ANCHI Custom PCB & Embedded Design
From research prototypes to startup-ready hardware. ANCHI designs custom schematics and PCB layouts for research labs and early-stage startups. We specialize in biosignal, wearable, and sensor-heavy hardware, and can integrate firmware, apps, and data pipelines built by the rest of the ANCHI engineering team.
Who we help
Researchers & Labs
Vietnam & international
Need boards for:
- Signal amplification and filtering
- Sensor-to-DAQ interfaces
- Custom experiment hardware (stimulation, multi-sensor rigs, etc.)
Pain points:
- Internal team often lacks a dedicated electronics engineer who can do full schematic + layout.
- Students can build "something that works", but noise is high, layout is not optimized, boards are hard to replicate and maintain.
- External PCB houses don't understand experimental or biosignal requirements, focus on generic commercial products with higher cost.
Startups / Early-stage Companies
AU, UK, US, EU, etc.
Have an idea or breadboard prototype, but need:
A compact, robust, manufacturable board for:
- Investor demos
- Pilot users
- Early product integration
Pain points:
- In-house engineers are overloaded and cannot do a full end-to-end PCB design.
- Local PCB design is often expensive.
- Need someone who understands: BLE/WiFi/MCU, sensor and signal chain design, power management and batteries.
What ANCHI provides
1. Requirements & System Architecture
Work closely with clients to understand the use case: Lab experiment? Wearable? IoT node? Test stand?
Define: Number of inputs/outputs, voltage and signal ranges, interfaces (SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, USB, Bluetooth, etc.), size constraints, power budget, cost targets.
Deliver a clear system block diagram: MCU/SoC choice, sensor/front-end selection, power path, battery/charging, protection.
2. Schematic Design
Design schematics using tools like KiCad or Altium.
Component selection: Prioritize parts with good availability and stable supply (RS, Digi-Key, LCSC, etc.). For biosignals: suitable instrumentation amplifiers, ADCs, and front-ends for EEG/EMG/ECG.
Add: Protection (ESD, over-voltage, reverse polarity), test points for debugging and measurements.
3. PCB Layout & DFM (Design for Manufacturing)
Layout PCB with: 2–4 layers (and more if needed). Solid ground planes, separation of analog/digital, minimized noise and crosstalk. Track widths & clearances within fab capabilities.
Run DRC/DFM checks: Ensure manufacturability with common fabs (JLCPCB, PCBWay, local fabs). Include: Mounting holes, connector orientation, silk labelling.
4. Deliverables
- Gerber + drill files
- BOM (Bill of Materials) with part numbers and suggested suppliers
- Pick-and-place files (if needed)
- Assembly drawings
- Simple test procedures
5. Optional – Prototype & Bring-up Support
Assist with: Prototyping orders from JLCPCB/PCBWay or the client's chosen fab.
Bring-up guidance: power-on sequence, basic signal and connectivity checks.
Optional: Firmware skeleton / basic test firmware (blink, sensor read, streaming to PC/mobile). Simple test jigs or fixtures.
Service packages
Package 1 – Simple Board / Adapter Design
For:
Small boards: adapters, breakouts, interface shields/add-ons, simple power supply boards, protocol/connector converters.
Scope:
- Schematic + 2-layer PCB layout
- Gerber + BOM
- No bring-up / firmware (or light advisory only)
Package 2 – Research Instrument / Sensor Board
For researchers/labs:
Boards for: EEG/EMG/ECG front-ends, IMU / force / pressure / temperature hubs, stimulus control devices, triggers, etc.
Scope:
- Requirements workshop to understand experiment and constraints
- Schematic + 2–4 layer PCB layout
- DFM check, Gerber, BOM, test point planning
- "Hardware Notes" PDF: how to connect, how to power, basic signal path explanation
- Optional: 1 online bring-up session to measure and troubleshoot first prototypes
Package 3 – Startup Prototype / MVP Board
For startups:
Near-product boards: Wearable sensor boards, IoT nodes (MCU + RF + sensor + battery), small controller boards.
Scope:
- System architecture + component selection
- Schematic + multi-layer PCB layout
- DFM, Gerber, BOM optimized for cost & availability
- 1–2 design review iterations with the startup team
- Optional: Firmware skeleton (bare-metal/FreeRTOS) and basic test app. Help coordinating with fab/assembly partners
Package 4 – Design Review & Optimization
For labs/startups that already have a design but:
Experience high noise, EMI issues, layout bugs, or manufacturing headaches.
Scope:
- Review existing schematics and layouts
- Deliver a report with: identified issues, recommendations for fixes
- Optional: Directly edit and optimize the design according to the recommendations
IP, confidentiality, and regulatory scope
IP ownership
By default, the schematic and PCB design are owned by the client once the project is fully paid. ANCHI may reuse generic building blocks (non-sensitive patterns) unless an exclusive agreement is signed.
NDA & confidentiality
ANCHI is happy to sign NDAs, especially for startups with proprietary technology.
Regulatory / certification
ANCHI designs with good engineering practices in mind, but does not replace formal CE/FCC/medical device certification, and does not act as the legal manufacturer of medical devices.
From PCB to full systems
The PCB service connects with other ANCHI capabilities:
Device-connected apps & signal platforms
ANCHI can deliver: Custom boards (EEG/EMG/ECG/sensor) → Firmware → Data collection apps → Signal processing & AI/ML pipelines.
Experiment & Device Consulting
After helping design experiments and hardware, we can propose custom boards to optimize the setup.
Research Data & AI Partner
When ANCHI helps build your sensors/devices, we can also build the data pipelines and ML models on top.
Ready to turn your breadboard prototype into a robust, manufacturable design?
Have a breadboard prototype or a noisy lab board that needs to grow up? Let's turn it into a robust, manufacturable design. Leave your information below, and the ANCHI team will contact you for a free consultation.