Microscope X/Y Slider
A sliding stand for a digital microscope: an X/Y table under the workbench with linear rails and cable chains, so the microscope glides into place with a push.
MechanicalMotion controlPCB
Hardware engineer · Based in Shenzhen
I design hardware — and get it built.
I'm Brian Barrett— a hardware and manufacturing engineer with 13+ years in Shenzhen, taking electronics and devices from schematic to shipped product. I'm looking for the right team to build with full-time — and I take focused projects too.
PCB & product design·rapid prototyping·production in Shenzhen
- 13+ yrs
- Engineering & manufacturing in China
- 6 yrs
- Ran an LED factory for Black & Decker
- 2
- EV startups (tilting vehicles & e-motorcycles)
- Shenzhen
- Based where hardware gets built
The hard part
Getting hardware built is where it gets hard.
The gap between a working prototype and thousands of reliable units in the field is where products stall. The four places teams get stuck — and how I take them off the table.
A prototype that won't scale
I redesign for manufacturability so it can actually be built at volume — not just work once on a bench.
The wrong factory
I vet suppliers in person — capability, capacity, and track record — before a cent moves.
No real quality control
On-site inspections and pilot runs catch defects before they ship by the thousand.
Hidden costs & slipping timelines
Clear quoting, tooling oversight, and a build plan that holds — managed on the ground, in your blind-spot timezone.
What I do
One partner from schematic to shipping container.
Engineering and manufacturing under one roof — so your design, prototype, and production all speak to each other.
01
Electronics & PCB Design
Schematic to a manufacturable board — compact, sensor-driven, and built to survive the production line. DFM-ready and ready to make at volume.
- Schematic capture & PCB layout
- Sensors, power & wireless integration
- Firmware & bring-up support
- Design for manufacturability (DFM)
02
Rapid Prototyping
Turn a concept into a working device, fast. Get real hardware in hand to test and iterate — wearables, enclosures, and small-batch builds.
- Concept to functional prototype
- Mechanical & enclosure design
- Iterative testing & refinement
- Pre-production validation
03
Production in Shenzhen
Your hardware, built reliably at the source. I source and vet factories, run on-site quality control, and get hundreds or thousands of units into the field.
- Factory sourcing & vetting
- On-site quality control & inspections
- Tooling, pilot runs & scale-up
- Logistics & timeline management
How it works
A clear path from idea to production.
Every engagement de-risks the next step before you commit to it — no leaps of faith, no surprises.
- 01
Review
We start with your design, prototype, or idea. I assess what's needed to manufacture it well and flag risks early.
- 02
Source & vet
I find and personally vet the right factory partners for your product, capacity, and budget.
- 03
Pilot & QA
A pilot run plus hands-on quality control proves the process before you commit to full volume.
- 04
Scale
Production ramps with ongoing oversight on quality, cost, and timeline — your hardware, in the field.
Working together
Full-time, or a focused project.
I'm looking for the right team to build hardware with — ideally embedded full-time as the engineer who owns it end to end. I also take focused projects. Either way, you get someone who sees a product from schematic to shipped units.
Join your team
What I'm afterEmbed full-time as your hardware / manufacturing engineer — own electronics, prototyping, DFM, and production end to end, on the ground in Shenzhen where the build actually happens.
Project or fractional
Also openHave a specific device to get from prototype to reliable production? I'll take it on as a focused engagement — design, supplier vetting, pilot runs, and quality, with open books.
On the ground, not over email
Hardware doesn't get built over a video call. I'm in the factories in person — reading schematics, walking the line, and catching problems before they ship by the thousand.
Selected work
Proof, not promises.
Boards, mechanisms, and products I designed and built with my own hands — the same hands that would be on your factory floor. This is what I bring to your product.
Modular MicroPython System
PyBikeBrain, a modular microPython board for E-bikes, inspired by the pyBoard, with stackable layers for serial, power and more.
PCBFirmwareModular
Articulated Camera Arm
An articulated camera arm of carbon fiber tubes, polished steel spheres and red aluminum pressure plates, inspired by Robin Renzetti's design.
MechanicalProduct design
Mechanical Keyboard
A reproduction of Input Club's open source K-type keyboard, built to study manufacturing and find ways to cut BOM cost.
PCBFirmwareEnclosure
Whiteboard Plotter
A whiteboard plotter inspired by draw bots, built on plywood with linear rails, a 3D printer control board and open-source software.
MechanicalMotion control
Hex Puck Lights
Black + Decker Hex Puck under cabinet lighting: a master puck with satellite pucks and a low-profile, screwless clip-together housing.
PCBLightingProduct design
About
An engineer who lives where your product gets built.
I'm Brian Barrett — a hardware engineer based in Shenzhen with over 13 years in product design, prototyping, and manufacturing. I spent six years running an LED lighting factory for Black & Decker, and worked with two EV startups building tilting vehicles and electric motorcycles.
That mix matters: I understand your design andthe factory floor it has to survive. When you work with me, you get someone who can read a schematic, walk a production line, and tell the difference between a supplier's promise and their actual capability — in person, in your timezone's blind spot.
Questions
The things you're right to ask.
The honest answers to what every first-time hardware team worries about before they wire money overseas.
See all questionsAre you open to a full-time role, or just contract work?
Both — but full-time is what I'm really after. The ideal fit is joining a team as the engineer who owns hardware end to end, on the ground in Shenzhen. I also take focused projects when that's a better fit for where you are.
Can you do both the design and the manufacturing?
Yes — that's the whole point. Electronics, prototyping, and production are usually split across different people and vendors, with handoffs where things break. I cover the full path, from schematic to shipped units, so nothing gets lost in translation.
What kind of hardware do you work on?
Compact, real-world devices — PCBs and electronics, wearables, cameras and optics, LED and sensor-driven gadgets, and the enclosures around them. The badge and toys in the Work and Play sections are good examples of the form factors and bring-up involved.
We're a small or early-stage team — is that a fit?
Often the best fit. Early hardware is exactly where one engineer who can both design it and get it built saves the most time and money — instead of stitching together a designer, a sourcing agent, and a factory who don't talk to each other.
Do you work on-site or remotely?
I'm based in Shenzhen and in the factories in person — that's the advantage. I work with teams anywhere in the world; the design can happen over a call, but the build, the vetting, and the quality control happen here, in person.
My prototype works — why can't they just make 10,000 of them?
Because a prototype proves the idea, not the process. Getting a design ready to manufacture — DFM — is the buyer's job, not the factory's, and skipping it is the most common way first runs blow up. Closing that gap is a big part of what I do.
Looking for a hardware engineer?
Whether you're hiring or have a device to build, tell me what you're working on. I'm in Shenzhen, close to the build, and happy to talk.