EMBEDDED SYSTEM - MAKE OR BUY?

A client wanted to connect some legacy equipment which had proprietory communications data formats and analogue I/O to newer digital equipment as part of an upgrade. Commercial off the shelf (COTS) solutions looked prohibitatively expensive, inflexible and power hungry. We designed an embedded system using a 16 bit processor and FPGA. Code was written in C. The system was taken through EMC approvals and support provided in the system integration phase.  

The system provided was small and consumed only a few watts. This meant supplying power, thermal management and simply finding space in a crowded system were all straightforward. The system design ensured that the interface system was readily adaptable to other legacy interfaces with minor changes to the firmware.

SERVICES OFFERED

We can offer bespoke design of complete systems from scratch but sometimes adaptation of off-the-shelf hardware is the right course - we will always ensure that you get the most cost effective solution. A bespoke solution can be surprisingly affordable - our extensive design library from implementing microcontroller / microprocessor systems, FPGA designs and embedded software means we can often provide a custom solution at a surprisingly low cost and fast turnround. You get full documentation of the design - control of the design is often important to avoid obsolescence issues which can be a concern when using COTS equipment.

Previous designs range from tiny micro-power 8 bit designs to 32 bit Arm/Linux systems so are well placed to identify the right solution for you. We have taken numerous designs through regulatory test approvals e.g. FCC / CE marking, de-risking the process.