Project Background

Our client, a Netherlands-based industrial IoT company, develops hardware and software solutions for tracking, monitoring, and digitalizing mobile industrial machines and field assets.

Their solutions help companies manage large fleets of equipment that are rented out, transported between locations, or deployed in remote and hard-to-access environments.

Through connected industrial devices and fleet management software, operators can monitor asset location, usage, maintenance needs, and performance, helping them optimize service, logistics, and operating costs.

To support this use case, the hardware had to operate reliably in the field, communicate over cellular networks, support positioning and sensing functions, and remain suitable for long-term deployment.

The client had already started developing a new generation of the device and engaged us to provide additional embedded software expertise and support the transition from design refinement to manufacturing readiness.

The Challenge

A key challenge was ensuring that the device would remain reliable in the environmental conditions expected during long-term field use.

The product had to operate across a wide temperature range, from 5°C to 85°C, while maintaining stable behavior in all expected conditions.

Frequent temperature changes can accelerate component stress over time, which made thermal behavior, component selection, and protection against environmental influences important parts of the design review.

This had a direct impact on the battery and charging design. Standard lithium-polymer batteries are typically charged only up to around 45°C, while the device itself could reach temperatures up to 85°C during operation. The battery selection, charging circuit, thermal behavior, and overall power management strategy all had to be reviewed and adapted so the device could operate safely and predictably across the full temperature range.

Humidity was also an important design factor. Since the device was intended for use in the Netherlands, where high humidity can create additional reliability risks, the electronics design had to take moisture protection into account. This included adding conformal coating as part of the design and production approach, helping protect the PCB and components against humidity-related issues during long-term use.

Our Contribution

We supported the client in refining the requirements and reviewing the initial PoC schematic to identify critical design issues and define the necessary improvements. From there, we continued with detailed electronics design, covering schematic refinement, PCB layout, BOM preparation, and production documentation.

Based on the updated device requirements, the schematic was refined and extended to support NB-IoT communication using the BG95 modem, GPS positioning, sensing functions, peripheral interfaces, dual SIM support, dual antennas, an accelerometer, temperature sensors, RTC, and external flash memory.

The power architecture was also updated to support reliable operation in field conditions. This included the integration of an LTO battery supply and dual boost converters, enabling the device to operate across a wide temperature range from -20°C to +85°C.

To enable integration with industrial equipment and external sensors, support was added for interfaces such as One-Wire and RS485.

After the schematic phase, we developed the full PCB layout with careful attention to component placement, routing, signal integrity, reliability, and manufacturability. The design went through DRC checks and iterative reviews, with improvements implemented across successive revisions.

We then prepared the complete manufacturing documentation, including Gerber files, BOM, assembly files, and other production outputs needed for prototype manufacturing.

In addition to the design work, we organized turnkey prototype production, managing the process from component sourcing and PCB fabrication to assembly and delivery of fully assembled prototype units.

After the prototypes were produced, we supported board bring-up by verifying hardware behavior, checking key interfaces and power domains, and preparing the platform for further firmware and system-level validation.

Results

The client received a refined hardware design for their rugged Industrial IoT gateway.

The project delivered:

• a robust, production-ready hardware design for the client’s next-generation rugged IoT gateway
• a more reliable hardware foundation for asset tracking, monitoring, and field operation
• improved system reliability through refined schematic design, optimized PCB layout, and reviewed production files
• stable operation in harsh environments, supported by a validated power architecture
• integrated connectivity, positioning, sensing, and industrial interface capabilities within one device platform
• reduced development and manufacturing risk through iterative validation, DRC checks, and design reviews
• a faster path to prototyping through complete, optimized, and manufacturing-ready documentation