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After reading various articles in the media and elsewhere, or examining your competitors’ products – you may start to ponder if the “Internet of Things” really matters. That’s a fair question, and the same can often be asked when a new technology emerges from the horizon. However unlike other changes in technology the leap to an IoT can be considered as revolutionary instead of evolutionary – and thus it does matter.

But why? As mentioned in our previous articles, the ability for something to be connected to the a network is tremendous. With intelligence provided by bespoke hardware at the client side, they can now receive or send data when the device is programmed to do so at an appropriate time. Consider the following examples:

Monitoring temperatures of multiple points in a production facility – No longer do you need to use a wired connection back to the main system – instead each temperature sensor can be equipped with a wireless module and communicate to the server via WiFi. Sensors can be relocated, added, or deleted without the effort to rewire – and with the advances in energy harvesting they can possibly be self-powered. A minimal microcontroller between the sensor and wireless module can also continuously monitor all status and notify the server of an error – and the server can detect a total failure and alert technicians without delay via many channels.

Consumer-device interaction – By now you’ve seen the LED light that can be controlled via a smartphone. However that technology can be utilised in many more ways – imagine if you arrived home at night, and your car communicates with the home system to turn on various lights, HVAC, and even turns on the stereo. Or an alarm system that emails, tweets and texts you images of the room where motion is detected – as well as alerting the authorities.

Upgrading existing M2M connectivity solutions – If you have existing devices that communicate with a server over custom wireless data solutions or expensive GPRS packet-data links – there may be an opportunity to upgrade the communications to IP via WiFi.

For example, if you have twenty vending machines in an airport that has terminal-wide WiFi access – by switching the communications from cellular to WiFi you not only save on line subscription and data charges, you can also interact more easily with the machines for status updates and alerts. Converting equipment to standard wired or wireless IP communciations allows integration with a wide variety of current and future IoT systems giving you flexibility and more possibilities than ever before.

The Internet of Things is important, it does matter – almost anything can communicate with anything or anyone. It’s a simple statement, that describes an almost infinite amount of possibilities. And the race is on to introduce this functionality to existing and new products. Customers are becoming more savvy with the Internet and networking – and understand how it works. By creating solutions that makes life easier, simpler and more convenient for your customers via IoT technology you will be ahead of the pack – to your benefit.

If you want to find out more, move forward with your own designs to make them IoT-ready, or don’t know where to start – partner with an organisation who can pull together the software, hardware and know-how to make it happen – the LX Group.

Here at the LX Group we can discuss and understand your requirements and goals – then help you navigate the varioushardware and other options available to help solve your problems. We can create or tailor just about anything from awireless temperature sensor to a complete Internet-enabled system for you. 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.

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.