Microamp Solutions: Speedlight design and development for cutting-edge 5G RF platforms

Challenge:

The bulk of Microamp’s work is focused on designing components essential to the development of 5G technologies. However, the licensed software that facilitates this process is quite expensive (from $100,000-$150,000 monthly). A cost-effective solution for Microamp as a startup was to custom-build software that's perfectly suited to their needs. As the client did not have the IT skills to handle this requirement in-house, they came to us.

Initially, Microamp approached several software development companies. But these companies could not commit to the task because hardware engineers would use the product and it was highly technical. Building a functional solution that would satisfy the needs of such a target group would require a high level of expertise in the IT and electronics field. Also, the client needed this software within the shortest possible time frame under a strict budget. Ideamotive faced these challenges head-on.

Process:

We reached out to the client to understand their requirements. Our role was to build two platforms for designing 5G power amplifiers. These are core tools Microamp engineers would use daily. As such, it was important to build a platform that would adapt to the company's design process. With this in mind, we rolled out the roadmap for the process.

First, we set up a team with a full stack developer, a front-end developer and a UX/UI designer. Due to the nature of this project, finding an industry expert was paramount. Dawid, the lead developer we chose for this task, fits the mold. He had extensive technical and industry (electronics) knowledge. As a result, he was already familiar with advanced structures such as the Smith Chart, which was not a concept most programmers would know. The complexity of the Smith Chart was such that many software houses Microamp initially consulted needed a lot of time to draw the advanced graphic module. Dawid did it in two days! The whole dev team leveraged his knowledge to improve and speed up the development process considerably.

The client was concerned with efficiency. A major goal of the platform would be to move the design process of 5G power amplifiers faster. Our team tackled this problem by following formulas and advanced principles, such as the Interactive Smart Chart suited to microwave engineering, as the client outlined. We also walked through designing the power amplifiers and generated a user interface that fits Microamp’s processes.

Our team developed the platform using two popular frameworks—Node.js for the back-end and React for the front-end. We chose these frameworks because they are community-proven and have many ready-to-use components, which shortened the development process. Node.js, particularly, is ideal for IoT. For one, JS supports cross-platform development, allowing the use of connected devices. As an event-driven technology, it also enables IoT sensors and hardware components to respond to data faster, without straining memory resources.

Finally, we picked AWS Lambda because it has a low maintenance cost and is easily scalable.

Outcome:

With our help, the client was able to save over $100k/monthly as there’s no need for expensive licenses. Also, unlike the pricey commercial alternative, this custom software has the core functions our client's operations require. Every element down to the user interface matches the company's design methods. With this, the client may now develop internal products at an even lower cost, given the increased speed of developers who are paid hourly. What's more, Microamp can scale and adapt the software to reflect the company's growth at any stage.

We have also managed to meet the very tight deadline set by Microamp. They needed the first platform to be online within a month and a half, and our team delivered on time. This can be attributed to the perfect product fit of the lead developer, whose industry expertise helped to speed up the process significantly.

In addition, we have contributed to the improvement of Microamp's business operations. In the course of the collaboration, we introduced them to our project management toolstack (Slack, ClickUp, Recruitee) and configured them to serve their internal needs. We’re happy to learn that these tools are still being used by the Microamp team.

Finally, we went beyond the initial brief. In the beginning, Microamp needed one platform. But the success of the first project formed the basis of a long-term collaboration. The company came to us for a second platform (which we have also delivered) with the potential for more in the future.