Muhammad Awais

[email protected]

In many organisations, both private and public – electronic and computer devices installed in the previous century may still be in use due to the fixed needs of the user. With simple maintenance such as dust removal and consumable replacement this type of hardware may have a lifespan of over twenty or more years. From some engineers’ perspectives this is a good thing, as it validates the quality of the original design and manufacturing.

However there will eventually come a time when such devices will require a major service, overhaul, replacement or the organisation may require more units – which simply cannot be delivered. This is a problem that becomes prevalent within organisations that are resistant to change, have a low capital expenditure budget or lack the knowledge and expertise to understand technological advancement in their field. So they continue to use the aged equipment for as long as possible. But in doing so, they could end up spending more or experience negative outcomes. How can this be possible? In many ways, such as:

Consumables supply issues – over time it will become increasingly difficult to replace consumables Such things as magnetic tape cartridges for data backup, ink ribbons and print heads for dot-matrix invoice printers, or even 3.5″ floppy disks can be scarce and expensive to replace. When a purchasing officer needs to spend three days to find a printer ribbon, or scour auction sites for disks – there’s a problem.

Spare parts – Like any device the availability for spare parts will be reduced over time to the point where the manufacturer cannot maintain inventory for economic reasons or simply goes out of business. Users then need to cannibalise existing hardware or conduct searches from surplus suppliers, second-hand dealers or even competitors to locate the required parts. This is both time-consuming, expensive and somewhat embarrassing.

Sourcing obsolete electronic components – Some devices may still be serviceable whilst the required components are available. However some organisations stretch their luck by maintaining systems – especially in IT and bespoke solutions – that rely on out of date components, optoelectronics and semiconductors. Trying to replace faded Hewlett-Packard LED display modules from the 1970s or damaged UART controller ICs from the 1990s can become a treasure hunt. Some buyers will find success with global searches for surplus component suppliers, or be willing to pay the high prices from licensed re-manufacturers – however at what price are they willing to pay?

Commissioning identical replacements– Some organisations may be so stubborn to in fact order the design and manufacture of the original item, with the least amount of changes possible in order not to update the entire device’s ecosystem. This type of behaviour may especially be prevalent in the public service or military, where compatibility with other devices is key. Finally – new old stock components may not meet current environmental or RoHS standards, thus rendering the replacement equipment useless in some jurisdictions.

The rise of counterfeiting – And of course when there is a demand for an item, there will be a counterfeiter ready to provide supply. Operators of critical systems that rely on obsolete semiconductors are easy targets for these shady suppliers – with the possibility of catastrophic results. Those “new” replacement parts could be pulled from old hardware and refurbished to look new, be physically identical and remarked but a different part, or correct in theoretical specification but unreliable in the field.

Retaining qualified employees – Finally, if you manage to jump the hurdles to source the required consumables, parts and requirements… who will maintain the equipment for you? Engineers retire, taking their years of knowledge about the systems with them, never to return. Consulting engineers may have to spend your time and money reverse-engineering or researching the obsolete devices just to understand where to begin.

Organisational reputation – Employees and customers can recognise easily when something is out of date – from IT networks to ticketing systems to ATMs to hotel room telephones, and much more. People enjoy using modern equipment and the advantages they bring. Any organisation doesn’t want to be known as a stalwart – which will cost them sales, customers, reduce employee morale and productivity.

In order to avoid all the negative points listed earlier, it is important for organisations to regularly research and future-proof their physical electronic assets. This doesn’t mean saying “yes” to every salesperson who walks through the door, but they do need to be aware of the recommended equipment lifespan and the required path to take before problems occur.

At the LX Group we have experience designing a wide range of customised electronic devices for various consumer, industrial, and Government-related markets. We can help interface your existing hardware to contemporary systems; and have the expertise to analyse your current requirements, assist with the production of your own designs – or work together to create devices to solve your current and future expansion needs.

If something is almost out of date, you’re almost out of time – so for more information and a confidential discussion about your obsolescence problems and how they can be solved– click here to contact us, or telephone 1800 810 124.

LX is an award-winning electronics design company based in Sydney, Australia. LX services include full turnkey design, electronics, hardware, software and firmware design. LX specialises in embedded systems and wireless technologies design. www .lx –group .com .au
Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

There are many methods of sending data between sensors and devices that require the data, and many newcomers to the industry may be aware of the usual digital data buses such as Serial Peripheral Interconnect (SPI for short) or the Inter-Integrated Circuit bus (known as the IIC or I2C bus). Although they are popular and many devices are available that communicate using these methods, they have several downfalls which can preclude them from some applications. These can include distance – the I2C bus requires repeater ICs fitted along the run after around 20 metres, and care must be taken to ensure the bus capacitance level stays below a certain amount; and interference – any digital signal is susceptible to interference from a variety of sources.

However there is a method of transferring signals and data that is both much simpler to understand and also reliable over long distances – the “4-20mA Current Loop”. This has been used successfully over many years to report analogue values back to a host system from a sensor and also transmit digital data (however not at any great speed).

How the “loop” (as we will now call it for brevity) works is very simple to understand – a DC current loop is formed with a power supply of between 12 to 40 VDC, with the sensor or device in series with system analysing the loop then back to the power supply, for example:

(Image courtesy National Instruments)

The device or sensor (such as the transducer in the image above) is powered by the current in the loop, which is convenient as seperate power runs are not required – saving installation cost and maintenance time.

The data gathered by the sensor is translated to a level of current flow, thus controlling the current flowing through the loop – which will fall between a range of four and twenty milliamps. Finally, the device at the end of the loop can simply measure the current using a simple analogue-to-digital converted and process as normal. This is therefore a method of transmitting either analogue or digital data.

Some systems can also transmit digital data at a slower speed, by simply turning the current on and off in a similar manner as basic logic systems – and although generally used by telegraph and telex systems in the previous century, there may still be applications for this in the future when no other wired alternative is possible. An example of this may be adding new sensors to an existing building with existing wiring that cannot be accessed completely for replacement or heritage reasons.

Almost any type of device that uses a current signal to transmit data can be used on the “loop”, such as position or rotation sensors – ideal for remotely monitoring a machine’s RPM or physical position; environmental sensors such as vibration, humidity and temperature; tank liquid level sensors – and many more. And the system makes troubleshooting quite simple – if current isn’t flowing in the loop, your system can alert to a faulty sensor or line immediately.

It is also possible to run more than one loop from a power supply, as long as each loop is in parallel and the power supply can source the total amount of current required by the individual loops, and that the systems measuring the current are in series with the device in its’ unique part of the loop. Furthermore some engineers have also been able to power other mutually-exclusive devices from the loop – such as ultra-low power TI MSP430 microcontrollers, as long as the current drawn by the new device falls within the tolerance of measurement by the end system. This method has also proved popular by those wishing to upgrade sensor networks without adding or replacing any existing wiring runs.

Thus it can be said that the 4~20 mA current loop system may not be the “latest technology”, but it can effectively solve problems in the right circumstances. However there are many options, and choosing the right one is a fundamental step for the success of your project. So if your design team is set in their ways, or you’re not sure which data communication method is best for your application – it’s time to discuss this with independent, experienced engineers.

At the LX Group we have experience designing a wide range of data gathering and control systems over short and long distances – and using this experience we can determine the most effective method of returning data and control signals no matter the application or geography. Our engineering team have developed a number of systems in this area and have extensive experience with the core technology requirements of such systems.

We understand the importance of high availability, accuracy and integrity of the systems, combined with the need for future proofing infrastructure rollouts. For more information or a confidential discussion about your ideas and how we can help bring them to life – click here to contact us, or telephone 1800 810 124.

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

Here at the LX Group we have a wide variety of experience and expertise in helping organisations and individuals move their ideas and electronics prototypes into products and solutions. During this time we have developed methods of decreasing the time and budget required to develop prototypes, and distilled this into a system we call the LX Hardware Compiler. This is a mixture of our engineering expertise and advice combined with a range of pre-built electronic modules.

At this point we’re very proud to announce to the public the availability of a wide range of electronic modules that form part of the LX Hardware Compiler via our new online store – located at
https://lx-group.com.au/solutions/. Using the modules is easy and will save you time, money and accelerate your prototype design.

How? It’s simple. Browse through the range of modules to find a particular function that forms part of your circuit – for example a power supply, real-time clock or a level converter. You can review the data sheet for the major component of the circuit, and also download the Altium file to integrate the module into your parts library. Each module is designed to be placed on a PCB just like any surface-mount component. Once selected, the module(s) can easily be added to your prototype circuit, then once the PCB returns from the board house – simply drop in the module and solder it to the PCB.

At launch we have just over fifty modules available, in the following categories:

Analogue – such as OpAmps
Audio – including digital audio, MP3, amplifier and MEMS microphone units
Display – a great full-colour OLED module
Drivers – starting with our dual DC motor driver modlue
I/O Peripherals – including port expanders, multiplexers and optoisolators
Memory – add flash memory or a microSD card interface
Processors – a range of popular microcontrollers from various vendors
Programmable Logic – starting with Altera CPLD modules
Power supplies – a wide range of single, dual, SMPS and linear supplies and voltage references
Sensors – measure temperature, current, position heading and more
Switching – a variety of solid-state relays and FET switch modules
Wired communications – add Ethernet and USB easily
Wireless communications – including Wi-Fi, GSM/GPRS and Infrared receiver modules
Miscellaneous – starting with accurate real-time clocks and user-input

By using our range of modules wherever possible you can “let us do the work”, so you don’t have to spend the time designing your own common circuits or attempt to source parts in low volume at a good price – letting you can get on with your project and bringing it to life.

To get started, click here to visit our new online store and start exploring how our modules can fit in with your design. Or for more information and a confidential discussion about your ideas and how we can help bring them to life – click here to contact us, or telephone 1800 810 124.

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

When working on electronics designs in your workshop, bench or in less than ideal commercial situations there is always the danger of encountering electrostatic discharge (ESD for short). ESD _[1]is the sudden flow of electricity between two objects caused by one of three things:

physical contact – such as simply touching an object with your hand
an electrical short – due to component or object fatigue
dielectric breakdown – such as the failure of insulation

Over time it has become easier for those in the semi-professional or hobbyist to not concern themselves as devices and components have become more resistant to the effects of ESD. However this laissez-faire attitude will sooner or later punish the individual’s components or projects. Furthermore, the hazard of ESD is not limited to those with less experience or training, it can affect even the most seasoned engineer.

The causes of ESD generally fall into two categories. The first is the familiar static electricity, caused by two objects coming into contact with each other and then separated. A simple example is wearing a sweater made from synthetic materials – you can feel the static electricity as you take the sweater off. The static electricity is caused by a process known as thetribolectric effect, where a charge moves from a highly-charged object to the lower-charged object in order to balance out.

The second cause of ESD is electrostatic induction. This is the redistribution of charge in an object, caused by the influence of nearby charges._[2]So you may have an object with an excessive amount of positive charge and bring it close to an object without a charge that can conduct electricity, the electrons in the charged object will be attracted to the other and thus the charge is induced across the gap between the two items.

There are several types of ESD, and the most common form is the spark. A spark will occur when the potential difference between two objects is to high the charge will bridge the gap between them. An obvious example of this is lightning – as the potential difference between the charged cloud and the ground is very large. However not all sparks will resemble lightning, and some are small enough to exist yet remain unseen – a hazard in themselves. Some may consider them to be harmless if they’re not strong enough to be visible, however this is not the case.

Various risks involved with ESD are documented widely, with the major concern in the electronics design field being the possible damage to electronic components and devices. The most susceptible component types are CMOS integrated circuits and MOSFET transistors. It only tales one careless person to run their hands through their hair and then pick up an IC – only to find it doesn’t work. Why? The high voltage yet tiny static charge transferred from the hair to the hand sparks across to the leg of the IC handled by the engineer, thus rendering it useless. Those parts that are vulnerable to ESD ship in protective tubes, anti-static bags or other special packaging types for a reason, and care needs to be taken once removed from the packaging.

So how can these risks be mitigated? The first method involves setting aside an area or converting the work space into an Electrostatic Protective Area (or EPA). To do this the workers need to be grounded, usually via wrist straps; and that all conductive materials are also grounded such as bench mats and surfaces. This can be done easily with the use of anti-static bench and floor mats. Furthermore humidity control is important – by dehumidifying the area involved, the opportunity for moisture to develop on various surfaces decreases and in turn the opportunity for ESD damage. Some organisations may even use ion generators to help neutralise charged surface regions in the space. If you organisation has on-site storage or assembly areas, these will also require various ESD-neutralising systems. Finally the use of appropriate warning signage, staff training and quality control is required to maintain the awareness of ESD and the possible risks.

Even though this has been a summary look at ESD, preparing your organisation can be an expense that isn’t justified when preparing your first design prototype, notwithstanding the cost of setting up a complete electronics design facility and workshop. So if you are thinking about moving into hardware work for the first time, instead consider outsourcing the hardware (or more) prototyping to a team of experts with experience in the field, documented successes and all the resources to successfully move your prototype forward to a product. Here at the LX Group we can partner with you through all stages of the design process, allowing you to avoid the expense of setting up engineering areas in your facility.

To get started, simply contact us for a confidential discussion about your ideas and how we can help bring them to life – click here to contact us, or telephone 1800 810 124.

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

[1] ESD definition Wikipedia, accessed 09/11/2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_discharge

[2] Electrostatic induction definition from Wikipedia, accessed 09/11/2012 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_induction

Building prototypes of your product idea during the design process is naturally important and something that is a necessity for many reasons – including physical conceptualisation, demonstrations to possible financiers, proof of concept, usability testing in later stages, and project inspiration. However like all stages of the design process (as discussed last week) doing so requires a level of knowledge and expertise that not every organisation possess.

This is not a criticism, but should be taken as a positive observation. And like any skill – if you can’t do it properly yourself, find someone who can. Here at the LX Group we will take the time to understand your needs and ideas which can then be transformed into one or even a range of prototypes – setting you up for success. As part of this process a decision needs to be made with regards to the type of prototype required, so let’s examine them in more detail and the benefits of each.

Proof-of-concept prototypes

This is often a very basic example that will function in a similar manner to the final product – to prove that it is feasible and can be done. We say that the key purpose is to focus on, understand and address identified risk areas with the prototype. For example selecting an appropriate microcontroller to ensure processing speed and I/O requirements are adequate, or power consumption levels fall under a required maximum. During this level of prototyping it is important to remove design faults and technical risks otherwise the costs involved to make changes later on will be exponential compared to doing so now.

Demonstration prototypes

When you need to show someone what “it’s all about” – a demonstration prototype will be required. This is the model you shop around to potential investors and future customers, document or show during grant applications, and generally spruik to the outside world. Those of you in larger organisations may also require this to “sell” the concept to decision makers in the upper echelons of management. The prototype may not function as the final product, however it should appear to do so. For example the housing and cosmetic look will match the final product as much as possible, however embedded software may be very basic or “emulate” the required functions.

Research and Development prototype platforms

When you have the go-ahead to move forward with the project design, it’s time to get working on the design – which requires R&D prototypes. The algorithm development of the product can take place with these prototypes, and thus may not look like the finished product, but they will have the functionality and specified hardware to operate as one. Furthermore this type of prototype may be modified or altered during the research process to account for changes, updates and possible design changes.

Commercial Product Iterations

There are three iterations during this stage in the design process, including:

Alpha prototypes – these are the first revision of the design and generally meet all aspects of the product design. These will be used to test the design parameters, review the design and seek improvements, and seek internal suggestions and improvement ideas.
Beta prototypes – these will include any changes made during the alpha prototype stage, and be submitted for compliance testing, certification, stress testing and product trials. After the results of those operations more changes may be required to the design requirements and specifications.
Pre-production prototypes – these are manufactured during short runs and ideal for verifying the manufacturing process, component suppliers, determining production yields, product testing, and the supply chain. For more popular products security at all stages of the supply and manufacturing chain is vital to remove the possibility of information leaks, industrial espionage and intellectual-property theft. You don’t want fuzzy photos of your next great thing plastered over Internet pundit websites.

Where to from here?

Your project budget and prototype requirements will determine the method of creation and time required to do so. For many designs the speed of prototyping can be increased dramatically, in conjunction with reducing the budget requirement by using a mixture of standard components, development kits, a mixture of reference and custom designs and pre-designed hardware libraries. By not “reinventing the wheel” wherever necessary time and money can be saved without too much effort, leaving resources available for R&D or custom sections of the design.

So if you have an idea for a prototype and not sure about how to move forward and would like to have an experienced organisation take care of everything – we can “make it happen”. At the LX Group we have our own hardware compiler – a proven system of product design that will save you precious time and money. No matter what stage of design your team has achieved, we can partner with you to share our design and manufacturing expertise for your benefit.

To move forward with your prototype requirements, simply contact us for a confidential discussion about your ideas and how we can help bring them to life – click here to contact us, or telephone 1800 810 124.

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

For the inexperienced organisation or individual, the journey that is product design may appear to be either a simple task or something so complex that they suffer from the paradox of choice and the product fails to move forward from an idea to reality. Nothing could be further from the truth, and in both of these cases that is a shame, as with some thought, planning and the right partners – product design is achievable and your ideas can become products.

The old adage “proper planning prevents poor performance” is still true and certainly applies to product design. At LX we have our own six-stage planning process that has yielded in success for all of our clients. Let’s examine these stages in more detail.

Conceptual Development

This stage involves several areas, including intended market research, deciding on product specifications, basic prototyping and setting up the team to work together. The more information you can gather about the intended market for your final product, in conjunction with an understanding of the technology available – the better the final results. This step is crucial – you can’t go back in time to change features based on initial research – and redesigning from scratch will destroy your budget.

Design

After conceptual development the initial versions of the product can be constructed. This will involve several versions, and testing by the internal team. If the product requires embedded software many iterations may be necessary to meet the design requirements. Furthermore any industrial design for such things as enclosures or mounts will also need to take place in conjunction with the final physical design of the product.

Finally, during this stage you will be preparing for commercialisation assistance, and possibly external financing. Having some working beta version prototypes and marketing data created during the first two stages will assist in this.

However this is also an exciting stage, as you can see the birth of your product and understand the reality of it. As part of electronic product design you should consider the LX Hardware Compiler – a system designed to save money and an incredible amount of development time.

Testing, Verification and Certification

During this stage you have the opportunity to test the product, not only for operation but also to comply with any relevant compliance standards and gain required certification for the target markets. Failure at this stage may render the product unsaleable in some markets and possibly lead to product recall or legal action. Furthermore all levels of hardware and software must be verified as working to specification otherwise the project will incur expensive re-designing and tooling costs. You will also need to finalise planning for moving from the laboratory to manufacturing, your organise the production team, suppliers and manufacturer.

Pre-production Manufacture

Here you will design the process for manufacturing, working with the manufacturer to prepare the production line, such things as test jigs, organise the required parts from the supply chain, run a small batch of pre-production items to test the factory processes and quality control – and generally be satisfied the product is ready for manufacture. Furthermore when dealing with offshore manufacturers it is important to confirm with them that the processes, procedures and suppliers decided upon after pre-production will be adhered to for the full production run. Finding a production partner you can trust can be a journey in itself, especially for those without any contacts or past partners in the industry.

Manufacture

Finally you can start manufacturing the product at full speed. However you can’t stand back and watch, a constant vigilance needs to be maintained with regards to quality control, meeting customer orders, logistics and also the quality of secondary items such as packaging, documentation and customer support vehicles needs to be taken into account.

Ongoing support

Even after selling thousands or more of your product, there will be times when software needs to be upgraded, new compliance standards introduced that will require a slight redesign, and new information from your marketing team that may required possible upgrades or changes to the final product. All these and more can and will require changes that require revisting the previous steps of the design process, and cannot be ignored otherwise the success of your product and reputation will be at stake.

When working through all the stages listed above, and more things that you may not even have considered, it will pay you to consult an organisation that has brought a wide variety of products to life in all fields of operation. And here at the LX Group we can be your partner and guide through the entire process – from an idea to the delivered product.

Bringing the right product to market at the right time and on budget can be done, and by not selecting the right parter you leave your organisation open to budget problems, production delays, quality issues and any manner of related problems.

So if you have an idea or prototype and not sure about how to move forward with your planning, inexperienced with product commercialisation and manufacturing – or would like to have an experienced organisation take care of everything – we can “make it happen”.

Simply contact us for a confidential discussion about your ideas and how we can help bring them to life – click here to contact us, or telephone 1800 810 124.

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

As people use an increased number of technological items in every field imaginable, there is the chance that these items can interfere with each other and cause undesirable effects. An early example of this is the use of cordless telephones manufactured in the early 1980s – although they worked reasonably well, if your neighbour had one there was a good chance that they would interfere with each other. Or a parents’ baby monitor might have been affected by trunk radio systems in some areas, resulting in some “interesting” noises from the bedroom.

To combat these and many other possibilities, a wide variety of standards and compliance requirements have been created to enable devices to co-exist – and to prove your products are designed appropriately. Ultimately these requirements do need to be met in order to sell your products, making compliance non-negotiable.

So what needs to be done? Let’s examine some of the more important compliance standards, which include:

Electromagnetic compatibility testing – this ensures your product doesn’t generate electromagnetic disturbances that can affect other items. In Australia we use the “C-Tick” standard outlined by the ACMA. This cover items such as industrial, scientific and medical equipment; audio-visual and IT equipment; as well as household appliances and motor-operated equipment and tools. For the European Union market, the standard is CE (Compliance Engineering) and covers over fifteen separate possible standards for various devices. In the United States their FCC also has similar testing and standards requirements. Anecdotally speaking, the larger the prospective market – the greater the amount of testing.

UL Certification – The Underwriters Laboratory is a private organisation based in the United States whose goal is to develop standards and tests to avoid hazards especially in electrical devices. They have over 15 standards just for electrical and electronic products such as battery standards, EMF from electric motors and so on. Having your products meet the relevant UL (and FCC) standards would be required for use in North America and be looked upon favourably in other markets.

RoHS directive compliance – The “Restriction of Hazardous Substance” directive is a relatively recent yet important standard to meet. After taking effect in 2006, it is enforced in all member states of the EU, and also a positive compliance to aim for as RoHS is recognised in other markets. To be RoHS compliant, your products must contain less than a certain amount of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyls or polybrominated diphenyl ether. Great care needs to be taken by designers and purchasing staff to ensure all ingredients, components and assemblies used in the final product meet this standard, and the same issues as avoiding counterfeit electronic components can apply when sourcing RoHS-compliant parts.

WEEE compliance – This can be considered a partner to RoHS – as the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment compliance requires manufacturers or importers to not only specify the material content of their products, but also pay for all costs related to the collection, transportation and recycling of their products. Compliance can be costly and there is no doubt will be included in the product price for EU customers, however the environmental rewards can be claimed as a product benefit.

Industry-specific standards – Each industry also has its’ own specific standards to allow for peculiarities or special circumstances. One example is the mining industry and electronic/electrical equipment used in underground coal mines. Standards Australia has a range that take explosive atmospheres into account – so lighting, power outlets, communication equipment, portable motor-operated devices and more need to be designed in a way so they don’t spark or create heat hazards.

Military Standards – as expected, Defence customers pose their own set of challenges and this also includes military standards. These are generally much higher than those required for consumer or industry use, and especially in the electronics field can require sourcing components that also meet the standards. Existing products will usually require redesigning for military use, including test and measurement or communication products.

Product compliance and meeting standards may seem like a nightmare, however with the appropriate research of your customers’ needs and taking these into account before and through the design process, you can produce the right products for your clients. If you are unsure of what to do or where to start, here at the LX Group we can work with you to achieve your compliance goals efficiently, including:

EMC emissions and immunity testing (including C- Tick, FCC and CE)
Electrical safety (mains certification)
UL certification
RoHS and WEEE compliance
Industry-specific standards (including medical and mining)
Ingress Protection (IP) rating
Packaging and labelling requirements

For more information or a confidential discussion about your ideas and how we can help bring them to life – click here to contact us, or telephone 1800 810 124.

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

During almost every stage of the product design and use, all of us including engineers, technicians, OEMs, contract manufacturers, maintenance contractors and of course end users are all in some way consumers of electronic components. The success of your final product is highly dependent on the quality and reliability of the components used within it. And the cost of poor quality is paid in time, money and reputation. This is a cost that you simply cannot experience and one that can be easily avoided.

As an unsuspecting buyer you will be left having to honour warranties that were based on MTBF (mean time between failure) calculations and empirical lifetime testing performed using genuine components. Furthermore there is the chance that even one counterfeit component can void guarantees for entire systems and installations, resulting in possibly severe financial losses and liabilities.

But how do these counterfeits enter the supply chain? In the past purchasing electronic components was generally a simple affair – locate a supplier, negotiate prices and delivery dates then await supply. However with the rise of globalisation, the opening of China, and a general drive to keep final product prices low the dark hand of counterfeiters has now moved into our industry.

This has lead to a variety of entrepreneurs making a range of efforts to sell counterfeits into the supply chain. They can source their wares using several methods, such as:

Second hand parts – simply parts that are removed from discarded electronic items which are “cleaned up” to appear as new
Third-shift manufacturing – where the owners of a component plant who subcontracts to a component manufacturer will run another shift on their own time, using sub-standard materials or simply creating the component housing and passing them off as the real thing
Finding manufacturing rejects – where the supplier has contacts in the factory who can give them rejects which are then sold as new
Relabelling cheaper components as a more expensive type in the same housing. For example, scraping the label from an LM555 timer and relabelling it as an Atmel ATtiny85 microcontroller
Reverse engineering – a manufacturer will make their own functional equivalent of a part that doesn’t meet the standards of the original
Simply making “slugs” – some will manufacture physical imitations of components which are simply plastic and metal. Consider the following image: the original is on the left, the slug on the right:

Some of these can be easily spotted – such as logos or fonts that “don’t look quite right”, or basic spelling mistakes on production packaging. And these are the worst type, as suppliers will generally never look at individual parts when supplying them to customers.

As technology advances, new methods will appear and more “bargain” suppliers become prevalent. These can range from online auction sellers, to those with a telephone, the internet and a very professional-looking website. These independent distributors can range from having full knowledge of what they are selling, to those with honest intentions but have limited to no means of ensuring product integrity.

Inexperienced or rushed buyers can often fall prey to these sellers and have little to no recourse, with the best outcome usually being the chance of a refund of the original purchase price. So how do you get the real parts? There are several very simple methods of determining whether or not a supplier is offering the real thing. Your first action should always be to check the manufacturers’ website. Here you can see the usual lead time, average cost per thousand unit – perfect indicators of expected supplier pricing and delivery time.

For example, if you need two thousand popular microcontrollers that the manufacturer quotes as being out of stock with a seventeen week lead time, but your new friendly supplier can deliver them next week at a much cheaper price – walk away. Otherwise you risk a very high chance of being (in no other words) ripped off.

And even if you felt the supplier was genuine – how could you be sure? Do you have access to a laboratory to perform microscopic analysis to check the parts, or the time to perform tests on random samples from the supplier? The answer to these would generally be “no!”.

So how do you avoid all this and buy the real thing?

Start with the manufacturer – they will always direct you to a legitimate supplier of their products, or if the volume is great enough deal with you directly – the optimum solution. However if your volume isn’t great enough you may need to find wholesale or commercial-retail suppliers and distributors.

When you have chosen a supplier, ensure that they have met international quality standards for operation such as ISO9001, including the ANSI/ESD s20.20 for an ESD control program, and can supply an audit paper trail back to the manufacturer.

Furthermore you need to be realistic with component pricing. Chasing the lowest price possible will always direct you to the shadier suppliers as described earlier which can only lead to trouble. Awareness of competitive but sensible pricing needs to be gained by all stages of your product design team, otherwise unrealistic final product costs can create budget problems and the viability of the entire project.Finally, for older and uncommon or application-specific components that are used on a regular basis – contact the manufacturer about the expected life of these older parts, as you may need to do an “end of life” purchase to keep production moving. However this should also be a catalyst for your engineers to improve or redesign the product to use more commonly available components.

If you are considering bringing an idea or product to market, and don’t have the human or financial resources to worry about these problems – the solution is very simple. Partner with an experienced organisation who can lead you through the entire process and remove the burden of effective component procurement as part of the manufacturing process.

Here at the LX Group we can manufacture your electronic products, whether prototypes or volume production. Our staff are trained and equipped to handle delicate and sensitive electronic assembly tasks, ensuring high-quality and reliable products. LX has in-house capabilities for PCB manufacture, SMT assembly and inspection, conformal coating and potting.

We can manage the entire manufacturing process including component sourcing and procurement, inventory management and high volume production. Our manufacturing partners have a range of quality assurance certifications including ISO 9001 and ISO 13485, UL, RoHS and WEEE.

LX can meet your manufacturing needs, and offers:

Express low-volume prototyping in as little as 48 hrs
Turnkey high-volume production in Australia and offshore
We offer a complete spectrum of manufacturing services, including:
PCB manufacture and laser stencil fabrication
Component procurement and inventory management
PCB assembly (PCBA) and complete end unit assembly
Production line testing, inspection and yield analysis
PCB cleaning, conformal coating and potting
Custom membrane keypad and LCD manufacture
CNC machining laser cutting, labelling and screen printing
Labelling and packaging

For more information or a confidential discussion about your ideas and how we can help bring them to life – click here to contact us, or telephone 1800 810 124.

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

When fighting a warehouse fire in extraordinary temperatures, you don’t want to worry about the two-way radio breaking down. If a police car is broadsided during a high-speed chase, the on-board computer can’t be torn free to become a dangerous projectile. When staking out a remote location in the desert or on or drilling for oil in the North Sea, electronic equipment needs to withstand the extreme weather.

When designing projects for extreme environments such as the previous examples, you need rugged electronic designs. To make sure your clients and end users in the field have technology they can rely on, a number of organisations have developed stringent industry testing standards and procedures. This has an impact on product design as engineers are required to know, design and test their equipment to comply with set standards. The desired end here is for the products to survive “Torture Tests” and gain compliance certificates.

Ruggedisation is defined as “designed or improved to be hard-wearing or shock-resistant. There are four categories of rugged electronic equipment; commercial-grade; durable; semi-rugged and fully rugged. Today’s most widely used ruggedness standards include those from four highly respected sources: the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (CENELEC) which publishes the European IP (Ingress Protection) standards for electrical equipment, and the United States military.

Most standards provide exceptionally detailed instructions and procedures for product testing. Major tests normally performed include:

Water Intrusion: When water or rain penetrates a device, they can cause short circuits and corrosion. Many manufacturers test their rugged products against both MIL-STD-810F and IP54, IP64, IP66 water and rain intrusion standards. Testing for rain intrusion is normally done in a rain chamber that drenches products with jets of water of varying intensities from all possible angles, as well as for dripping water for different periods of time. Fully rugged models are also tested with full immersion, to IP68 and MIL-STD-810F, Method 512.4.

Salt and Fog: In coastal and marine environments, salt and fog can cause electronic equipment to short circuit or rust, affecting performance both short and long-term. Engineers normally test to the MIL-STD-810F Method 509.3 standard using the specified five percent saline solutions.

Humidity: Conditions of extreme humidity can cause electronic devices to corrode and malfunction over time. Typical tests are to MIL-STD-810F Method 507.3 specifications, which specify 95 percent relative humidity and worst-case scenario high temperatures up to 75°C.

Dust Intrusion: Dust and sand intrusion in deserts, shorelines, mines, construction sites, or other environments can cause movable parts like buttons and keypads to clog and malfunction. Often manufacturers test to both MIL-STD-810F, Method 510.3 for sand and dust testing and IP standards for blowing dust.

Drop Testing: In the field, it’s common for handheld devices to be knocked over or dropped. Manufacturers test to MIL-STD-810F Method 516.5 with around 90- to 120 cm free-fall drops to concrete, and also with tip-over tests. The equipment is expected to remain fully operational after multiple drops.

High and Low Temperatures: Manufacturers test their technology under operating conditions of minus 35°C (MIL-STD-810F Method 502.3) and plus 60°C (MIL-STD-810F 501.3). In addition, equipment is often stored under extreme temperature conditions, and is expected to work to specification when put into service. Many manufacturers tests equipment storage in extreme low temperatures down to minus 57°C (also MIL-STD-810F Method 502.3) and high temperatures up to 85°C (also MIL-STD-810F 501.3).

Temperature Shock: Equipment is often transported by aeroplane, or used outdoors and brought inside, meaning it can be under extreme cold for long periods of time, then deposited or stored in extreme heat. Equipment is tested under these precipitous temperature fluctuations to MILSTD- 810F Method 503, testing equipment that has gone from storage of minus 57°C to 80°C and vice versa.

Sun Exposure: Equipment that is installed in, or must work in, unrelenting sunshine is tested to MIL-STD-810F Method 505.4 standards for enclosure and performance damage from solar radiation. Tests normally last from three to seven days, and are conducted in a specially designed solar chamber.

Shock and Crash Testing: Mobile and vehicle mounted products are tested to make sure they are installed correctly by subjecting them to worst-case scenario accident impact tests. MILSTD- 810F Method 516.4 tests are exceptionally stringent. Equipment must continue to operate correctly under 75Gs, or 75 times the force of gravity. Drop tests of varying heights to a steel floor are also conducted. Equipment must stay intact, mounted and continue to be 100 percent functional.

Vibration: Vibration testing to MIL-STD-810F Method 514.5 measures how equipment reacts to different levels of vibration, which can cause wire chafing, intermittent electrical contacts, display misalignment and other issues. Tests are conducted in both standard vehicles such as cars and trucks and under the more severe vibrations caused by more vibration-prone vehicles such as motorcycles, tanks and others.

Low Pressure: High altitudes and dropping pressure, such as in aircraft or on mountains, can cause membranes in parts such as speakers, microphones and keypads, to malfunction. Manufacturers conduct low-pressure performance tests to MIL-STD-810F Method 500.3 that ensure 100 percent equipment functionality

To ensure that products go to market quickly and don’t suffer costly delays, engineers should include relevant testing consideration as part of the design process. By confirming assumptions of the product’s compliance—such as the market and classification of the area in which the equipment will be used (Class I, Division 1, Class I, Zone 0 etc.), determining the appropriate protection concept (intrinsic safety, flame-proof, etc.), and establishing the indicative environmental considerations (enclosure ratings, extended ambient temperature range and so on) product development will be smoother and not require reworking to meet aforementioned standards.

The recommendation is for engineers proceeding into research and development stages to keep the submission for final certification in mind. This could mean reaching out to consultants who will help you through your submission process and follow their advice and guidelines.

At the LX Group we can carry out product testing, verification and compliance certification. We also partner with a number of NATA-certified local and international partners to provide independent product compliance and environmental testing.

LX has a range of equipment to support environmental and certification testing including an environmental test chamber, EMC test equipment, ESD simulator (CE testing), and various electrical input simulation devices such as environmental testing, design verification and compliance testing.

Some common compliance standards include:

EMC emissions and immunity testing (including C- Tick, FCC and CE)
Electrical safety (mains certification)
UL certification
RoHS and WEEE compliance
Industry-specific standards (including medical and mining)
Ingress Protection (IP) rating
Packaging and labelling requirements

For more information or a confidential discussion about your ideas and how we can help bring them to life – click here contact us, or telephone 1800 810 124.

Published by LX Pty Ltd for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.

LX Design House has been awarded Best in Design at the Electronic News 2012 Future Awards for the QuickFire Pyrotechnics Firing System

The winners of the Electronic News 2012 Future Awards were announced at ElectroneX on 12 September 2012. LX Design House was awarded Best in Design for their design of the QuickFire Pyrotechnics Firing System, which is being developed for Elite Fireworks. LX is an electronics design house based in Sydney at the Australian Technology Park.

This is the third time that LX Group has won a major award at the Electronic News Future Awards. In 2010, LX Group was awarded winner in the Digital Home category with YellowBird ALERT, an emergency alert system and in 2009 was awarded overall winner for Best Project with the WMD3000, a device that monitors a user’s gym workout and provides feedback wirelessly.

The Electronics News Future Awards recognises and rewards electronic vision, design and development in the Australian electronics design industry.

“We’re truly humbled to receive this prestigious award. It means a lot to both our team members and our clients to have our design and engineering quality benchmarked against others and to come out with such affirmation of what we are striving towards at LX. In addition to this, we are all particularly excited for our client, Elite Fireworks, as this comes at a perfect time leading up to preparation to launch” said Simon Blyth, Director and Founder of LX Group upon receiving the award.

The QuickFire Pyrotechnics Firing System is the first firing system in Australia to use ZigBee wireless mesh networking technology and can fire manually, semi-automatically or automatically, either hardwired or wirelessly. Communication between the devices is secure with encrypted data transmitted with at a frequency of 2.4 GHz DSSS and with RF transmission strategies. In addition to allowing control signals to be repeated across multiple wireless firing units, signals can be rerouted the next available firing unit instead of relying on one main transmitter. Some of the safety and continuity features include:

• an intelligent automatic show recovery function that can detect a system error and restart the controllers within three tenths of a second – and then continue, in sync with the show, and the soundtrack;

• enabling firing units to work independently from the master unit, each firing unit holding local copies of the firing instructions – eliminating firing delay and improving the reliability of the show;

• constant heartbeat monitoring and synchronisation – the wireless units remain in constant contact with the firing unit – and will reestablish communications links if this is lost, firing the next due cue, in sync with the show, and the soundtrack; and

• a dead-man switch that must be held in by the operator for a show to continue.

–End–

Contact:

LX Group, Neala Fraser, Operations Manager, Tel: (02) 9209 4133 Email: [email protected]

More Information:

About LX Group, visit www.lx-group.com.au

About Electronic News 2012 Future Awards, visit http://www.electronicsnews.com.au/news/winners-of-the-2012-future-awards

About QuickFire Pyrotechnics Firing System, visit http://www.quick-fire.com.au/
Published by LX Group for itself and the LX Group of companies, including LX Design House, LX Solutions and LX Consulting, LX Innovations.