Search phrases — what the shop wants to be found for¶

Two lists. Core is decided by Sales and changes rarely. From published notes grows by itself: every time a note is approved, publish-note appends its title and tags here, and the daily research reads this file to pick the next topic as a gap, not a repeat (SOP-018). Prune the second list at the quarterly review (SOP-015); never hand-edit it between.

Core (decided 2026-09-15, task 120)¶

PCB design services Raleigh NC
embedded firmware development STM32 / ESP32 / nRF
obsolete part replacement / EOL component redesign
small batch SMT assembly North Carolina
prototype PCB assembly
outsourced hardware R&D
BLE product development
test fixture design
reverse engineering electronics
KiCad design services
sensor integration for embedded products: thermistor, thermocouple, RTD, load cell, IMU, current, humidity/pressure (owner 2026-10-15)
HMI and touchscreen display development: TFT/LCD/e-paper, LVGL, ESP32/STM32 (owner 2026-10-15)

Local-intent phrases (Raleigh, Research Triangle, North Carolina) belong on the home and services pages; each technical phrase gets one engineering note.

From published notes (appended automatically)¶

The Cyber Resilience Act just made firmware architecture a legal decision — tags: firmware, compliance, security — note cyber-resilience-act-firmware-architecture
When your microcontroller goes end-of-life — tags: eol, firmware, obsolescence — note microcontroller-end-of-life
USB-C Power Delivery input for a product that isn't a phone — tags: firmware, power-delivery, usb-c — note usb-c-power-delivery-sink-for-non-phone-products
PCB layout mistakes that only show up at assembly — tags: pcb-design, manufacturing, layout — note pcb-layout-mistakes-that-only-show-up-at-assembly
Adding a rechargeable lithium cell to a product — tags: pcb-design, firmware, compliance — note adding-a-rechargeable-lithium-cell-to-a-product
Checking a chip's longevity commitment before you design it in — tags: obsolescence, eol, pcb-design — note checking-a-chip-s-longevity-commitment-before-you-design-it
Provisioning serial numbers and keys on the production line — tags: firmware, manufacturing, security — note provisioning-serial-numbers-and-keys-on-the-production-line
Moving a legacy Altium or Eagle design into KiCad — tags: kicad, pcb-design, obsolescence — note moving-a-legacy-altium-or-eagle-design-into-kicad
When a PCB needs conformal coating — tags: manufacturing, pcb-design, design-for-test — note when-a-pcb-needs-conformal-coating
When SMT parts that sat open need baking before reflow — tags: manufacturing, pcb-design — note when-smt-parts-that-sat-open-need-baking-before-reflow
Finding why a device resets in the field — tags: firmware, design-for-test — note finding-why-a-device-resets-in-the-field
BLE module or chip-down for a new product — tags: pcb-design, compliance — note ble-module-or-chip-down-for-a-new-product
What test points and programming pads a board needs — tags: design-for-test, test-fixtures, firmware — note what-test-points-and-programming-pads-a-board-needs
Writing the software for a production test fixture — tags: design-for-test, test-fixtures, manufacturing — note writing-the-software-for-a-production-test-fixture
First power-up of a new prototype board, step by step — tags: design-for-test, pcb-design, firmware — note first-power-up-of-a-new-prototype-board-step-by-step
Setting a lead-free reflow profile from the paste datasheet — tags: manufacturing, pcb-design — note setting-a-lead-free-reflow-profile-from-the-paste-datasheet
Why a crystal oscillator won't start or runs off frequency — tags: pcb-design, layout, design-for-test — note why-a-crystal-oscillator-won-t-start-or-runs-off-frequency
Why a boost converter fails when the Wi-Fi radio starts — tags: pcb-design, layout, power-delivery — note why-a-boost-converter-fails-when-the-wi-fi-radio-starts
Why a humidity sensor reads wrong inside an enclosure — tags: pcb-design, layout, manufacturing — note why-a-humidity-sensor-reads-wrong-inside-an-enclosure
Why a PT100 or PT1000 reading is wrong by a degree or two — tags: pcb-design, layout, design-for-test — note why-a-pt100-or-pt1000-reading-is-wrong-by-a-degree-or-two
Why a thermocouple reading is off by a few degrees — tags: pcb-design, layout, design-for-test — note why-a-thermocouple-reading-is-off-by-a-few-degrees
Why an e-paper display ghosts after partial refresh — tags: firmware, pcb-design — note why-an-e-paper-display-ghosts-after-partial-refresh
Why a current monitor reads wrong at 1 mA — tags: design-for-test, pcb-design, firmware — note why-a-current-monitor-reads-wrong-at-1-ma
Why a load cell reading drifts with an HX711 — tags: pcb-design, design-for-test, firmware — note why-a-load-cell-reading-drifts-with-an-hx711
Why an IMU reads wrong once it's in the enclosure — tags: pcb-design, layout, design-for-test — note why-an-imu-reads-wrong-once-it-s-in-the-enclosure
Choosing a display interface for a touchscreen product — tags: pcb-design, firmware, manufacturing — note choosing-a-display-interface-for-a-product-with-a-touchscree
Preparing for the CRA 24-hour vulnerability reporting duty — tags: compliance, security, firmware — note preparing-for-the-cra-24-hour-vulnerability-reporting-duty
Why a microcontroller ADC reading is noisy or wrong — tags: pcb-design, layout, design-for-test — note why-a-microcontroller-adc-reading-is-noisy-or-wrong
Ordering PCBs before a tariff exclusion expires — tags: manufacturing, pcb-design, compliance — note ordering-pcbs-before-a-tariff-exclusion-expires
Will a PCB antenna still work inside a metal enclosure? — tags: pcb-design, layout, compliance — note will-a-pcb-antenna-still-work-inside-a-metal-enclosure
Logging to an SD card without corrupting it on power loss — tags: firmware, design-for-test, pcb-design — note logging-to-an-sd-card-without-corrupting-it-on-power-loss
Why an NTC thermistor reads wrong on a microcontroller — tags: pcb-design, layout, firmware — note why-an-ntc-thermistor-reads-wrong-on-a-microcontroller
Why an ESP32-S3 RGB display shifts or flickers with LVGL — tags: firmware, pcb-design — note why-an-esp32-s3-rgb-display-shifts-or-flickers-with-lvgl
Why a GT911 touch controller doesn't respond over I2C — tags: pcb-design, firmware, design-for-test — note why-a-gt911-touch-controller-doesn-t-respond-over-i2c
Why KiCad DRC says USB-C pads A4 and B9 are shorted — tags: kicad, usb-c, pcb-design — note why-kicad-drc-says-usb-c-pads-a4-and-b9-are-shorted