Digital Power & Motion offers off-the-shelf products, custom designed products, and engineering and manufacturing services. We are experts in all phases of customized industrial controls from the up-front system engineering through the ongoing manufacturing of the product.
Microchip Design Partner
We are a recognized Microchip Design Partner and are recognized as experts in:
- Software
- Hardware
- 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit, and DSC micros
- Analog signal processing and conversion
- CAN, USB and Ethernet connectivity
- Motor Control
- Battery Management
- Sensors
- Power Supplies
- Full Turn-Key Manufacturing.
Systems Engineering
We begin a new project by capturing the Customer's project's vision in a Statement of Work. Next we produce the Requirements Document, detailing all aspects of the project including functional requirements, environment requirements, mechanical requirements, electrical requirements, and software requirements. Depending on the scope of the project, other documents may be beneficial such as the User Interface Description. Finally, depending on the complexity of the project, modeling and simulation with Matlab/Simulink or LabView may be employed before "going to copper".
Hardware Design
With the system engineering complete, hardware design proceeds with hierarchical block diagrams that first define the system at the highest and most abstract level and then progressively refine it to the lowest level details, typically pins on electronic components. Worst case analysis design practices are employed throughout and large margins are used to guarantee operation over component variations, environmental changes, and time.
Except for the smallest and simplest of PCBs, We use four or more layer PCBs to perform the routing. By providing power and ground planes, the final product is much less susceptible to electromagnetic noise always present in industrial equipment. Additionally, the heat spreading effect of the planes helps with localized power dissipation.
Many of our products are approved by Underwriters Laboratory (UL). We have the experience and know how to work with UL to get your product approved.
Software Design
All of our software designs are centered around a microcontroller or microprocessor to provide the necessary calculations, communications and decision making. We are firm believers that minimizing hardware and doing as much work as possible in software minimizes recurring costs and maximizes reliability. We were putting 8-bit microcontrollers into simple industrial controllers in the mid-80's before flash memory existed.
Software design also proceeds in a top-down fashion using hierarchical design methodologies. Block diagrams, flow charts, and most importantly, state diagrams are used extensively. All embedded software, except the most time critical interrupt service routines, is written in C or C++.
Large applications are built upon a Real Time Operating System (RTOS). An RTOS allows design abstraction to flow down to software implementation by allowing the software to be written in separate and seemingly unrelated "tasks". These tasks appear to run simultaneously on the machine and accomplish different jobs. Smaller systems typically don't need the power of an RTOS and are implemented using real-time loops and interrupt driven functions.
Manufacturing
The final component in our one-stop-shop approach is the production facility. We have all the necessary processes to crank out your products in a timely fashion. We pride ourselves in first time quality, zero defects and zero customer returns. Our production facility has the capacity to handle your needs.