Hardware design requirements are for general requirements that help improve the ability to test, debug and program the hardware device.
Platforms must:
Provide an in circuit programming interface
Provide self-programming support through a UART interface
The UART interface must be compatiable with the FTDI breakout boards supplied by adafruit and sparkfun
Be able to be powered and operational without a battery - meaning the board must provide an external interface to be able to power the board.
Platforms with an XBee transceiver must provide a LED linked to the RSSI pin
Provide a functional block diagram outlining functional modules down to the MCU level.
Provide a circuit diagram
Provide an equivalent circuit model(s) for all components