25: Thunderdome for Antennas
Jen Costillo, founder of a hardware startup, discusses the challenges of moving from prototyping to manufacturing a tiny wireless consumer device with three antennas. She details the 'garbage in, garbage out' risks of working with contract manufacturers, specifically focusing on the difficulties of antenna integration, conductive epoxy application, and soldering large ground planes. Costillo also explains the new product development stages (EVT, DVT, PVT) and the critical importance of rigorous manufacturing test coverage to avoid costly recalls.