DiMonte Group continues to grow our electronics and software capabilities and is proud to announce that we have added a team of industry experienced Linux operating system engineers.
What this means to our clients is that we now have the capability to design systems with sophisticated graphical displays and high-speed communications interfaces.
A modern industrial, commercial, or medical product typically has:
- A mechanical system to perform a dedicated product-related task—we can design that.
- Embedded controllers that can move, heat, cool, sense, analyze, and control everything in the product, in real-time—we can design those.
- A touchscreen interface with a contemporary look to provide a user-friendly interface to the operator—and now we can design that, too.
TOUCHSCREEN DISPLAYS
As the costs of attractive touchscreen displays have come down, it is now very practical to add a graphical display as the control head for a product.
Functions are illustrated by icons, and as the process moves forward, the screen guides the user step by step.
Changes and additions to the product require new software, not a new front panel.
SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE
A typical electronic system contains the Linux computer to handle the user interface and high-speed communications to the outside.
Linux is an open-source operating system that is great at handling the user interface, overall system control, data logging, and communications with the outside world.
But Linux is not good at handling real-time control. So connecting to the Linux computer, through a serial interface, we cluster embedded controller boards that handle motors, heaters, coolers, sensors, and other specialized functions, provided tight closed-loop control.
Some typical resources for programs like this:
- Embedded controllers: STM32 ARM Cortex M4 microcontrollers from STMicroelectronics
- Displays: New Haven Display
- Linux modules: Variscite
- Motors and linear actuators: Hayden Kerk
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
DiMonte Group has the expertise to put all this together for our clients. We look forward to discussing your new products!
