LOCO LIBRARY

The LocoLabs Team Shares Insights & Case Studies from 20+ Years in the World of Product Development

Insights

LocoLabs did NOT do any of this in the last 25 years:

  • We didn’t put a man on the moon (but that’s been done).
  • We didn’t watch the world get destroyed by nuclear weapons (but we get to worry about global warming).
  • We didn’t create a cheap unlimited battery (but the world has created billions of expensive lithium batteries).
  • We didn’t eliminate idiots and bullies (but they got Facebook and Twitter).
  • We didn’t achieve unlimited knowledge (but the world got Wikipedia).
  • We didn’t get rid of junk mail (but we got a bunch of new apps to communicate with so we can ignore our inboxes).
  • We didn’t launch a Tesla into space playing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” (but how can you hear it in the vacuum of space?)
  • We didn’t develop a technological solution to all the world’s problems (but that is not from lack of trying).

So what HAS LocoLabs been up to for a quarter of a century?

How to Choose the Right Firmware Architecture for Your IoT Device

Steve Kelsey, LocoLabs CTO
Choosing an operating environment for your IoT device is a crucial task that will affect your firmware development approach and the success of your overall project. In this article, Steve provides an overview of various operating environments, specific factors you should consider in making your choice, and recommendations in the form of examples.

Tektronix Test Equipment Stands Up to the Rev-Zero Challenge!

Read about how the Tektronix MDO4000 Mixed-Domain Oscilloscope – with analog, digital, and RF inputs – earned its place in our lab.

Digi-Key Design & Integration Services Network Member

Since 1996, LocoLabs has trusted Digi-Key to supply components for our rapid prototyping efforts. Since 2013, we’ve been honored to be invited to be a member of their Design & Integration Services Network.

From Prototype to Production: Five Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Brad Hoffert, LocoLabs CEO
How to assess production readiness of your design and prevent costly production issues.

How to Secure Product Funding and Maintain your Budget & Schedule!

Position your product concept for funding approval with a LocoLabs Product Reality Report. When it’s time to “get real” and get your product idea funded, the LocoLabs Product Reality Report will provide the credibility you need in the form of an engineering validation report to make sure everything adds up, with all requirements translated into an engineering development plan complete with a unit cost estimate.

Case Studies

RedBox (DVDPlay, NCR)

DVDPlay had a problem designing the first working units for RedBox. Although their concept of a DVD rental kiosk was revolutionary and they had a software application in development, their hardware prototype had problems. See how we helped Jens Horstmann, DVDPlay’s CTO, find and fix the issue and launch a successful franchise.

U.S. Army Attains Silicon Valley Results for its First Responders to a Radiological Nuclear Attack

LocoLabs pulled from a treasury of in-house expertise and developed the visual imaging system MERLIN-I sensor that is mounted on the Army’s 8-wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier (STRYKER). MERLIN-I enables rapid stationary standoff radioisotope detection and provides source location and imaging of radioactive hot spots.

Virtual Platform Design: Bright Things "Bubble" Electronic Toy

Great product ideas can come from anywhere. For John Kavanagh, developer of some of the world’s greatest video games (we’re talking Lara Croft here, folks), the inspiration for this idea was his preschool son. LocoLabs helped John realize that idea, bringing the Bubble to volume manufacturing in record time, releasing hundreds of thousands of game devices across the world.

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