The author of this web content discusses the process of prototyping hardware and the challenges of designing user interfaces (UIs) for such prototypes. They highlight the importance of iterating on both the domain model and UI during the prototyping phase. The author explores the idea of automatically generating UIs from data models, citing examples such as CRUD frameworks and JSON editors. They also discuss their own preferences for UI design, emphasizing developer ease of use, web UIs, customizable units, validation, data density, and historical context. The author shares their thoughts on implementing UIs, including the use of macros and existing Rust concepts. They also mention other UI solutions, such as LabView and PLCs. In the hardware prototyping space, the author discusses various options ranging from off-the-shelf consumer products to custom PCBs and PLCs. They express interest in a more convenient and affordable hobbyist PLC system and outline requirements for such a system. Overall, the content provides insights into the challenges and considerations involved in prototyping hardware and designing UIs for scientific applications.
https://kevinlynagh.com/newsletter/2023_09_hardware_prototyping/