Low-noise IoT edge device for high-sensitivity… — Enterprise Case Study

IOT · IoT edge devices · low-noise electronics · embedded systems · signal integrity · wireless data transmission

← All cases

Problem context

The project required development of a connected device capable of capturing extremely low-amplitude biological signals, processing them digitally, and transmitting data wirelessly. From an IoT perspective, the core challenge was not connectivity itself, but maintaining signal integrity at the edge while operating under tight power, noise, and timeline constraints. Traditional development approaches treat analog, digital, and firmware subsystems sequentially, which often leads to late-stage integration failures. The objective was to engineer a robust edge system that behaves predictably despite environmental noise, digital interference, and real-world operating conditions.

Constraints

  • Ultra-low signal amplitudes highly sensitive to electrical noise
  • Coexistence of analog sensing and digital processing on the same PCB
  • Wireless data transmission without degrading signal fidelity
  • Tight development timeline (14 months end-to-end)
  • Manufacturing cost and BOM constraints
  • Regulatory-grade documentation and traceability

Engineering decisions

Decision: Run analog and digital system development fully in parallel
Reason: Early co-design exposed interference and integration issues before they became structural problems.
Trade-off: Required constant cross-disciplinary coordination.
Decision: Physically co-locate analog and digital engineers during development
Reason: Immediate joint debugging reduced resolution time for noise and grounding issues from weeks to days.
Trade-off: Reduced separation of responsibilities.
Decision: Redesign PCB ground architecture instead of adding filtering components
Reason: A custom ground plane topology ("noise maze") reduced interference at the source rather than compensating downstream.
Trade-off: Required deeper PCB-level experimentation and validation.
Decision: Embed documentation and risk tracking into daily engineering workflow
Reason: Continuous capture of design rationale ensured traceability without slowing development velocity.
Trade-off: Added small daily overhead per engineer.

System overview

The resulting system is a low-noise IoT edge device combining a carefully engineered analog front end, digital processing subsystem, and wireless communication layer. Signal acquisition, processing, and transmission are tightly coupled to PCB-level noise control strategies. The device is designed to function reliably as an edge node, producing clean data despite co-located digital activity and external interference.

Outcome

Development completed in 14 months (2–3× faster than typical industry timelines). First-pass regulatory approval achieved. Manufacturing cost reduced by ~30%. BOM cost reduced by ~15% through PCB-level noise mitigation. Stable signal acquisition under real-world conditions. Production-ready IoT edge device architecture.

Engagement delivered under NDA. Details anonymized.

© Lumighost. All rights reserved.