PROTOTYPING SERVICES
Broccoli Products has built prototypes ranging from novel household items that contain no electronics or moving parts, to combinations of software, electronic and mechanical engineering, including measuring devices for detecting immunoglobin response by DNA-binding fluorogenics, inter-communicating solar energy kiosks and paramilitary communication encryption modules.
By combining our software development experience and electronic engineering techniques, we provide an efficient route to prototyping electromechanical devices. For hardware device projects, we provide support services for the development of hardware programmers and automated testing software, and the generation of documentation to assist device patenting applications.
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ELECTROMECHANICAL PROTOTYPING
A prototype can be a "proof of concept " device that demonstrates a technical principle and often consists of a bare circuit board connected to a power supply.
A prototype can also be a functional device, fully working and enclosed, that in terms of features leaves nothing to the imagination, and which can be confidently presented to investors, directors and potential customers. It is often the last stepping stone between research and production.
The blood-platlet analyzer shown on the right is a functional prototype, and includes micro-fluidics and peristaltic pumps, a motorized drawer mechanism and a bespoke touch panel, and a miniature lock-in amplifier based on an 32-bit ARM microprocessor. Samples were identifiable through the test process by 2D barcode duplicates of the ISBT blood bag code. Design and build included compilation of documentation for CE approval, weight reduction, SolidWorks files, purchase and costing of parts, and patent documentation.
PATENT DOCUMENTATION
Writing a patent application is often an iterative process between the inventor and the patent attorney, and any communication with an attorney costs money. We use modern 3D engineering software to generate schematics that conform to the patent office's guidelines on drawings. These schematics can be attached to a patent application, reducing the patent attorney hiring-time.
See also Software Development - Embedded Software.
See also Project Assessment - Blocked Prototype.
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HARDWARE PROGRAMMERS
During the development of a hardware device, a solid test procedure provides firm ground on which to base design changes. A hardware programmer is a PC software application that communications with the device, and which automates testing, as well as extending the technicians interaction with the device to the monitor, keyboard and mouse of a Windows PC.
Hardware programmers are script-based, offering clients the flexibility of designing their own tests without any assistance from the software developer. Test scripts and test results can be included in the formal quality assurance documentation required for product certification.
Tests can be grouped together and run en-masse. Test groups can be run overnight, and results can be stored on the local machine or uploaded to a central database or server.
Hardware programmers are often designed at the same time as the PCB prototype (or "jig"), and connection to the device is through the richest communication protocol that the device exposes, for example, USB or RS-232.
An off-shoot of hardware programmer development is a robust library that will interface a Windows PC to the device, and this library is in the form of a DLL or a .NET module. This library can later be used in the development of the production software that accompanies the device.
See also Software Development - Windows Software.
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