Engicam Uses Micron Technology to Reduce Their Time-to-Market

Micron and Silica have teamed together to provide Engicam with full components and support solutions

Challenges

Engicam, located in Italy, has a long history of offering design services for technology-intensive electronic systems. Engicam has developed successful collaborations with significant national businesses in the consumer, automotive, marine, and rail industries, as well as small and medium enterprises operating in industrial market segments, by forming solid connections with customers. Engicam began providing multiple types of CPU modules (system-on-a-module, or SOM) based on the latest-generation ARM processors in 2009, to make the development of creative and technologically sophisticated products easier. Engicam can continue to create increasingly powerful and efficient platforms by investing in these devices. From hardware and firmware design through software development and mass production of the final product, Engicam’s attitude is to support clients at every level of the development process and integration into the final applications. When opposed to single boards, the SOM Plus carrier solution offers several benefits. The operating system (Linux, Windows, CE, or Android) is included, as well as a development system and a ready-to-use board support package (BSP; comprising a compiler toolchain and sources). The program may be rapidly modified to fit the demands of the user. The modules only require a single power source and have integrated physical interface transceivers (PHYs) for a variety of devices, including Ethernet and USB. Custom connections, one 5V power-supply stage, and a few additional components are frequently included in the creation of the customer’s carrier board. The cost of the PCB is already included in the tiny size of the module PCB owing to the connection of BGA and regulated impedance connections to the memory. A basic, bespoke two-layer PCB may frequently meet the mechanical requirements of the finished product. Because all Engicam modules are pin-to-pin interoperable, users may easily move from one platform to another by simply swapping modules on the same carrier board. In this approach, a range of goods that fulfill the criteria of cost and/or performance may be developed in a relatively fast time to market.

Engicam’s goal is to create a broad family of SOMs that may be utilized in a variety of applications, such as automotive, rail, and industrial/commercial. Each step of product design must take into account the following factors to achieve this broad-use goal: Thermal features adjustable between commercial (0°C to +70°C) and industrial (–40°C to +85°C) temperature ranges, component durability, component longevity, component robustness, cost. The use of these characteristics to carefully choose components results in a versatile, scalable family of products with easy mounting choices and no PCB and/or software changes between the commercial (lower-cost) and automotive (higher-cost) versions.

Initiatives

DRAM (DDR2 or DDR3) and NAND Flash memory are the main components of all Engicam SOMs, together with the CPU. Engicam was able to meet all of the criteria of a range of applications by using Micron. Micron’s diverse product portfolio allows customers to select from a variety of components with varying performance levels, temperature ranges, and prices for the same package. Engicam had outstanding results in terms of product quality from all Micron components used. Engicam products are ideal for use in the industrial, automotive, and railway industries due to the durability of Micron components.

Result

The carrier board and plastic cover of this automobile dashboard were designed by Engicam per client specifications. In this example, the program was built without the need for an operating system. The dashboard has been in full production for a year and is installed on the Bollore car-sharing group’s Pininfarina BLUECA vehicle in Paris. Micron and Silica have teamed together to provide Engicam with full components and support solutions. Micron memory devices’ dependable high performance and lifespan, along with Silica’s committed support, technical experience, and extensive distribution network, enable Engicam to shorten time-to-market and fulfill the demands of their clients.

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