This week, I focused primarily on moving our custom hardware from the design stage toward implementation. I finished working on the breakout boards for several of the components that we will need to prototype the system, including preparing the designs so that we can begin fabricating and testing them. A major goal of these breakout boards is to allow us to test individual components independently before integrating everything onto a single custom PCB. This should make debugging significantly easier, particularly for components such as the audio codec where power, communication, and audio interfaces all need to be verified.
I also spent time considering how these breakout boards and development hardware will eventually translate into the final wearable design. As we move toward implementation, PCB size, connector placement, and accessibility for debugging are becoming more important constraints. We want the prototype hardware to remain easy to test while avoiding design decisions that would make the final system unnecessarily large.
My work is currently on schedule. Over the next week, I plan to begin designing the actual PCBs that will be used in the system, using what we learned from the breakout-board designs to guide component placement, routing, connector selection, and overall board size. The goal is to begin transitioning from temporary prototyping hardware toward boards that more closely reflect the form factor and electrical architecture of the final wearable.