Overview
This module, designed to control diorama house lighting, uses a Doppler radar sensor to detect nearby motion and a trimpot-adjustable day/night threshold so the lights only trigger when it's dark enough. The battery-powered system charges through an external USB-C socket, with every connection kept neat and fully socketed. The customer's side is simply powering the module and mounting it — we handled everything else: the schematic design, having the PCB manufactured, material sourcing, and board testing.
Goals and Objectives
Our customer wanted to get rid of the hassle of manually switching the diorama houses' lights on and off. After listening to their needs, our goal was to design a system that automatically triggers the lights only on motion and when it's dark enough, avoiding unnecessary consumption during daylight or stillness.
Development Process
We first listened to and clarified the customer's requirements, then began the engineering design. Once we'd built and confirmed the circuit worked on a breadboard, we drew the schematic, designed our own PCB, and had it manufactured. We combined the Doppler radar sensor, a trimpot-adjustable day/night threshold, and a USB-C charging circuit on a single board. We handled material sourcing, tested every board, and brought the module to series-production readiness. We then carried out a series production run of a set quantity and re-ran functional tests on those units.
