/gU96PrBr

 The biggest hidden cost in product engineering? Rework. I once saw a team spend weeks debugging a sensor issue. Turned out it wasn’t firmware. It was a missing pull-up resistor in hardware. When hardware and firmware don’t talk, you pay twice. Once in money. Once in time. Best practice is to co-design hardware and firmware from day one. It prevents invisible costs later. P.S. Have you ever lost weeks chasing the wrong problem? #ProductEngineering #HardwareDesign #FirmwareDevelopment #EngineeringBestPractices #IoTDevelopment #TechLessons #InnovationWithoutWaste #EngineeringLeadership

I gave up over 20 hours of my free time last week to talk with 35 engineers, manufacturers, and business owners I’d never met before. No agenda, just curiosity. Each chat was 30 minutes to an hour, and it’s not over: I’ve got more scheduled this week (link in comments if you’re interested in having a conversation this week or at any point in the future). So far, here are two big takeaways: 1. Today, anyone can offer and sell a physical product - much like software. The barrier to hardware development is burning off. Ten years ago, hardware development required huge capital, tooling, and big bets. Today, thanks to accessible CAD, affordable prototyping, and a wealth of shared knowledge, the barrier feels more like a rope you can just duck under. 2. Asking beats assuming. I was amazed at the depth of knowledge people were willing to share. A week of conversations felt like a year of experience. People aren’t naturally secretive - they want to help. If you give your time and listen with genuine interest, the return in knowledge and connections is invaluable. So to summarize… The future of hardware is more accessible than ever - and the best way to tap into it is by asking questions and listening attentively. Hardware feels like a swelling wave, and it might be about to be the ride of a lifetime. 🌊 Do you think so too? Extra notes and references in the comments.

Many who sold picks and shovels to mid-1800s gold miners made a lot more money than did their customers. As we know, many of the latter fared badly. We can speak similarly about AI. Many who sell picks and shovels, or rather essential tools, should do quite well, perhaps even better than many who buy from them. EDA (Electronic Design Automation) company Cadence Design Systems is such a vendor. It sells for today's needs. And systems and IP licensing will boost it as things evolve. CDNS is in a three-firm oligopoly. Given wide moats (high switching costs), each rival should keep its own customers. The main action will be in getting new clients. CDNS' increasing attention to systems (i.e., not just chip design) and IP licensing can help it relative to rivals. It should also help CDNS grow faster than in the past and support the stock’s high valuation. https://lnkd.in/eM5QKMsb

Not all “new software” is new… some are just sequels with better graphics Not every “new” software release is truly new. Sometimes it’s less like a breakthrough… and more like a movie remake. Shiny packaging, same old story. Here’s how to tell the difference: Does it actually solve new problems for you? Is it built on a different foundation (not just a facelift)? Would your day-to-day work change because of it? If the answer is “no” to most of these, you’re looking at a remake, not a revolution. Before upgrading, ask: Is this really new, or just rebranded? #Innovation #TechTrends #Software #DigitalTransformation #Productivity

Unitary patents now make up nearly a third of all European patents, yet some tech and engineering giants remain hesitant to adopt the system. While companies like Qualcomm, Lenovo, and Airbus embrace single-patent coverage across 18 EU states, others stick with traditional national filings. Explore which firms are betting on the unitary patent system—and why it matters for Europe’s innovation landscape: https://ow.ly/uucn50WZlly #UnitaryPatent #EuropeanPatents #InnovationInEurope

💡 How are our Embedded Modules actually created? The answer: innovation, expertise, and a passionate team from development, layout, and product management 👩💻👨💻. 🎥 In our brand-new 4-part video series of “#Backstage at TQ-Embedded”, we take you behind the scenes to show how an initial idea becomes a market-ready computer-on-module.   🔎 Part 1: From idea to final module Konrad Zöpf and Danny John share exclusive insights into the development of the new TQMa95xxSA and TQMa95xxLA modules. They explain why the team chose the i.MX 95 CPUs from #NXP – and why the right software in the layout made all the difference.   👉 Discover all insights from the series & the latest technology trends: https://lnkd.in/ecpUJJh8   #computeronmodules #embedded #engineering #tqembedded  

So, when we design  for the most impactful feature, we build upwards from the first principles. That tell us:    improve functionality    improve ease of  adoption    improve ease of assembly    improve  nature friendly compliance    improve longevity And these features - eventually differentiate for impact. That need to be protected by IP. To establish and validate this uniqueness and respect for the process. A process that builds in fundamental engineering and deep domain logic.