Services
Custom embedded systems design
When your project requires something beyond the norm, our team will work with you to create a customised solution built on a core of COTS components.
Designing an embedded computer for your specific application ensures that you have the required processing power, I/O, and storage, while meeting the environmental and EMC requirements of the project.
Our Services
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See more about our custom embedded systems design capabilities
Often starting with a COM Express processing module, we will design and build a system from the board up, thoroughly test it, certify it to required industry standards and manage volume production.
If more customisation is needed, we work with our sister company Active Silicon whose skills include complex custom PCBs, encompassing computer vision, high-speed electronics design and system engineering.
Capabilities across the wider Steatite group
Our primary focus as Steatite’s Computing business unit is the design and manufacture of rugged computer systems for use in a wide range of industries and applications.
However, we leverage the skills of the whole Steatite group to give us wide-ranging capabilities across multiple sectors and engineering disciplines.
Group capabilities include:
- System level design.
- 3D mechanical design.
- Schematics and PCB design including at over 10 Gbps.
- Chassis design and customisation.
- Component selection and optimized layout.
- FPGA/VHDL design.
- Extensive firmware. and software skills to support complex hardware.
- Inhouse pre-compliance testing plus management of further certification processes.
- Rapid prototyping.
- Manufacturing and final assembly within the UK.
- Supply chain management of all components and stock holding where required.
Case study: Custom embedded computing for a rail application
We were recently approached to deliver a custom embedded system for a rail application which benefitted from expert collaboration between the Computing business unit and Steatite’s Imaging business unit, Active Silicon.
To ensure that underground trains can operate safely, drivers require a real-time, high-resolution video feed showing every inch of the platform edge (the “Mind the Gap” area) in every station, including those where the platform is very long or where it curves. Our customer was contracted to deliver this surveillance system on part of the network and engaged us on the project due to the combination of vision system and rugged, high-power embedded computing expertise that we could offer.
The solution needed to be high quality, extremely robust and offer a long product life with the ability to upgrade in the future, if required. The system needed to support a proprietary video output, which is designed to operate in harsh environments, offering robustness against electromagnetic interference and other disturbances. A customised processor was needed and integrating this with other I/O on the carrier board required very specific skills.
Our colleagues at Active Silicon designed the PCB to accommodate the necessary vision processing components and COM Express processor module, while forming part of a robust, reliable system to transmit high-quality video in real-time.
Our engineering team in Redditch was responsible for overall system design, including the mechanical design and EMC/Environmental pre-compliance testing certification. We used trusted partners for component manufacture, with final assembly and testing carried out in-house, creating a robust, UK-built solution.
Across the group, we have a spherical near-field RF test chamber and environmental testing laboratory incorporating a climatic chamber, vibration table and altitude test chamber at our Antenna site in Leominster, as well as a semi-anechoic EMC test chamber in our head office in Redditch. Rigorous in-house testing meant we were well prepared for the final testing, reducing delays in obtaining certification and compliance with rail standard EN50155, and others.
As a result, we were able to deliver a totally unique and custom-built computer vision system meeting the exact requirements of the project.
Our Other Services
Want to know more?
Get in touch with us below and a member of the team will be in touch.