BD Prototypes Becomes an Authorised Microchip Design Partner

Manchester Electronics Consultancy Joins Microchip's Global Design Partner Programme

BD Prototypes, the Manchester-based electronics design and prototyping consultancy, has been accepted into Microchip Technology's Global Design Partner Programme as an Authorised Design Partner.

The accreditation places BD Prototypes inside a worldwide network of vetted third-party design houses that Microchip's customers are directed to when they need external hardware, firmware or full turnkey product development capability. "Microchip's partner network covers general consulting, hardware and software design, and contract manufacturing, with services spanning early prototyping through to full-scale mass production."

For a consultancy that has built its business around delivering complete electronic products for British SMEs, it is a meaningful step — and one that shortens the distance between a UK company with a product idea and an engineering team qualified to build it.

What an Authorised Microchip Design Partner Actually Is

Microchip is one of the world's largest suppliers of microcontrollers, analogue devices, wireless connectivity solutions and security ICs. Its Design Partner Programme exists because most OEMs and SMEs do not carry a full electronics team in-house.

Practically, authorisation gives BD Prototypes:

Direct technical escalation into Microchip's applications engineering teams — silicon-level answers, faster, when a design hits an edge case

Early access to development tools, extended samples and reference designs — less time spent proving a concept before the real work starts

Visibility in Microchip's global partner directory — a route for companies searching for a qualified design house

Deeper competency across the Microchip portfolio — PIC and AVR microcontrollers, SAM Arm-based MCUs and MPUs, analogue and power management, wireless and secure elements

The benefit is not a badge. It is de-risking. When a product programme depends on a specific part behaving a specific way at scale, having a supported line back to the silicon vendor is the difference between a two-day question and a two-month redesign.

Why This Matters for UK Product Development

BD Prototypes works with British SMEs, industrial equipment manufacturers and product start-ups that need an electronic product designed, built and moved into manufacture — not a report telling them how it could be done.

That work spans:

PCB design — schematic capture, multi-layer layout, signal integrity, EMC-aware design, design for manufacture

Embedded firmware development — bare-metal and RTOS-based, drivers, connectivity stacks, production test firmware

CAD and enclosure design — SolidWorks and Fusion 360 mechanical design integrated with the electronics, not bolted on afterwards

Rapid prototyping — in-house resin and FDM prototyping for fast physical iteration

Manufacturing oversight — managing assembly through a vetted partner network, from first article through to production

All of it is delivered under a three-tier fixed-price model, so clients know the cost of a development stage before it starts. For an SME committing capital to a new product, that predictability matters as much as the engineering.

Microchip accreditation strengthens the first two of those disciplines directly. Component selection becomes better informed, firmware development starts from supported reference material rather than from scratch, and BOM decisions are made with visibility of long-term availability and lifecycle status.

Manchester as an Electronics Design Base

BD Prototypes operates from Manchester city centre, in the middle of the North West's manufacturing and engineering base. That proximity is deliberate. Electronic product development benefits enormously from being able to get in a room with the people who will build, sell and service the product.

The consultancy works with clients across Greater Manchester, the North West and the wider UK, and increasingly internationally — including delivery for one of the UK's largest supermarkets and for a global fastening manufacturer.

What Comes Next

The Microchip partnership sits alongside an ongoing partnership development with a number of other chip manufacturers, extending BD Prototypes' capability in low-power wireless and Bluetooth Low Energy product design.

Together, the two give clients a broader silicon platform to design against — Microchip for general-purpose control, mixed-signal, industrial and secure applications; Nordic for battery-powered connected products.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is BD Prototypes? BD Prototypes Ltd is an electronics design and prototyping consultancy based in Manchester, UK. It provides PCB design, embedded firmware development, CAD and enclosure design, prototyping and manufacturing oversight for British SMEs and product companies, on a fixed-price basis.

Does BD Prototypes only design with Microchip parts? No. BD Prototypes selects components on technical and commercial merit for each project. Microchip accreditation adds supported depth across one of the industry's broadest portfolios; it does not restrict component choice.

Can BD Prototypes take a product from concept to manufacture? Yes. BD Prototypes delivers end-to-end electronic product development — concept, schematic and PCB design, firmware, enclosure design, prototyping, compliance preparation and production oversight through a vetted manufacturing partner network.

Where is BD Prototypes based? Manchester city centre, serving clients across the North West, the UK and internationally.

Discuss a Project

If you have an electronic product that needs designing, developing or moving into manufacture, BD Prototypes can help.

Book a consultation → | Morgan@bdprototypes.co.uk | Manchester, UK