The hottest Prototyping Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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An Introduction to Arduino

wavesandcode • 99 implied HN points • 21 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Prototyping
  1. Arduino is a beginner-friendly microcontroller that lets you create electronic projects. It's easy to replace if you make mistakes.
  2. Basic components like breadboards, jumper wires, and LEDs are essential for building circuits. They help you connect and test your ideas quickly.
  3. Starting with simple projects is a great way to learn. Using resources like the Arduino Projects Book can guide you in building fun circuits.

The Capability Maturity Model for AI in Design

Jakob Nielsen on UX • 63 implied HN points • 05 Mar 26
🪑 Design Prototyping
  1. AI design maturity is framed as six progressive levels that cover leadership, strategy, culture, enablement, automation, and product design, and organizations must climb them one step at a time.
  2. As AI matures the designer’s role shifts from creating pixels to curating and governing systems, so teams must design for probabilistic outputs, trust, refusal patterns, and continuous runtime adaptation.
  3. The model is a practical self‑assessment and roadmap: invest in the specific capabilities of your current level to unlock the next, treating Level 5 as a realistic target today and Level 6 as a longer‑term stretch goal.

New prototype is with the fab house

Single Board ESP32 ZX Spectrum • 439 implied HN points • 29 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Prototyping
  1. The new prototype is now in production after some delays, showing the importance of taking action despite fears.
  2. The process of sending the boards off involved some challenges with component availability, requiring adjustments.
  3. Future plans involve exploring software options, experimenting with hardware possibilities, and considering 3D printed cases.

#8 Compact Design

Mountain Labs Newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 13 Sep 24
🪑 Design Prototyping
  1. Compact design can be very complex, as it needs to use every bit of space wisely. Creating a small air quality monitor involved three design revisions and a lot of thought.
  2. The design process involves trial and error. Each version of the product had its own challenges, whether it was durability, assembly, or size balance.
  3. Choosing materials is important for the final product. Different types of wood can affect how the product looks and feels, and the design might need tweaks for the manufacturing process.

A 15-minute intro to resin casting

lcamtuf’s thing • 4693 implied HN points • 21 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Prototyping
  1. Resin casting involves making a mold and pouring liquid plastic into it. This method allows you to create exact replicas of items, capturing all their details.
  2. Compared to 3D printing, resin casting can produce stronger and more durable parts. It also gives a finer finish since the liquid can fill every tiny detail of the mold.
  3. The process includes making a flexible mold from silicone, applying a release agent, and carefully pouring in the resin. It's important to manage air bubbles for the best results.
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The First Sneaky Town Tournament

Human Programming • 77 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
🪑 Design Prototyping
  1. A small act of commitment plus a bit of serendipity can unlock big opportunities — joining a makerspace and signing up for certification made the tournament possible.
  2. Ship first, polish later: a last-minute design pivot still produced boards people loved, showing deadlines and sharing work before perfection matter more than waiting for an ideal version.
  3. Practical event design and teaching matter: clear invites, flexible pacing, simple tournament structure, and improving how rules are taught made the event run smoothly and helped seed a local community.

Designing your own PCBs

lcamtuf’s thing • 2652 implied HN points • 09 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Prototyping
  1. Designing your own PCB allows for faster iteration on new designs compared to ordering custom circuit boards.
  2. KiCad is a recommended tool for designing hobby PCBs due to its extensive library of footprints and open-source nature.
  3. Consider important factors like component placement, trace widths, and manufacturing constraints for successful PCB layout.

#4 Prototyping / Pre-Order Campaign

Mountain Labs Newsletter • 39 implied HN points • 27 May 24
🕹 Technology Prototyping
  1. Mountain Labs successfully got 77 pre-orders for their Air Quality Monitor in just 6 weeks. This is a good sign of interest from customers.
  2. They have a clear prototyping process, starting from a breadboard to a punched-card prototype, before making the final PCB design. Each step helps them test and improve their product.
  3. Collecting pre-orders helps Mountain Labs plan their first batch of manufacturing. They aim to sell the product at $99, making it affordable for many people.

#3 Industrial Design

Mountain Labs Newsletter • 59 implied HN points • 17 Apr 24
🪑 Design Prototyping
  1. When developing a hardware product, focus on three key areas: energy, communication, and form factor. Energy determines if your device runs on batteries or needs to be plugged in.
  2. For B2B products, start with communication needs since they often integrate with other systems. But for B2C products, prioritize the look and feel of the device first.
  3. Always check the costs and manufacturability of your components. If it’s too expensive or hard to make, revisit your choices before moving forward with the design.

MakerNews - December 2025 Update

Maker News • 7 implied HN points • 31 Dec 25
🕹 Technology Prototyping
  1. The maker community stayed curious and playful through 2025, prioritizing exploration, learning, and hands-on experimentation even when projects got messy.
  2. Practical, clever hacks and tools stood out — from ESP32 USB JTAG debugging and Raspberry Pi test benches to multicolor 3D printer mods, tiny spectrum analyzers, DIY chips, and firmware hacks.
  3. The year closed with community momentum and useful opportunities, like discounted CE certification for open-source hardware, encouraging makers to keep building into 2026.

How to Get From Zero to Prototype in 5 Days

CodeLink’s Substack • 58 implied HN points • 25 May 23
🕹 Technology Prototyping
  1. Learn how to go from zero to prototype in just five days using an async design sprint.
  2. Key elements of a design sprint team include Facilitator, Timekeeper, Bus Driver, Decider, and Interviewer.
  3. Daily schedule for a design sprint includes warm-up sessions, group collaboration, individual work periods, and sync-up meetings to stay on track.

If you're not in the kitchen, you're on the menu

Kathy PM • 5 implied HN points • 07 May 25
🕹 Technology Prototyping
  1. Building something real helps you discover where tools fail and what can be improved. It's all about pushing the limits until you encounter the pain points.
  2. Playing with demo projects can be fun, but true learning happens when you face challenges in a meaningful build. It's vital to care about what you're making.
  3. If you want to stay relevant in your field, you need to actively participate in the creation process, just like startups are doing. If you sit back, you might be left behind.

Week 33 - 🚀 The Ultimate Guide to Prototyping for Product Managers: Mastering the Art of Reducing Uncertainty in Product Development 🎯

The Product Channel By Sid Saladi • 33 implied HN points • 02 Apr 23
🕹 Technology Prototyping
  1. Prototyping is crucial for product development to validate concepts, identify issues, and refine designs
  2. Different types of prototypes include paper prototypes, wireframes, static mockups, clickable prototypes, and more
  3. Best practices for prototyping involve defining goals, choosing the right type of prototype, recruiting the right users, preparing a test plan, setting context, using appropriate tools, encouraging feedback, and staying open to feedback

Premature Optimization and Rapid Prototyping

Load-bearing Tomato • 8 implied HN points • 23 Apr 24
🕹 Technology Prototyping
  1. Games need to start with quick experiments to see what works, this is called rapid prototyping. Flexibility is important so designers can try new ideas without being held back.
  2. Code doesn’t have to be perfect; it just needs to be good enough for what the game requires. Sometimes a simpler solution works best and saves time.
  3. It's crucial to know when to optimize code. If the game is running well and meeting its needs, there might not be a need to improve it right away.