Coding for a circuit board - who does this?
Discussion
I've found myself in a situation where I'm out of my depth and so wondered if anyone could help.
A business I am involved in is building a new circuit board for the device it manufactures (all this PCB does is power a motor and some lights) and the guys doing the build have suddenly become unavailable to complete the project. About 80% of the work is done (board designed, code written but needs changes) and so we need someone to come in and complete the project.
I am not a manufacturing guy and this is not my field but it seems to be falling to me to resolve this impasse. Can it be done? Will someone come in and work with another coder's code or would we have to start all over again?
Can anyone recommend someone for me to refer to with this problem? Please forgive my rudimentary explanation of the project as I only barely understand the problem myself, hence the somewhat basic description here.
Thanks in advance.
A business I am involved in is building a new circuit board for the device it manufactures (all this PCB does is power a motor and some lights) and the guys doing the build have suddenly become unavailable to complete the project. About 80% of the work is done (board designed, code written but needs changes) and so we need someone to come in and complete the project.
I am not a manufacturing guy and this is not my field but it seems to be falling to me to resolve this impasse. Can it be done? Will someone come in and work with another coder's code or would we have to start all over again?
Can anyone recommend someone for me to refer to with this problem? Please forgive my rudimentary explanation of the project as I only barely understand the problem myself, hence the somewhat basic description here.
Thanks in advance.
Most independent bespoke electronics companies will only work in 1 or 2 languages and 1 or 2 processor types. So you need to know what processor is used and what language they were working in.
To be honest, it sounds very suspicious to me, I wouldn't be surprised if the original guys got themselves in over their heads and realised they would have to start over.
TooLateForAName said:
Do you have specs and documentation?
full source code? can you build the system or have they left you with a couple of files and a sloppy kiss?
Picking up other peoples stuff is generally a pain - especially if its complex and no docs.
I'm a bit out of my depth here but I believe we have full specs and source code for the work done so far. There has been no issue with the quality of what has been received from them so far; the only issue is that they have now decided to abandon the project.full source code? can you build the system or have they left you with a couple of files and a sloppy kiss?
Picking up other peoples stuff is generally a pain - especially if its complex and no docs.
DMs sent to @E31Shrew and @FredClogs (with thank for your help).
Meanwhile I now have a better understanding of what is required here.
The device being built has two styles: a basic and a more complicated version. A fully designed, fully coded circuit board for the basic item has been completed. Also a full designed, fully coded circuit board for the more complicated version has been completed BUT a change has been made to the more complicated version that new requires a redesign of the board for this item and recoding of the circuitry too. The problem is that the firm who took on this project have now abandoned it and so while we have the basic version all finished, we still need to change the more complicated version.
So, what I understand we need is someone/some firm with both circuit board design skills and circuit board coding skills so they can:
1) Finish the redesign and recoding of the more complicated product. Can someone come in and work with the design and code that is already there and just 'tweak' (for want of a better phrase) it to what is required? I don't know. It may be that we have to tart this all over again with a new design and new code but I have to believe at the very least the existence of a design and code from the abandoned effort will give the person/form taking this on a head start.
2) Support the basic model's design and code. If in a few years' time we decide to modify this further and add new features then ideally we'd like to have someone who understood how it was designed and written and could make these changes for us. Again, I don't know if this is possible and it may be that someone coming to the project now would simply say they'd have to start this again so they knew their way around the design and code themselves.
As mentioned before, i am out of my depth here but I'd like to think that as what is being made is a simple consumer device with basically just a motor and a few lights, the design and coding of a circuit board for this shouldn't be too difficult. But I recognise I just don't know this space well enough to state that with any authority.
Can anyone point me in the direction of someone who can help with circuit board design and coding for this project?
Meanwhile I now have a better understanding of what is required here.
The device being built has two styles: a basic and a more complicated version. A fully designed, fully coded circuit board for the basic item has been completed. Also a full designed, fully coded circuit board for the more complicated version has been completed BUT a change has been made to the more complicated version that new requires a redesign of the board for this item and recoding of the circuitry too. The problem is that the firm who took on this project have now abandoned it and so while we have the basic version all finished, we still need to change the more complicated version.
So, what I understand we need is someone/some firm with both circuit board design skills and circuit board coding skills so they can:
1) Finish the redesign and recoding of the more complicated product. Can someone come in and work with the design and code that is already there and just 'tweak' (for want of a better phrase) it to what is required? I don't know. It may be that we have to tart this all over again with a new design and new code but I have to believe at the very least the existence of a design and code from the abandoned effort will give the person/form taking this on a head start.
2) Support the basic model's design and code. If in a few years' time we decide to modify this further and add new features then ideally we'd like to have someone who understood how it was designed and written and could make these changes for us. Again, I don't know if this is possible and it may be that someone coming to the project now would simply say they'd have to start this again so they knew their way around the design and code themselves.
As mentioned before, i am out of my depth here but I'd like to think that as what is being made is a simple consumer device with basically just a motor and a few lights, the design and coding of a circuit board for this shouldn't be too difficult. But I recognise I just don't know this space well enough to state that with any authority.
Can anyone point me in the direction of someone who can help with circuit board design and coding for this project?
Similarly I know people who can help on the board and/or the software. If you wish to discuss please PM me.
I do have a few questions you may not wish to answer on here:
Why did the original team abandon the project? Specification creep or errors? Funding? Politics? Contract dispute? Engineering issues?
Although the developers have left are the people who commissioned the work still available?
What is the acceptance criterion?
Does your company routinely develop software and hardware or have them developed?
I do have a few questions you may not wish to answer on here:
Why did the original team abandon the project? Specification creep or errors? Funding? Politics? Contract dispute? Engineering issues?
Although the developers have left are the people who commissioned the work still available?
What is the acceptance criterion?
Does your company routinely develop software and hardware or have them developed?
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