Blog
Notes from the bench on power, cameras and firmware
Written by the engineers who design the boards and write the firmware. Most articles come out of a problem we hit on a real device: a battery that drained too fast, a camera that had to see at night, a header file that broke a port.
- Guides with numbers. Battery-life estimates, sleep currents and MCU comparisons, worked through step by step.
- Project write-ups. How the roof camera cut the power bill for ice-melt cables, and what we learned shipping Tokay Lite.
- Plain terms. Anything unfamiliar is in the hardware and IoT glossary.
Latest · Electronics and PCB design
How much does PCB design cost in 2026, and what moves the number
What PCB design costs in 2026: the three numbers people add up as one, six factors that move design hours, weeks per stage and what to put in a quote request.
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Newest first. Pick a topic to narrow the list.
Electronics and PCB design
How much does PCB design cost in 2026, and what moves the number
What PCB design costs in 2026: the three numbers people add up as one, six factors that move design hours, weeks per stage and what to put in a quote request.
IoT systems and gateways
Tuya gateways explained, from Zigbee hubs to local control
What a Tuya gateway does, how Tuya differs from Zigbee, which devices need a hub, and how to control Tuya devices locally with Home Assistant.
Edge AI cameras
Methane detection cameras and hyperspectral imaging
How a methane detection camera finds a leak: hyperspectral and infrared imaging read the light methane absorbs, then a model maps the plume back to its source.
Low-power design
How a solar camera cuts roof heat cable energy use
A solar roof camera watches snow and ice at the roof edge and runs heat cables only when needed. The client estimates the cables can stay off 90% of the time.
Edge AI cameras
How AI cameras are used in manufacturing
How smart manufacturing cameras find parts, catch defects, log machine time, guard safety zones and read codes, and what an OEM AI camera build involves.
Edge AI cameras
What machine vision cameras are used for
What a machine vision camera is, how it turns a frame into a decision, and where it is used: factory lines, cars, recycling plants, farms and wildlife surveys.
Edge AI cameras
Parking lot cameras for occupancy, payment and security
How parking lot cameras count free spaces, read license plates for payment and flag intruders, and where to mount them: spot-based or count-based.
Edge AI cameras
Edge AI camera features and applications
What an edge AI camera does on its own chip, the features a battery-powered one needs, five applications, and how to pick ESP32-S3 or i.MX 8M Plus hardware.
Edge AI cameras
Edge AI camera update and where Tokay Lite is today
Our 2023 edge AI camera update promised a Crowd Supply campaign, an enclosure and a survey. The camera is now Tokay Lite, on CrowdSupply and Mouser.
IoT systems and gateways
Simple asset tracking for usage and maintenance
Paper, spreadsheets, barcodes, RFID and GPS compared as simple asset tracking methods, and how the records help you use and maintain your equipment.
Low-power design
How to estimate battery life for IoT devices
How to estimate IoT device battery life from sleep current, wake time and radio use. Worked examples for Wi-Fi, BLE, always-on AI and a PIR camera.
IoT systems and gateways
IoT in agriculture and how a smart farm works
How IoT works on a farm: soil, weather and crop sensors, cameras that flag problems, the gateway and dashboard behind them, and how to start with one field.
Edge AI cameras
How to detect solar panel defects
Common solar panel defects, from cracks and microcracks to dirt and short circuits, and the camera, infrared or electrical check that finds each.
IoT systems and gateways
Indoor asset tracking and how the system works
Indoor asset tracking finds equipment inside a building with tags, fixed beacons and a floor-plan map. How the parts fit together and what you get from them.
Low-power design
The best low-power wireless MCUs for IoT in 2026
22 low-power wireless MCUs compared from datasheets: sleep and radio current, Matter, BLE, Wi-Fi, LoRa and on-chip AI. Which to pick for your IoT device.
Low-power design
Low-power circuit design for battery devices
How to design the power circuit of a battery device: DC/DC converter choice, load switches that cut sleep current, leakage, and how to measure it.
Firmware
GCC include header files for portable C code
How GCC finds header files, how to add an include path with -I, and four ways to pick a platform header at compile time with -D and -include.
What we write about
Five topics, all of them things we do for a living. The camera articles cover what edge AI cameras can see and where they earn their keep: manufacturing lines, parking lots, solar panels, gas leaks. The low-power articles are the ones readers come back to: how to estimate battery life, which wireless MCUs sleep deepest, how a circuit wastes microamps.
The IoT articles explain gateways and asset tracking for people choosing a system. The firmware notes are for engineers, starting with a short one on GCC include paths. The electronics and PCB design articles start with what a circuit board costs to design and what moves that number.
If an article raises a question about your own device, send it over. Most of our projects started that way.
Working on a device of your own?
Send a description, however rough. We reply within 24 hours and will tell you on the first call whether it is a fit.
You can also email [email protected] or call +1 587 557 5865.
Common questions
Who writes the articles?
The Maxlab engineers: a team of five, including the two co-founders who design the electronics and write the firmware. Nothing is outsourced to a content agency.
Where do the topics come from?
From our own work. The low-power articles grew out of battery-powered cameras such as Tokay Lite and the solar roof camera; the gateway article came from the ESP32 Tuya gateway we designed; the firmware notes are things we fixed on real boards.
Is there a glossary for the terms used?
Yes. The hardware and IoT glossary defines the terms that come up in the articles, from deep sleep to modular approval.
How do I hear about new articles?
Follow Maxlab on LinkedIn, where every new article is posted, or subscribe to the RSS feed.