Streamlining Your IoT Project with Custom Solutions

Overcoming Challenges in Device Development

Engineering teams designing the latest IoT devices face growing internal and external challenges, complicating their work. Internally, companies are pushing for quicker project completions due to market competition and conditions. This leads to an increased workload for engineers, including new product launches and previously shelved projects that suddenly take on a new importance and priority. Additionally, companies face external obstacles like global supply chain issues and difficulty in securing additional engineering support to handle the expanding project scopes and deadlines. 

These challenges force engineering teams to work with the limited resources they have. Hardware design for embedded projects has many complex elements. Boards have 8-10 layers and many high-speed signals including over 500 pads on the processor alone. The software side has its own challenges from board validation to maintenance (including security updates), operating system optimization, and general support. This is why chip-down designs, especially for smaller organizations, are impractical: they use up too many resources, take far longer than planned timelines can handle, and are too costly for budgets. 

The design stage can sometimes last years and miss developing trends or problems that a new design can (and should) solve. But design is only half the battle. There are end-of-life and PCN issues that arise with components after launch, and general product maintenance continuously takes up engineering resources over the life of the project. Instead of taking on all these challenges alone, businesses can partner with experts to utilize pre-built system-on-modules (SOMs), single board computers (SBCs), or custom hardware designs to change the game of their product life cycle. 

How SOMs and SBCs Help Your Design

Pre-built modules streamline the most complex aspects of device development, such as the tedium of picking out each component and working with numerous suppliers, eliminating the headache of navigating through many supply chains. To use an analogy: chip-down designs are like constructing a house from scratch, where you decide every aspect, from the foundation to the roof tiles, requiring significant time and expertise. Alternatively, opting for a SOM or SBC is like moving into a ready-to-live-in furnished home. It's not just a cookie cutter home, but one with high-end appliances and amenities.  

You may be thinking: this is perfect! There are many variations of SOMs and carrier boards that I can purchase right off-the-shelf. But  I have a need for a specific processor with certain number of connectors in a specific layout for my IoT project. How can I still bring my solution quickly to market while keeping my team’s focus on my product’s core requirements, application, and ecosystem?

Tailoring Success with Custom Solutions

This is where Ezurio can help as custom solutions are our specialty. Let’s go over the 3 main components to a successful custom design: 

1. A Partnership Approach  

From the initial concept through to the final product, a custom solution partner needs to be there every step of the way. Since we manufacture the boards, our success is tied to yours. Partnering with us on a custom designed solution is a 3-phased approach that can be completed in as little as 12 weeks.

What does our partnership entail? It begins with close collaboration on building your ideal hardware platform from a customized SOM + carrier board solution and off-the-shelf hardware. Understanding your specific needs generates a starting point on a customized SBC solution that excludes unnecessary components, having everything you need, and nothing you don’t.  We make this process easy by providing comprehensive project specifications, complete with thorough documentation. This includes supplying detailed PDF schematics and 3D STEP files for design accuracy, alongside delivering multiple prototypes. Each prototype is fine-tuned with an optimized operating system and undergoes rigorous testing to guarantee peak performance. 

Making a mistake in specifications or design can set a product back 6 months to 1 year. We have the experience to guide design decisions based on the hundreds of custom designs we have done and can help navigate the complexities of product development; ensuring your project stays on track and aligns with current (and future) market  needs and trends. 

For a detailed outline of our three-phased approach, refer to the table below.