Simplify the Transition from Prototype to Production

Additionally, more engineers are beginning to use system-level tools to help define the initial specifications of a product, using simulations to try out different control and user interface schemes.

These virtual environments, digital twinspotentially by incorporating data from a digital thread. Such an approach mimics, to some extent, the development process used in a cloud environment. Before the engineering team pushes updates to production software running in the field, they run the modified software in a “sandbox” in the cloud. These tests ensure that software updates will not activate dormant bugs or cause undesirable behavior.

Today, companies that manufacture Internet of Things (IoT) devices use similar strategies to test firmware and software changes on a combination of virtual and physical platforms before releasing them to market. over-the-air (OTA) updates.

Physical modules tend to be organized into hardware labs called device farms, which typically contain multiple copies and versions of the prototype or final product. Developers then run regression tests across them on each new software revision and only push changes to a production release if they all pass. This strategy is effective in supporting a gradual transition from prototype to production.

One consequence of this less rigid prototype-to-production design process is that the underlying hardware is constantly changing. The manufacturer may decide to change components, change circuit designs, or even replace entire boards from one generation of the product to the next to support improvements in cost and reliability. They may also need to redesign the design. component shortages or other supply chain issues.

Keeping copies of these different applications on a device farm or in virtual form as a digital twin allows testing across different variants to ensure that new software does not introduce bugs and other issues on certain devices.

Keeping Hardware the Same from Prototyping to Production

In the past, design teams purchased development platforms specifically for prototyping. Development hardware now available from some suppliers is equally at home in production systems. Many development boards can be cost effective in terms of volume in the market. Using the same hardware makes it easier to go into production because fewer changes are required before the commercial launch date.

A cost analysis may show the benefits of moving some logic and analog functions to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or replacing them with a programmable solution. To accommodate the longer design and manufacturing times of ASIC designs, early production models may still use systems on chips (SoCs) and standard parts combined with FPGAs.

Some development platforms It comes with design files that support migration to production. With these designs, the basic building blocks remain the same, while other parts can be removed or left unpopulated without a performance penalty. Using modules designed around standards such as Open Standard Module (OSM)Designers may mix special girl cards or carriers with standard products depending on the situation.