Author name

Main PCB Design

Once we selected the appropriate processor and sensors, it was onto the PCB design

Designing the printed circuit board (PCB) for my smart hive project was an intricate and rewarding process, and it wasn’t something I tackled alone. Recognizing the complexity involved, I decided to collaborate with a talented university student who brought fresh insights and technical skills to the table. Together, we worked on laying out and designing the PCB, ensuring it would meet all the specific needs of my IoT beekeeping system.



The PCB serves as the central hub where all the electronic components connect, making it essential to get the design just right. We had to carefully consider the physical constraints of "bee space" and ensure that the board was compact yet efficient, fitting seamlessly into the hive without disrupting the bees. Additionally, the layout needed to optimize power efficiency and signal integrity while minimizing noise, crucial factors for maintaining accurate data transmission from the various sensors.


The collaborative effort allowed us to combine practical engineering with innovative design, resulting in a PCB that not only functions perfectly but is also easy to assemble and integrate into the hive. This experience underscored the value of merging academic knowledge with hands-on experience, leading to a design that will serve as the foundation for the ongoing development of my smart hive prototype.

What's an MCU?

June 30, 2025
When the Ocellus project began, its Project Head came from healthcare and behavioral science—not electrical engineering. So when the engineers started talking about selecting an “MCU,” the first question was pretty basic: What's an MCU? A microcontroller unit, or MCU, is essentially the small computer at the heart of an embedded electronic device. It combines a processor, memory, and interfaces for communicating with sensors and other electronics on a single chip. For Ocellus, choosing one meant learning enough to ask the right questions: How much processing power do we need? How much memory? How will it communicate with our sensors? How much energy will it consume? How difficult will it be to program—and how physically large is it?  Lesson learned: leading an R&D project doesn't require knowing everything. It does require learning enough to know what questions to ask.

Surround Sound in Hive

June 22, 2025
To effectively monitor and analyze the acoustic environment inside the hive, we realized that the microphone needed to be on its own dedicated board. This design decision provides for maximum flexibility, letting us place each microphone precisely where it's needed within the hive. With four microphones, each on its own board and connected to the main PCB, we can simultaneously record sound from multiple locations within the hive. This setup is essential for capturing a comprehensive sound profile, which will be invaluable for understanding hive health and behavior through acoustic analysis. By isolating the microphones on separate boards, we ensured that the sound data collected is as accurate as possible, free from interference or noise that might arise from other components on the main PCB. This design also allows for easy repositioning and testing during the prototype phase, allowing me to experiment with different configurations to find the most effective setup for capturing the subtle sounds bees make. The result is a versatile and powerful tool for non-invasively monitoring the hive, providing critical insights without disturbing the bees.
digital caliper

Measure Twice, Fit Once

June 12, 2025
Little did I know I needed such an instrument