How can OEMs velocity up the design course of with out sacrificing product high quality?

Manufacturing and design groups within the know-how area are all the time in search of new and revolutionary methods to cut back the usually complicated design strategy of the merchandise they provide. For unique gear producers (OEMs) within the wireless-connectivity trade, design boundaries similar to price, time, and course of iteration are simply a number of the challenges they’re preventing in opposition to to facilitate a quicker time-to-market. 

New rivals coming into the sector frequently implies that OEMs are underneath growing stress to ship extra inside considerably shorter timeframes, forcing a shorter and faster design course of. Alongside this, the design course of for next-generation Bluetooth low power (Bluetooth LE) – enabled gadgets is getting extra complicated, with clients demanding extra built-in options, capabilities, and safety from the gadgets they buy than ever earlier than. Whereas these overwhelming pressures have led some OEMs to make use of a from-scratch chip-down engineering technique for total tasks, that is typically too sluggish, too expensive, and too dangerous for a lot of. 

So, how can OEMs deal with the boundaries which can be at present stopping them from scaling their Bluetooth LE design to mass manufacturing?

A wi-fi modules and modems technique

To stop the necessity for engineering groups to design the wi-fi connectivity points of the gadgets they provide from scratch themselves, some are selecting to outsource this factor to exterior distributors. 

By doing so, the pre-designed, pre-certified modules and modems that suppliers present get rid of the necessity to do the complicated engineering round embedded wi-fi {hardware} format, software program integration, antenna choice, placement, and extra. This will lower weeks and even months off typical design timelines, whereas additionally lowering threat and enhancing system efficiency. 

The System-on-Module (SOM) strategy

In the identical means that implementing wi-fi modules and modems means engineers don’t must design system connectivity from scratch, a SOM technique simplifies engineering by offering engineers with a pre-designed, pre-certified answer that integrates the wi-fi module, the system’s primary processor, high-speed RAM, dependable flash reminiscence, and energy administration on the identical board. 

Leveraging a SOM design technique on this means implies that product design timelines might be drastically diminished past the efficiencies of the module technique strategy. By utilising the SOM technique, design groups have the flexibility to shortly add performance to merchandise whereas additionally delivering an elevated degree of safety.

Laird Connectivity has lately partnered with Silicon Labs, offering added worth {hardware}, software program, and help capabilities for Silicon’s next-generation Bluetooth LE-enabled gadgets. 

Through the use of the SOM design technique, different OEMs can profit additionally from:

• Sooner growth by a single, built-in board
• Superior safety that doesn’t have to be constructed in-house
• Useful resource partitioning and virtualisation for safety
• Decreased {hardware} design-in processes
• Elevated flexibility and selection inside the software program growth setting
• Restricted certification threat and prices
• International entry to integration help

Collectively, these advantages result in a major discount in general product growth prices, design dangers, and essentially quicker growth timelines for OEM’s next-generation Bluetooth LE-enabled merchandise. 

Signal-up for the webinar with Laird Connectivity and Silicon Labs on Wednesday, September seventh 2022 at 10:00 PM GMT, to find extra concerning the SOM strategy and the way it’s supporting OEMs.