FAQ for Celtic Engineering Solutions

At minimum, CES needs to understand what you want the device to do, how it will be powered, and where it will live (lab bench, field, medical environment, inside a toy, etc.).

A short written description, any existing photos or sketches, and a rough idea of the signals involved (voltages, currents, sensors, actuators, communications) are enough for an initial read. If you already have a draft Product Requirements Document (PRD), even messy, that accelerates the conversation.

Yes. Many CES projects start with nothing more than an idea, a use-case, or a problem statement. We can help you translate that into requirements and an engineering roadmap.

The goal of the first stage is not a perfect design; it is to capture your intent, decide whether electronics are the right answer, and outline realistic options for complexity, cost, and timeline.

Your PRD does not need to be perfect, formal, or complete. A one– to three–page document that describes what success looks like, key performance targets, power constraints, and user context is enough.

CES can refine the PRD with you during an engagement and will often suggest requirements you haven’t considered yet, such as testability, field service, or manufacturability constraints.

Yes. For many inventors and small teams, PRD development is the first deliverable. We ask targeted questions about who will use the device, how rugged it must be, what environments it will see, and what “failure” would look like.

From that, CES can produce a structured PRD you can use internally, with investors, and with manufacturers. It becomes the mission brief for the rest of the engineering work.

Technical feasibility starts with physics and available components. We look at required ranges (voltages, currents, distances, speeds, temperatures) and compare them to what established devices and components can reliably do.

If your concept pushes beyond proven limits, we’ll outline what is known, what would require research, and what risk, time, and cost that research might introduce. The answer is rarely a simple yes/no; it’s usually a set of options and trade-offs.

CES is not a law firm and cannot provide legal advice, but we can give technical feedback on whether your idea resembles common approaches in the industry.

We often recommend combining a technical consultation with an IP attorney who can do a formal prior-art search. The combination of those perspectives will help you understand what is novel, what is standard practice, and where you might differentiate.

Yes. A short, focused call is often the most efficient way to determine whether your problem matches CES strengths and whether hardware is the right path at all.

In that conversation, we can quickly flag ideas that are straightforward, risky, or misaligned with your budget, so you don’t waste time or money on the wrong next step.

CES typically creates a staged estimate: a smaller initial phase to clarify requirements and architecture, followed by a more precise estimate once key decisions are locked in.

We clearly mark which parts of the estimate are solid and which are ranges, so you can see how different feature choices affect cost and schedule before committing.

Microcontrollers shine when you need flexibility, multiple modes, data logging, communication, or future firmware updates. Purely analog designs can be excellent for simple, single-purpose functions that must be ultra-robust and low-cost.

CES often proposes hybrid approaches, using analog where it makes the signal cleaner or safer, and digital where it makes the product smarter or easier to evolve.

Gather anything that already exists: sketches, photos, previous boards, off-the-shelf devices you’re trying to improve, and any notes about what went wrong last time. If you have target dates or budget limits, write those down too.

A short list of “must-have” features and “nice-to-have” features is extremely helpful for quickly exploring trade-offs during the first conversation.

For small to mid-size boards, a realistic range is 6–16 weeks from a solid PRD to a powered-up prototype, depending on complexity, part availability, and how quickly decisions are made.

Highly complex systems, safety-critical designs, or projects that require multiple iteration loops will take longer. CES will always separate engineering time from fabrication and shipping time so you see where the days are actually going.

The biggest schedule killers are late decisions, changing requirements mid-design, and parts going out of stock. Each change ripples through schematics, layout, firmware, and testing.

CES mitigates this by locking “frozen zones” of the design before layout and by suggesting second-source components when possible. Clear, early decisions save weeks later.

We start by separating what absolutely must work for your deadline from what would simply be nice to demo. Then we design a path that maximizes the odds of a stable, honest demonstration.

CES will not promise miracles, but we will clearly describe what is realistic, what is risky, and how to avoid committing to more than the hardware can safely deliver by the target date.

Occasionally. Fast-turnaround work depends entirely on current load and the nature of the problem. Some “emergencies” are small debugging issues; others are complete redesigns in disguise.

CES will always tell you honestly whether a fast path exists, and what shortcuts or risks that path requires. If the risk is too high, we’ll say so rather than over-promise.

Yes, but only after a review of the existing design. Inherited boards often come with missing documentation, partial files, or design decisions that are hard to support.

CES will examine the current state, estimate whether repair or partial reuse makes sense, and tell you when a clean reboot is actually cheaper and safer than patching a fragile design.

It’s possible, but it becomes a reverse-engineering job. CES will need access to whatever files, boards, and firmware you do have, then reconstruct the design intent by inspection and measurement.

That adds time and cost. One of the first deliverables in this situation is documentation itself, so the project becomes maintainable again.

Hardware prototypes are built to learn. The goal of the first build is to validate the core architecture, critical signals, and riskier assumptions, not perfection on every feature.

CES will test, document findings, and then propose specific changes for the next revision. When the issue stems from a requirement change rather than a design error, we’ll separate those clearly.

As a rule of thumb, budget for at least two to three spins: a bring-up prototype, a refined design addressing issues and improvements, and a near-production version.

Some simple boards may be production-ready in one or two spins; complex mixed-signal or safety-critical systems may need more. CES will advise based on project risk, tolerance, and budget.

Yes. CES frequently collaborates with internal software, mechanical, and industrial design teams. The key is to establish clear interfaces and responsibilities early.

We can attend design reviews, provide electrical constraints to your mechanical team, and align firmware expectations with your software architects so integration goes smoothly.

In a consulting engagement, CES reviews, advises, and occasionally patches specific portions of your design while your team does most of the implementation work.

In a full ownership engagement, CES defines the architecture, designs the schematics and PCB, coordinates fabrication, and supports bring-up and testing. Which approach you choose depends on your internal capabilities and bandwidth.

CES breaks the work into phases—requirements refinement, architecture, schematics, layout, firmware, bring-up, and testing—and estimates hours for each phase.

We factor in complexity, unknowns, and any rescue work required on existing designs. Where there is uncertainty, we provide ranges and clearly label them as such.

CES can work hourly for open-ended consulting, but most development projects are scoped as milestone-based engagements tied to specific deliverables.

This gives you clear checkpoints—such as a completed PRD, schematic package, or tested prototype— and ensures everyone understands what is included at each step.

A proof-of-concept focuses on proving that the core idea can work, often using off-the-shelf modules, evaluation boards, or simplified circuits. It is cheaper and faster, but not designed for volume or long-term reliability.

A manufacturable prototype includes component choices, layout rules, test points, and documentation suitable for handoff to a contract manufacturer. That additional rigor adds cost, but it saves money later when you scale.

Many inventors underestimate the cost of iteration—each board revision, test fixture, and troubleshooting cycle has real time and fabrication costs.

Compliance preparation, ruggedization, and user-safety features also add effort. CES will flag these items early so they are not invisible line items that surprise you later.

Yes. Celtic Engineering Solutions is candid about budget mismatches. If the requested features and timeline cannot realistically be supported by your budget, we will say so clearly.

When possible, we’ll propose a smaller, more focused phase that gets you learning and traction without committing to a full system you can’t yet afford.

Engineering estimates usually separate labor from hard costs like components, PCB fabrication, and assembly. That gives you visibility into what is time and what is material.

CES can help you obtain quotes from board houses or assemblers and will include estimated ranges for those costs so you can budget realistically.

If a key part has long lead times or uncertain stock, it can delay prototypes and drive up cost. CES will look for second-source parts or alternative architectures where possible.

Sometimes a slightly more expensive but widely available component saves both money and stress in the long run. These trade-offs are part of the design conversation, not surprises at the end.

Absolutely. Over-engineering increases cost, risk, and time-to-market. If a simpler topology, fewer features, or more modest specs get you to your business goals faster, CES will say so.

The goal is not to build the most complicated board possible—it is to build the right board for your users, budget, and roadmap.

It depends on the nature of the flaws. If the architecture is sound but layout or component choices are weak, repair and refinement can be efficient.

If the architecture is fundamentally mismatched to the requirements—or if multiple layers of patching have made the system fragile—starting over can actually reduce long-term cost and headaches. CES will analyze and recommend the honest path.

Simulation is valuable when you are pushing limits—high-speed signals, tight analog specs, or thermally challenging designs—or when prototypes are very expensive.

For simple, low-risk circuits, building a prototype can be faster than creating a detailed model. CES will recommend simulation where it has clear payoff, not as a default checkbox.

CES uses professional-grade PCB design tools appropriate for multi-layer, mixed-signal work and coordinates formats with your manufacturing partners when needed.

We can often import or export designs to match your existing toolchain when that reduces friction for your internal teams or long-term maintenance.

Yes. When agreed in the Statement of Work, CES provides complete schematic, layout, and supporting files so your design is not locked to a single engineer forever.

This typically includes source files, PDFs, manufacturing outputs (Gerbers, drill files, assembly drawings), and BOMs needed for production.

Often, yes. Many tools can import or translate designs, though some cleanup is usually required. CES will review your files to confirm how cleanly they can be brought into our environment.

When translation is messy or risky, we’ll tell you whether recreation of critical sections is safer than relying on an unreliable import.

CES uses clear partitioning: separate analog and digital regions, controlled return paths, carefully placed ground planes, and attention to reference routing and decoupling.

Component placement, layer stack-up, and routing rules are planned together, not treated as an afterthought, to minimize crosstalk and noise.

We focus on grounding, power distribution, decoupling, trace impedance, and physical separation of high-energy or high-speed signals from sensitive nodes.

CES also designs for debug: test points and diagnostic headers let us probe, measure, and quickly isolate issues when something behaves unexpectedly on the bench.

Test points are added for critical power rails, reference voltages, key signals, communications lines, and anything you may need to probe during bring-up or production test.

CES balances testability with board density, prioritizing points that will save the most time and uncertainty during debugging and manufacturing.

CES can do both. We can bring up a new microcontroller platform, write initial firmware for core functions, and hand off a clean, documented codebase to your software team.

We can also extend or clean up existing firmware when it’s structurally sound. If the codebase is brittle, we may recommend refactoring rather than layering more complexity on top.

CES uses staged bring-up: first verifying power and clocks, then basic I/O, then individual subsystems, and finally integrated behavior.

We rely on oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and targeted test code to confirm that each interface behaves as expected before more complex firmware runs.

Yes. Power optimization spans architecture (duty cycling, sleep modes), component choices (regulators, converters, drivers), and firmware strategies (how often you wake, sample, and transmit).

CES can measure real-world current profiles on the bench and adjust both hardware and firmware to meet realistic battery-life targets.

Yes. Celtic Engineering Solutions has experience with laser drivers and TEC-based temperature control where stability and safety are critical.

We combine appropriate sensor placement, control algorithms, and power electronics so the device maintains safe operating temperatures over expected conditions.

Yes. CES can recommend board houses and assemblers that are a good fit for your volume, complexity, and geographic preferences.

We can also adjust design details—like panelization, fiducials, and test points—to align with your chosen manufacturer’s capabilities.

Manufacturers usually require Gerber files, drill files, an assembly drawing, a BOM with part numbers, and sometimes pick-and-place files and test instructions.

CES prepares a manufacturing package that contains these items in the formats your fabricator expects, reducing the risk of misinterpretation or rework.

Yes. Production testing is where test points, connectors, and scripted procedures pay off. CES can define what should be tested on each unit, how to access those points, and what pass/fail criteria to apply.

For some projects we can also design or specify simple test fixtures to speed up bench or line testing.

CES will search for pin-compatible or functionally similar alternatives and analyze whether they can be dropped in or require schematic and layout changes.

In some cases, a partial redesign is unavoidable. Planning for second-source options early in the design reduces the impact of those surprises.

CES can design with regulatory requirements in mind—managing emissions, immunity, isolation, and grounding—so your chances of passing formal testing are higher.

We can also advise on pre-compliance testing strategies to catch obvious issues before you pay for a full lab test campaign.

A prototype BOM can include more expensive, easily sourced parts and may not fully optimize for cost or vendor consolidation.

A production BOM emphasizes stable supply, negotiated pricing, approved alternates, and clear identifiers so your manufacturer knows exactly what to buy and from where.

Safety is handled at the architecture level—deciding where to isolate, limit current, or separate hazardous voltages—and at the layout level, using clearance, creepage, and protection devices.

CES also considers the environments your product will see: static-prone users, field wiring errors, or harsh electrical conditions all inform the protection scheme.

CES focuses on the electronics but can coordinate closely with your mechanical or industrial design team. We provide board outlines, mounting hole locations, connector positions, and thermal constraints.

That collaboration helps ensure your enclosure supports good airflow, accessibility, and user interaction without compromising the electronics.

Off-the-shelf modules are excellent for proof-of-concept and low-volume products where speed matters more than unit cost or form factor.

Fully custom boards make sense when you need tighter integration, lower cost at volume, better control of the supply chain, or unique mechanical constraints. CES can outline a path that starts with modules and transitions to custom hardware when the time is right.

CES can prepare a clean manufacturing package—design files, BOMs, test procedures, and any special assembly notes—so your internal team or chosen factory has everything they need.

We can also support a transition period, answering questions from your production engineers and helping you adapt test or calibration steps to your in-house tools and workflows.