4. Hardware Developer Manual

This developer manual describes the development workflow of the foxBMS 2 hardware components. Changes to this document have to be tracked in version control and have to go through change management.

4.1. Project naming scheme

A design MUST have a name that clearly distinguishes it from other designs. The name SHOULD be constructed from the project acronym, the type or family of design and an identifier.

As an example the master board of a BMS in the project EXAMPLE could be named example-master. If necessary an additional identifier could be added if several similar designs exist.

4.2. Design and development process

The designer has to adhere to best practice during the design. This entails using the pre-defined set of templates, design rules and release processes. Releasing through the release process of Altium helps to make sure that all changes are committed and that no design rule violations remain.

Violations should only be waived or suppressed in justified cases. This justification MUST be noted in the waived rule.

4.3. Release process

The release process has the following steps:

  1. Create the necessary footprints and components in a versioned DBLib.

  2. Derive a new project from a project template and put it under version control.

  3. Define the schematic of the project and the design of the printed circuit board.

  4. Review the project together with a team member.

  5. Create a release with the predefined set of output jobs.

  6. Store the release in a pre-defined location so that it can be found.

  7. Mark the released version in version control with a tag.

4.4. Modification process

If modifications to the hardware are necessary, the following process has to be followed:

  1. Create an issue in the issue tracker of the hardware component project.

  2. Describe the necessary changes as precise as possible.

  3. Describe the impact of the changes to the software.

  4. Describe the impact of the changes to the tests.

  5. Enter the hardware release process Section 4.3 with these changes.

4.5. Checklist for releases

This checklist should be used for reviewing a release.

4.5.1. Basics:

  • Is a layer marker on the PCB?

  • Is a white field for marking the assembled board on the PCB?

  • Is the name of the component on the PCB?

  • Is a release version on the board? Is the version corresponding to the parameter in the Altium project?

  • Are fiducial markers on the board?

  • Are mounting points specified in the board?

4.5.2. BOM:

  • Is everything on the BOM available?

  • Is the correct distributor selected for each component?

  • Are similar components grouped into one (e.g., reduce amount of different footprints for capacitors with same value)?