Benjamin Miquel Software & Hardware Engineering

I make prototypes

Benjamin Miquel

Who am I

Briefly, I create prototypes. I am located next to Lassouts, 12500. I build robots and automate things. I handle software, firmware, electronics, CAD, 3D printing, and everything in between.

I have lent my expertise to diverse fields including finance, logistics, software environments, and electronics companies. Connect with me via LinkedIn or follow my build journeys on my blog.

What is a prototype

Building a prototype is the critical first step in realizing a product, machine, or tool. The primary directive is to research, prove a concept, and gain immediate operational understanding over a system.

Prototyping is inherently rapid; the objective isn't absolute initial perfection. Safety, user experience, and long-term reliability are systematically unlocked through fast, continuous design iterations.

It demands deep cross-disciplinary mastery spanning electronics, mechanics, and software engineering. Success requires knowing exactly what technology to leverage and defining what is truly possible.

How I build prototypes

To build a prototype, the goal is to de-risk and validate assumptions first, failing quickly to find the right path forward. Every build requires a tailored sequence.

Hardware

Requirements

To iterate quickly, ideas are sketched out rapidly so constraints and specifications can be mapped out immediately.

Choosing Components

Sourcing off-the-shelf components is critical. Custom-machined components are expensive and time-consuming; leveraging existing components accelerates time-to-proof.

Manufacturing

Depending on parameters, manufacturing is optimized using 3D printing, milling, turning, laser/plasma cutting, or sheet bending.

Hardware Prototype Toolhead

Electronics

Power Architecture

Power infrastructure dictates critical board behavior—governing thermals, current pathways, connectors, clearances, and EMI performance.

Sensors

Evaluating data paths means staying agile. I routinely swap, benchmark, and debug hardware sensors to optimize data telemetry on the fly.

Manufacturing

End-to-end management: PCB design, assembly, wire harness building, schematic design, component supply chains, and surface-mount debugging.

PCB Manufacturing Diagnostics

Software

Controller

The brain of automation. Developing deterministic state machines, exact process sequencing, sensor calibrations, and continuous integration testing.

Drivers

Writing native drivers across primary communication buses (SPI, I2C, CAN, Ethernet, UART, DMA) and using logic analyzers to resolve hardware bugs.

High-Level Systems

Tying the ecosystem together. Utilizing data analysis pipelines, scripting, custom web frontends, and utility scripts to build unified tech stacks.