How an Accurate RTC Reduces GNSS Fix Time
Every GNSS receiver faces the same two questions at startup: where am I, and what time is it? The second question matters far more than most people expect. A simple real-time clock, a component that costs almost nothing, can cut the time to first fix from a full minute down to just a few […]
FCC Certification on the First Attempt: Design Decisions that Got Us There
A consumer electronics manufacturer came to Oxeltech with a wireless device that needed to clear the FCC before launch. We built compliance into the design from day one, covering signal integrity, power integrity, and EMC/RED, and the device passed on the first lab submission.
How to Choose the Right FOTA Strategy for Nordic Devices
Zephyr RTOS vs SoftDevice Firmware Over-The-Air (FOTA) updates enable remote bug fixes, security patches, and feature upgrades on IoT and embedded products. On Nordic Semiconductor devices, developers choose between two approaches: the legacy SoftDevice-based DFU and the modern Zephyr RTOS-based FOTA in the nRF Connect SDK. This blog compares both to help you choose the […]
How We Built an Analog Audio-Guided Laser Therapy Device After Three Failed DSP Attempts
Project overview: A German medical-device manufacturer required an audio-to-laser modulation system for a therapeutic laser device. Some patients report calming effects when laser brightness varies in sync with audio, but the client had been unable to achieve this reliably after three failed PCB iterations using digital signal processing (DSP). Oxeltech was brought in to identify […]
How We Built a Full Embedded System Inside a 6mm Thin Wearable AI Necklace
This case study describes how Oxeltech designed the complete electronics module for a wearable AI necklace for the consumer wellness market. The challenge was fitting a dual-microphone audio system, Bluetooth 5.1 radio, 6-axis IMU, LRA haptic actuator, RGB LED, and SD card storage into a Ø30 mm × 6 mm internal enclosure with a […]
How to Eliminate Motor Speed Jitter Using Hysteresis Logic with Unlock Conditions
Problem Statement In motor control systems where speed is derived from an analog input (such as a potentiometer), small fluctuations in the input signal can cause frequent and unwanted speed changes. This leads to: Speed jitter Unstable user experience Excessive control updates Mechanical stress due to rapid small adjustments To address this, hysteresis logic […]
When Parallel Reception of GNSS and LTE in Modules Is Important
Source: learn.sparkfun.com In LTE + GNSS modules, the real engineering challenge is not simply integrating two radios. The true difficulty is enabling continuous GNSS reception while LTE transmission and reception are occurring simultaneously. This is what “parallel reception” really means in practice: Maintaining uninterrupted GNSS satellite signal reception during active LTE operation. Whether you need […]
6 PCB Design Challenges in Wearable Electronics You Need to Overcome
Source: Pixabay Wearable devices combine sensors, wireless communication, batteries, and processing within a very small space. In many projects, PCB design becomes one of the most challenging parts of the system, mainly because multiple constraints need to be handled simultaneously. Below are some of the key PCB design challenges in wearable electronics and what needs […]
Achieving ±0.1°C Temperature Sensing Accuracy with Class AA PT100 Sensor System
This case study demonstrates how a precision 16-channel Class AA RTD PT100 temperature measurement system achieves ±0.1°C accuracy at 0°C. By combining Class AA sensors (DIN EN 60751) with ratiometric measurement architecture and proper component selection, the system provides laboratory-grade accuracy suitable for pharmaceutical, medical device, and precision industrial applications. 1. System Requirements and […]
How We Reduced Overhead in Communication and Saved Bandwidth & Battery (realtime transmission of 100Hz Sensor Data over BLE)
The Core Challenge Building a dog health collar that streams 100Hz IMU and piezo sensor data over BLE sounds simple until you face the real problems: How do you timestamp 100 samples per second accurately? How do you handle BLE callbacks without blocking sensor readings? What happens when BLE connection and sensor callbacks try to […]