Cost and timeline guide
How much hardware development costs, and how long it takes
Nobody who develops electronics for a living publishes a price list, and this page does not either. What it does is name every factor that moves the number, give the typical length of each stage, and show the timelines of three devices we took to production, so you can put a budget range and a calendar against your own device before the first call.
- 3–12months from the first call to the first production batch, across our projects
- 5factors that move the quote: revisions, firmware, camera or radio, certification, quantity
- $300,000one client's estimated saving by building on existing Tokay blocks
- 24 hto a reply; a scoped quote for the first stage follows the 30-minute call
Why there is no price list
Two devices with the same one-line description can differ several times over in engineering hours. A temperature sensor that reports once an hour over Wi-Fi and a temperature sensor that must run five years on a coin cell over a custom radio are both "a wireless temperature sensor". The first is a few weeks of work on a pre-certified module. The second needs a power budget measured to the microamp, a radio design that must pass its own certification, and several board revisions to get there.
So the honest answer to "how much" is a scoped quote for the first stage, written after a 30-minute call, and a range for the rest that narrows as the design firms up. The factors below are what we weigh when we write that quote.
Same one-line spec
Reports once an hour over Wi-Fi
- Pre-certified ESP32 module
- Mains or USB power
- Emission tests only
A few weeks of work
Same one-line spec
Five years on a coin cell over a custom radio
- Power budget measured to the microamp
- Radio design with its own certification
- Several board revisions
Several times the hours
What drives the cost
Five things move the number. Each one is something you can tell us about on the first call.
Board revisions
Every revision is a layout pass, a fabrication run, assembly and a round of bring-up and testing: four to eight weeks and the engineering hours that go with them. A simple board with proven parts often ships on revision two. A board with a camera, a radio and a battery charger usually needs three or more. Our solar roof camera went through several before the production batch. We reduce revisions by testing the uncertain parts on development boards first, and by reusing blocks from Tokay Lite where they fit.
Firmware scope
Firmware is the largest line on most quotes, because it continues after the hardware is frozen. Drivers for each sensor and radio, a power state machine that decides when the device sleeps, a way to configure the device without code, and an over-the-air update path are the usual items. A device that runs a vision model on the board adds model integration and the tuning that goes with it. A device that needs Linux adds board bring-up before any application work starts.
A camera or a radio
A camera adds a high-speed sensor interface, memory for frames, lighting for night use and the firmware to run a model. A radio you design yourself adds antenna work, a tuning pass and a full intentional-radiator certification. A pre-certified module, such as the ESP32 modules we build most devices on, carries its own radio grant, so the end product needs only the cheaper emission tests. Most of our clients' devices use a module for that reason.
Certification
The lab fee is the visible part. The hidden part is a failed test, which costs a board revision and a second lab slot. We design to the emission and safety limits from the first schematic to avoid that loop. The certification section below gives the typical figures.
Quantity
Engineering cost is the same whether you build 100 units or 10,000. Unit cost is not. At 100 units the assembly setup charge dominates and each board is expensive; at 10,000 the bill of materials dominates and a dollar saved on a part is worth ten thousand. Tell us the quantity you expect in year one and year three, and we design for the parts and the assembly process that make sense at that volume.
How long each stage takes
Most projects take three months to a year from the first call to the first production batch. The chart gives the usual range for each stage. Stages overlap: firmware starts when the first prototypes arrive, and certification paperwork starts before the final board is back from the fab.
Show the stages as a table, with what you receive at the end of each
| Stage | Typical length | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements | 1 to 2 weeks | Written summary of the device, proposal for the next stage |
| Proof of concept | 2 to 6 weeks | Measured numbers for the uncertain parts; go or no-go |
| Schematic and layout | 3 to 10 weeks | Schematic, layout files, bill of materials, fabrication outputs |
| Prototype fabrication and assembly | 2 to 4 weeks | A small batch of assembled boards |
| Bring-up and firmware | 4 to 12 weeks | Working prototypes, first firmware build |
| Testing and revisions | 4 to 8 weeks per revision | Test report, revised board |
| Certification | 4 to 10 weeks including the lab booking | Certified design, test report |
| Pre-production and pilot run | 4 to 8 weeks | Release package, pilot units |
| Manufacturing | 6 to 12 weeks lead time | Finished devices |
A custom enclosure runs alongside the electronics and can take as long: industrial design, 3D-printed samples, then tooling for injection moulding, which alone takes six to ten weeks. Devices that go outdoors add sealing and temperature testing.
Three projects, with their timelines
The ranges above come from devices we have shipped. These three are described in full on the Work page.
Show the three projects as a table
| Device | Kickoff to production | Production run | What made it long or short |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESP32 Tuya gateway | 4 months | 1,750 units | Pre-certified module, no camera, enclosure off the shelf |
| Solar roof camera | 9 months | 9,500 units | Two cameras, solar power path, custom IP68 enclosure, several revisions |
| 12-channel energy monitor | About 12 months | 2,300 units | Twelve analog measurement channels, two radios, phone app integration |
The roof camera client estimates the project saved about $300,000 against their earlier development plan, mostly because the camera was built from existing Tokay platform blocks rather than from a blank schematic.
Certification cost and time
The single biggest lever is the radio module. A pre-certified module carries its own grant, so the end product needs only the cheaper emission tests.
In the US, any device with a digital clock above 9 kHz falls under FCC Part 15. A device without its own transmitter is an unintentional radiator and is tested under Part 15B: radiated and conducted emissions, a few days in the lab. A device with a transmitter is an intentional radiator and needs a grant under Part 15C, which adds radio-specific tests and a filing through a certification body. Canada's ISED rules run in parallel, and most labs test for both at once. In Europe, CE is a self-declaration against the EN standards, with the Radio Equipment Directive for anything with a radio.
A pre-certified module carries its own Part 15C grant, so the end product needs only the Part 15B emission tests. Those cost in the low thousands of dollars; a full intentional-radiator test for a radio you designed yourself costs several times that and takes longer. Lab slots are booked two to six weeks ahead, and the report follows one to two weeks after testing. A grant does not expire, but a design change can require a permissive-change filing or a retest.
Products that plug into mains, go into vehicles or carry a safety function have further requirements, such as UL or CSA listing, which are quoted separately once the device is defined.
Manufacturing setup, unit cost and minimum quantities
A contract manufacturer quotes two numbers: a one-time setup charge and a unit price that falls with quantity.
The one-time setup charge covers programming the pick-and-place machines, stencils, fixtures and a first-article inspection. The unit price covers the board, the parts, assembly and test, and it falls with quantity. Pilot runs of 50 to 200 units are normal; below that, the setup charge makes each unit expensive. Manufacturers in Canada, the US and Asia differ mainly in setup charge, unit price and shipping time, and the right choice depends on volume and on where the devices are going.
Before the first run you hand over a release package: fabrication and assembly files, the bill of materials with approved alternates, assembly notes, a test procedure and a production firmware image. We prepare that package and run the pilot, then fix what the first run turns up. For the roof camera we supervised manufacturing for the first year before handing it to the client.
How to get a number for your device
Send us a description of the device, however rough: what it does, how it is powered, where it lives, what it talks to and how many you plan to build. We reply within 24 hours. The first call runs 30 minutes, under NDA if you want one, and ends with a written summary of the device and a scoped quote for the first stage.
Or read how we run a hardware project first.
Common questions
How much does it cost to develop an IoT device?
Engineering for a small IoT device, a sensor or controller with one radio and no camera, usually runs from the low tens of thousands of dollars to well over a hundred thousand, depending on revisions, firmware scope and certification. A camera device or a custom radio design sits at the upper end. Unit cost in production is a separate number, set mostly by the bill of materials.
How much does a custom PCB cost?
Two numbers. Design is engineering time: a simple two- or four-layer board takes a few weeks of work, a board with a camera, a radio and a battery charger several times that. Fabrication of a handful of prototype boards costs tens to a few hundred dollars; assembly with parts adds hundreds to a few thousand, driven by the parts on the board rather than the board itself.
How long does PCB design take?
Schematic and layout for a simple board take two to four weeks. A board with a camera interface, a radio and a power path takes six to twelve weeks including design review and a manufacturability check. Add two to four weeks to have prototypes fabricated and assembled.
How long does firmware take?
A sensor node that sleeps, wakes, reads and transmits takes a few weeks once the hardware is up. A camera device with an on-device model, a configuration interface and an over-the-air update path takes months. Firmware usually continues after the hardware is frozen, through certification and the first production run.
Do all electronics need FCC certification?
In the US, any device with a digital clock above 9 kHz falls under FCC Part 15 and must be shown to meet emission limits before sale. A device without its own radio is an unintentional radiator and is tested under Part 15B. A device with a radio is an intentional radiator and needs a grant under Part 15C unless it uses a module that already has one.
How much does FCC certification cost and how long does it take?
For a device built on a pre-certified radio module, only the Part 15B emission tests remain. They cost in the low thousands of dollars and take a few days in the lab, plus the wait for a lab slot, typically two to six weeks. A full intentional-radiator test for your own radio design costs several times more and takes longer. A failed test adds a board revision and a retest.
Does FCC certification expire?
No. A grant stays valid for the device as tested. Changing the design can require a permissive change filing or a retest, so we keep a record of what was certified and what changed afterwards.
How does contract manufacturing work, and what are the minimum quantities?
You hand the manufacturer a release package: fabrication and assembly files, a bill of materials, assembly notes, a test procedure and a production firmware image. They quote a one-time setup charge and a unit price that falls with quantity. Pilot runs of 50 to 200 units are normal; manufacturers in Canada, the US and Asia differ mainly in setup charge, unit price and shipping time.