Technical Machine's approach to manufacturing. Learn more at http://tessel.io Video of the talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZArxLefleg

1. Technical Machine’s
Hardware Playbook
@jia | Jia Huang | co-founder & developer

2. Tessel is a WiFi-enabled
microcontroller that runs JavaScript.

4. 15 electrical designs, $250k preorders

5. 2 manufacturers2 manufacturing locations
MA, USA
● makes Tessel
● we manage most of the
supply chain
ShenZhen, China
● 14 modules
● higher overall volume

6. Tessel Timeline
June July September December
2013 2014
Work on
Tessel starts
Work on 14
modules start
Tessel is “minimally
functional”. Launched
Crowdfunding
campaign.
Majority of products are
pushed into production. A
few are held back pending
firmware changes.

7. Tessel Timeline
June July September December
2013 2014
Work on
Tessel starts
Work on 14
modules start
Tessel is “minimally
functional”. Launched
Crowdfunding
campaign.
Majority of products are
pushed into production. A
few are held back pending
firmware changes.
}
6 months

8. Tessel Timeline
June July September December
2013 2014
Work on
Tessel starts
Work on 14
modules start
Tessel is “minimally
functional”. Launched
Crowdfunding
campaign.
Majority of products are
pushed into production. A
few are held back pending
firmware changes.
}
6 months
15 designs

9. Tessel Timeline
June July September December
2013 2014
Work on
Tessel starts
Work on 14
modules start
Tessel is “minimally
functional”. Launched
Crowdfunding
campaign.
Majority of products are
pushed into production. A
few are held back pending
firmware changes.
}
6 months
15 designs
1.5Hardware
Engineers( )

10. Tessel Timeline
June July September December
2013 2014
Work on
Tessel starts
Work on 14
modules start
Tessel is “minimally
functional”. Launched
Crowdfunding
campaign.
Majority of products are
pushed into production. A
few are held back pending
firmware changes.
}
2.5 designs/month

11. This is how we do it.

12. Production TimelineProduction Timeline
Engineering
Design TestPrototype Test Rig Test Plan
Supply Chain
Sourcing Check volumes Place order Re-source
Look into manufacturers Selection Pre-production ProductionDFM
Manufacturing

13. Engineering

14. Design / Prototype / Test
First pass (~10 days)
1-3 days design 3 days PCB turn
1 day build
2-3 days test
design
review

15. Design / Prototype / Test
First pass (~10 days)
1-3 days design 3 days PCB turn
1 day build
2-3 days test
design
review
7 days write test code

16. Design / Prototype / Test
First pass (~10 days)
1-3 days design 3 days PCB turn
1 day build
2-3 days test
design
review
7 days write test code
Subsequent passes (~5 days)
1 day redesign 3 days PCB turn 1 day build/test
design
review

17. Prototype Manufacturers
AP Circuits
Alberta, Canada
3 day turns
$10/sq inch
KL, Malaysia
1.5 week turns
~$70+
ShenZhen, China
2.5 week turns
$10/ 40 sq inches
KL, Malaysia
PCBA 3 week turns
~$300+ setup, $8/sq inch

18. Test Rigs
Tessel tests Tessel Tessel tests modules

19. Test Plans

20. Test Plans
● Revision #s and dates

21. Test Plans
● Revision #s and dates
● contact info

22. Test Plans
● Revision #s and dates
● contact info
● Don’t assume English
proficiency

23. Test Plans
● Revision #s and dates
● contact info
● Don’t assume English
proficiency
● Have redundancy
among test rigs

24. Test Plans
● Revision #s and dates
● contact info
● Don’t assume English
proficiency
● Have redundancy
among test rigs
● images

25. Test Plans
● Revision #s and dates
● contact info
● Don’t assume English
proficiency
● Have redundancy
among test rigs
● images
● setup info

26. Test Plans
● Revision #s and dates
● contact info
● Don’t assume English
proficiency
● Have redundancy
among test rigs
● images
● setup info
● clear indicator of
pass/fail

27. Supply Chain

28. Sourcing

29. Sourcing

30. Sourcing
Online prices are fake.
Find an inside sales guy.

31. Part Swaps
Manufacturer should recommend swaps.

32. Part Swaps
● Things that are stupidly expensive but shouldn’t be
○ connectors
○ crystal oscillators
○ buttons
○ anything that is a passive component
Manufacturer should recommend swaps.

33. Double checking
Make sure there is enough supply
10k supply, 26 week lead time and someone else buys
them out 1 month before production starts?

34. Double checking
Make sure there is enough supply
10k supply, 26 week lead time and someone else buys
them out 1 month before production starts?
1. Cry

35. Double checking
Make sure there is enough supply
10k supply, 26 week lead time and someone else buys
them out 1 month before production starts?
1. Cry
2. Find a drop in replacement

36. Double checking
Make sure there is enough supply
10k supply, 26 week lead time and someone else buys
them out 1 month before production starts?
1. Cry
2. Find a drop in replacement
3. There are none?

37. Double checking
Make sure there is enough supply
10k supply, 26 week lead time and someone else buys
them out 1 month before production starts?
1. Cry
2. Find a drop in replacement
3. There are none?
4. Do a redesign through the tears.

38. Double checking
Make sure there is enough supply
10k supply, 26 week lead time and someone else buys
them out 1 month before production starts?
1. Cry
2. Find a drop in replacement
3. There are none?
4. Do a redesign through the tears.
Check errata documents
● Manufacturer only tests 1 axis of an accelerometer
during production?

39. Double checking
Make sure there is enough supply
10k supply, 26 week lead time and someone else buys
them out 1 month before production starts?
1. Cry
2. Find a drop in replacement
3. There are none?
4. Do a redesign through the tears.
Check errata documents
● Manufacturer only tests 1 axis of an accelerometer
during production?
● Parameters said 2 USB ports on MCU but only 1 is
functional.

40. Manufacturing

41. Getting a manufacturer
1. What kind of volumes?
○ <1k
○ <10k
(Both China and America support these volumes)

42. Getting a manufacturer
1. What kind of volumes?
○ <1k
○ <10k
2. Send in Gerbers & Bom for quotation.
○ Get a price breakdown
(Both China and America support these volumes)

43. Getting a manufacturer
1. What kind of volumes?
○ <1k
○ <10k
2. Send in Gerbers & Bom for quotation.
○ Get a price breakdown
3. Questions to ask
○ What’s their typical client volume?
(Both China and America support these volumes)

44. Getting a manufacturer
1. What kind of volumes?
○ <1k
○ <10k
2. Send in Gerbers & Bom for quotation.
○ Get a price breakdown
3. Questions to ask
○ What’s their typical client volume?
○ Do you need special testing? FCC?
(Both China and America support these volumes)

45. Getting a manufacturer
1. What kind of volumes?
○ <1k
○ <10k
2. Send in Gerbers & Bom for quotation.
○ Get a price breakdown
3. Questions to ask
○ What’s their typical client volume?
○ Do you need special testing? FCC?
○ Do they use 3rd parties?
(Both China and America support these volumes)

46. Getting a manufacturer
1. What kind of volumes?
○ <1k
○ <10k
2. Send in Gerbers & Bom for quotation.
○ Get a price breakdown
3. Questions to ask
○ What’s their typical client volume?
○ Do you need special testing? FCC?
○ Do they use 3rd parties?
○ If something goes wrong, who are you going to be
interfacing with?
(Both China and America support these volumes)

47. China vs America
Costs (sample size ~10 manufacturers)
China Chinese with
American office
American American with
Chinese office

48. China vs America
Costs (sample size ~10 manufacturers)
China Chinese with
American office
American American with
Chinese office
China
● Really good at part
swaps / DFM
America
● Really good at English

49. Pre-production
● Quality
● Communication
● Test Process
Do a pre-production run. (10+ units)

50. Production
Put out fires.

51. Production
Put out fires.
Pray.

52. YMMV.
https://tessel.io
jia@technical.io
@technicalhumans