MCU selection analysis
Documented evaluation of microcontroller options based on your requirements.
Embedded Systems Design
Microcontroller design that turns a chip choice into reliable, production-ready hardware
Custom embedded hardware engineered for your specific application, with the right balance of power, speed, and reliability built in from the first schematic.
Usually delivered as part of a full design project, by the same engineer from specification to production handoff. What is available on its own
20+ years experience
Clients in 15+ countries
Bench-tested in-house
You own every design file
54,000+
hours of client design work
27Published case studies
15+Countries served
Concept to prototypeEnd to end delivery
In-house labBench-verified, not just simulated
Why it matters
The right microcontroller, wired up correctly, is what makes a product hit its performance, power, and cost targets.
Modern microcontrollers are remarkably capable devices, integrating processors, memory, peripherals, and analog functions into single chips. I work across the full range of embedded applications, from battery-powered IoT devices demanding ultra-low power to industrial controllers needing robust communication, wearables in compact form factors, and high-performance systems chasing maximum throughput. My experience spans major families including ARM Cortex-M (STM32, NXP, Nordic), ESP32 and ESP8266 for WiFi and Bluetooth, PIC and AVR for cost-sensitive designs, and application-specific processors for motor control and signal processing. A frequent focus is low-power sensor and data-logger design, where the sensing chain, storage, and duty cycle are budgeted so the product runs for months or years on a single battery or an energy-harvesting source. Much of this work is battery-powered device design where an ultra-low-power sleep budget, sometimes down to the sub-microamp range, decides whether the product lasts weeks or years on a charge.
What you get
A complete microcontroller design, ready for layout and firmware
Complete schematic
Microcontroller circuit with proper power supply, reset, clock, and peripheral connections.
Programming interface
Debug and programming connections (SWD, JTAG, UART bootloader).
Peripheral integration
Interface circuits for sensors, displays, communication modules, and other peripherals.
Power management
Low-power design with appropriate sleep modes and wake sources.
Protection circuits
ESD protection, reverse polarity protection, and I/O protection.
Design documentation
Pin assignments, peripheral configuration, and design notes for firmware development.
Common problems avoided
The embedded failures a proper design prevents
Clock problems
Crystal oscillator failures from improper loading capacitors or PCB layout.
Reset issues
Brown-out detection problems or noise-induced resets.
Power consumption
Battery life far shorter than expected due to improper sleep mode implementation.
ESD damage
Inadequate protection on I/O pins exposed to external connections.
Peripheral conflicts
Pin multiplexing issues preventing use of needed peripherals.
Debug access
Missing or inaccessible programming and debug connections.
How it works
From requirements to a design ready for layout
1
Requirements analysis
I define processing requirements, peripheral needs, power constraints, and cost targets, and identify any specific features required such as ADC resolution, communication interfaces, and security features.
2
MCU selection
I evaluate candidate microcontrollers against the requirements, considering availability, development ecosystem, and long-term support, and verify the pin count accommodates all peripheral needs.
3
System design
I design the supporting circuitry: power supply, clock source, reset circuit, programming interface, and all peripheral connections, and plan pin assignments with PCB routing in mind.
4
Schematic capture
I create detailed schematics following manufacturer recommendations, including all decoupling capacitors, pull-up and pull-down resistors, and protection components.
5
Verification
I review against manufacturer guidelines and application notes, verify power sequencing, reset behavior, and peripheral configuration, and prepare the design for PCB layout.
Who does the work
George Saliba
An electronics design engineer with 20+ years of professional experience across analog, digital, RF, and power designs, delivered to clients in 15+ countries. Your project is handled by the person who has shipped hardware like it, start to finish.
See the project portfolio
Questions
Frequently asked
What microcontroller-based systems do you design?
Custom embedded hardware around microcontrollers for sensing, signal processing, control and connected products, with the right trade-off between power, speed and reliability.
Is it helpful if I already know which chip I want?
Yes. If you already have a platform in mind, such as an ESP32 or an STM32, that is a useful constraint and I design the board around it. If not, I help choose one that fits the requirements.
Can you do the firmware too?
I can deliver the hardware and the firmware as a package, or just the hardware and bring-up if the firmware is handled by your team.
Is the design taken to a working prototype?
Yes. I build and test the prototype so the hardware is proven before you scale it.
Do you design low-power sensors and data loggers?
Yes. Low-power sensor and data-logger design is a frequent focus: choosing the sensing chain, sizing storage and the memory strategy, and budgeting sleep and duty cycle so the device runs for months or years on a single battery or an energy-harvesting source. The result is verified with real current measurements on the bench.
Can you design for an ultra-low-power or sub-microamp battery budget?
Yes. Battery-powered device design starts from the energy budget: the sensing chain, the sleep and wake duty cycle, and the quiescent draw of every rail are chosen so the board holds an ultra-low-power, sometimes sub-microamp, sleep current. That is what lets a low-power sensor or data logger run for months or years on a single cell or a harvested source.
Ready when you are
Get custom embedded hardware that works the first time
From simple sensor nodes to complex control systems, I design microcontroller hardware for reliable operation and efficient firmware development. Send me the requirements and I will take it from there.
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