Cleared for Takeoff: PaperMETAR Passes FCC Testing!

To get ready for testing, I gave the lab a custom build of the PaperMETAR firmware. It runs the device flat out, with every electrical and wireless component as active as it can be. Labs test products in this worst-case state, because if a device passes like this, it will pass in normal use.

PaperMETAR shipped off to the lab, and I spent the next few days fretting while they worked through the tests. Then the email I’d been anxiously waiting for showed up:

Hello Farhan,

All testing has been completed, and your device passed the FCC Part 15 tests.
...

YES! I’m thrilled to report that PaperMETAR has officially passed FCC testing!

I know some of you will ask which lab I used. I looked at numerous US-based labs and settled on HB Compliance Solutions in Tempe, Arizona. Before I signed on, I asked them a lot of questions, and they answered every one quickly. That didn’t change after I signed the contract, which isn’t always the case. Some vendors are quick while they’re selling and then slow down once the work starts!

Because PaperMETAR is a fairly simple device, they finished within a few days of receiving it. They have all the required accreditations and really know their stuff, and they were helpful the whole way through. If you’re building a hardware product and need FCC testing, I highly recommend them.

With FCC testing done, my next step is getting the 3D-printed case into a final state that looks good and prints the same way every time. A nice perk of 3D printing is that I can offer the case in lots of colors, so I’m trying out a few. Want a pink one? Sure, I can make you a pink one!

Full disclosure: the picture above was edited with AI to show what a pink PaperMETAR could look like. But you get the idea!