Consumer Electronics:
From proof of concept to production, speed up your time to market.
Design for the unique challenges of high-volume consumer products
Designing and bringing a consumer electronic product to market comes with its own set of challenges. It's important to closely monitor build and unit costs, as well as component availability.
With our experience in designing for mass production, we understand the intricacies of developing consumer electronic devices.
We can help optimize bill of material (BOM) costs and manage controls to ensure your product is developed within budget, while maintaining a balance between quality and functionality.
Consumer electronics designed with compliance in mind
We design compliant consumer electronic devices that are ready for mass production.
Having designed consumer electronics, we understand the importance of consumer safety and regulatory compliance, and we’re fully accredited to ISO 9001.
Our expertise includes:
Designing for compliance, including Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Radio Equipment Directive (RED), and Low Voltage Directive (LVD)
Designing for regulations in the UK (UKCA), Europe (CE Mark), and other territories
Developing low-power devices with extended battery life
IoT-connected devices and sensors
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), WIFI, and cellular communications
Designing for mass manufacture
End-of-line test systems
Embedded Software for Consumer Products
Embedded software is playing an increasingly critical role in the development of consumer products. To provide the best user experience, your software needs to be efficient, reliable, and provide all the required features.
For your products to remain up to date with new features, an over-the-air update mechanism is essential for most devices. Cybersecurity also needs to be built in to protect your users’ data and prevent third parties from disrupting or taking control of the device.
Devices that include wired or wireless communications typically require:
Bootloaders
Over-the-air firmware updates
Cybersecurity
Consumer data protection
While this has always been good practice, new regulations that mandate these features are coming into force in many territories. For example, Europe’s Radio Equipment Directive has been updated; from 2025, manufacturers will be required to implement and test cybersecurity.
Manufacturers will therefore be responsible for cybersecurity throughout the entire lifecycle of consumer devices sold in the UK and EU. From a design perspective, we understand how to build the functionality you’ll need for your device to meet these regulations.
End-to-end product development & standalone support
Our experienced engineers can manage the entire design of your product. Or we can support you throughout the consumer electronics design process with design reviews and feasibility studies.
We understand that even the smallest design decisions can have a big impact on your product’s functionality and final build costs. So, we’ll work with you from day one to understand your priorities.
We’ll keep you informed of our progress at every stage of development. We’ll schedule regular check-ins, provide detailed reports, and proactively encourage feedback to ensure your consumer product meets your exact specifications.
‘‘ Ripcord Designs are a great electronic and embedded design house. I've worked with Adam on some diverse projects and he has solid technical experience in electronic hardware, software and product design. I would certainly recommend them. “
– Mark Green, Snap Micro
