designing-hardware-products

AI-automated hardware product pipeline: from requirements to manufacturable Gerber + compiled firmware + cross-platform app. Orchestrates system design, ESP-IDF firmware, KiCad PCB, UniApp client, and

SKILL.md

GitHub

Designing Hardware Products

判断先于执行:决定「是否做 / 选什么 / 如何取舍」(栈、方案、架构、权衡)前,先读领域判断内核 skills/_kernel/hardware/SKILL.md——它管 judgment,本秘典管 execution;冲突时以内核判断为准。

From empty directory to shippable product. Requirements in, Gerber + .bin + .apk out.

When to use

Scenario Use Why
New IoT / embedded product from scratch Yes Full pipeline
Adding BLE app to existing hardware Partial Phase 4 only
PCB redesign with existing firmware Partial Phase 3 only
One-off breadboard prototype No Overkill, just wire it

Pipeline phases

Phase 1: System Design    → DESIGN.md (architecture, topology, protocol)
Phase 2: Firmware          → ESP-IDF components, FreeRTOS tasks, BLE GATT
Phase 3: Hardware          → KiCad schematic → PCB → route → DRC → Gerber
Phase 4: Mobile App        → UniApp (BLE, i18n, dev mode, SVG icons)
Phase 5: Verify + Package  → build all → zip release

Each phase is independently re-runnable. Skip phases that already exist.

Key decision points

  1. MCU selection — ESP32-C3 (BLE+WiFi, RISC-V, cheap) vs ESP32-S3 (AI, USB) vs STM32 (low power) vs nRF (BLE-only)
  2. HV topology — if product needs high voltage (mosquito swatter, taser), see references/hv-design.md
  3. PCB form factor — match physical product shape, not default rectangle
  4. App framework — UniApp (WeChat+Android+iOS) vs React Native vs Flutter

Companion skills

  • operating-kicad-eda — Phase 3 detail, KiCad MCP tool routing
  • developing-software — firmware language patterns (C for ESP-IDF)
  • developing-mobile-apps — app framework patterns

Usage

/designing-hardware-products "BLE mosquito swatter with kill counting, ESP32-C3, 30x100mm PCB strip"

References

Topic File
Phase execution details pipeline-phases.md
KiCad 9 gotchas kicad9-quirks.md
ESP-IDF patterns esp-idf-patterns.md
HV circuit design hv-design.md
UniApp patterns uniapp-patterns.md

Exit criteria

  • idf.py build passes (firmware)
  • KiCad DRC = 0 violations (hardware)
  • npx uni build passes (app)
  • Release zip contains: source + binary + Gerber + BOM + docs