Circuit and electronics design
Custom circuitry and PCBs to replace the breadboard: schematic design, board layout, and bring-up of hardware built for your product.
Mechatronics engineering consultancy
From breadboard to your first real prototype.
Creator Chaos helps hardware startups make the jump past the breadboard and the Arduino, designing the circuitry, writing the embedded software, and creating the first mechanical designs behind a prototype you can demo, test, and put in front of investors.
10 yrsShipping hardware
ConsumerRobotics
DronePayloads
MedicalDevices
62304/ MISRA C
An index of what you can hire me to do
§ 01 · ServicesEmbedded software and firmware
The firmware that makes it work, from bare-metal and RTOS up, written to hold up beyond a quick demo script.
First mechanical design
The first real enclosure and mechanics: CAD, fit, and parts you can actually build, not a 3D-printed afterthought.
Whole-prototype integration
Electronics, firmware, and mechanics brought together into one prototype that works as a product, not three separate experiments.
Technical guidance
A senior engineer in your corner: architecture decisions, technical due diligence, and an honest read on what to build next.
Not sure where you sit?
Most first prototypes touch several of these. Start a conversation and we will scope the right slice.
spencer@creatorchaos.comWhat to expect
§ 02 · ProcessScoping call
A short, no-cost call to understand where your product is today, where it needs to get to, and whether I am the right person to help. Honest answer either way.
Book a scoping callDeliverable
A written scope and a recommended next step.
Outcome
A clear, honest view of the path to a working prototype.
Technical assessment
I review your proof of concept, architecture, and risks across the electronics, firmware, and mechanics, then map the work that stands between a breadboard and a first real prototype.
Start an assessmentDeliverable
A risk and readiness assessment with a prioritised roadmap.
Outcome
You know exactly what to build next, and why.
Engineering build
Hands-on engineering: circuitry, firmware, and the first mechanical design brought together into a working prototype, with regulated-grade habits applied throughout.
Scope a buildDeliverable
A working prototype, with the design files and documentation behind it.
Outcome
Something that holds up outside the bench.
Working prototype
A demo-ready prototype handed over with the design files behind it, built so the next stage is a step forward rather than a rebuild from scratch.
Plan a prototypeDeliverable
A working prototype, the schematics, board files, firmware, and CAD.
Outcome
Something you can demo, test, and put in front of investors.
Why a decade of hardware is the reason to hire
§ 03 · Approach
A-01
I have already met the failure modes
Consumer robotics, drone payloads, and medical devices teach you where a first prototype quietly breaks on the way off the breadboard. I have been there before, on your timeline.
A-02
Built so the next stage is not a rebuild
The first prototype is engineered with the habits of regulated hardware, so what you demo is a foundation to build on, not something you throw away and start again.
A-03
One senior engineer, accountable end to end
Mechanical, electrical, firmware, and integration handled by one person, so nothing falls between teams or gets lost in a handoff.
What clients say
ProofBrilliant technical execution paired with a rare talent for clear communication.
Spencer joined our project to complete a proof-of-principle rig for an extremely ambitious technology development that was well beyond the skill set of our existing team. He was quick to grasp exactly what we were trying to achieve and identify our fundamental constraints. From there, he provided a crystal-clear strategy outlining which solutions were feasible, which were best suited for our current stage, and which options would become viable as we unlocked future company milestones.
Spencer then proceeded to work with incredible intuition and dedication, providing regular, transparent updates on our status and the challenges he overcame. The final deliverable was excellent. His work has become the fundamental foundation for everything that has followed. Furthermore, the risks he identified and his excellent documentation have, I believe, saved us a massive amount of time and resources in subsequent development.
Spencer is an absolute joy to work with. Having been involved in consumer goods development for 15 years, it is incredibly refreshing to meet an electronics practitioner who can seamlessly explain the subtleties of a complex project to someone not skilled in the craft. He brings immense energy, insight, and experience to any project. I look forward to working with him again. 5 stars, would highly recommend!
Field Notes
§ 04 · Writing · All writing ->Practical notes on circuitry, firmware, and getting hardware off the breadboard. Latest: When to leave the breadboard behind.
Field NotesAbout
§ 05 · About · Spencer Walker-FooksCreator Chaos is Spencer Walker-Fooks, an Australian robotics engineer with a decade across consumer robotics, drone payloads, and medical devices. He works with a small number of hardware startups at a time, helping them get from breadboard to a first professional prototype: the circuitry, the embedded software, and the mechanical design.
spencerwf.comContact
Have a prototype to get off the breadboard?
Tell me where your product is today and where it needs to get to. I reply to every serious enquiry.