Case Study: Overcoming Obsolescence with a DNVGL-Certified Fanless Embedded System

Enhancing Maritime Reliability and Addressing Obsolescence with DNVGL-Certified Fanless Embedded System
A BVM CASE STUDY

1. Customer Profile: A Leader in Sustainable Underwater Technology

Our client stands as a globally recognized leader in the specialized field of underwater technology. Their cutting-edge product portfolio—spanning navigation, precise positioning command, and sophisticated data acquisition systems—is critical to highly regulated maritime operations. Crucially, their work is focused around advancing sustainability and environmental responsibility, requiring their technology stack to be uncompromisingly reliable in the face of harsh conditions.

2. The Urgent Challenge of System Obsolescence

The customer faced a critical threat to their operations due to severe hardware obsolescence in their existing embedded PC fleet. This outdated technology risked operational instability and posed significant long-term support liabilities. Their urgent need was a direct, high-performance replacement that could meet three key mandates:

1. Seamless Integration: The new platform had to integrate easily with their current proprietary underwater command and control hardware.
2. Compact Deployment: The system required a small and compact form factor suitable for flexible installation across various classes of vessels, from small research ships to larger industrial carriers.
3. Enhanced Durability: Absolute compliance with stringent marine certification standards was non-negotiable, given the demanding, high-stakes nature of the environment where the final product is deployed.

3. Navigating Stringent Marine Certification Requirements

The primary challenge was finding a rugged, industrial computer that not only met the physical size and performance demands but also satisfied a comprehensive list of global maritime regulatory standards. While many “marine PCs” exist, very few achieve the full scope of required compliance necessary for certified vessel deployment:

• CE & FCC: Standard regulatory compliance.
• DNVGL-CG-0339 (formerly DNV): Det Norske Veritas Germanischer Lloyd certification, ensuring safety, reliability, and environmental protection in marine systems.
• IACS E10: International Association of Classification Societies standard covering the testing of control and monitoring systems.
• IEC 60945 4th Edition: International Electro-technical Commission standard for maritime navigation and radio-communication equipment, dictating environmental and performance resilience.

4. BVM Solution: The Marine-Certified Fanless Embedded PC

BVM supplied the I330EAC-ITW Intel Core i5-1135G7 Marine Computer—a purpose-built fanless embedded computer designed specifically to overcome these maritime hurdles. Selected for its combination of high-performance processing and robust maritime design, the I330EAC-ITW (part of the larger, scalable I330EAC Series) offers:

• Performance: Powered by advanced processors, including the powerful Intel Tiger Lake platform, ensuring scalable performance for demanding navigation.
• Marine I/O: Features essential for seamless integration, such as multi-video output, isolation power protection, and support for the NMEA 0183 communication protocol.
• Custom OS: BVM implemented a bespoke Windows Operating System build with the Enhanced Write Filter (EWF) activated, protecting the system’s integrity against power fluctuations, spikes, and unscheduled shutdowns common on shipboard power grids.
• Full Compliance: Crucially, the system holds the required DNVGL-CG-0339 and IEC 60945 certifications, guaranteeing long-term durability and reliability in harsh, vibrating, and temperature-variable environments.

5. Deployment Success and Future Reliability

With BVM’s supply of the certified, custom-configured I330EAC-ITW Marine PC, the customer successfully mitigated their critical obsolescence risk. The new systems are now actively being deployed across their global fleet, ensuring maximum uptime for essential navigation and data gathering operations while adhering to the most rigorous international standards. The scalability of the chosen platform also future-proofs their solution, allowing them to adapt performance levels (Intel® Tiger Lake, Elkhart Lake, etc.) to meet varying customer demands without changing the core certified chassis.

6. Partner with BVM: Solve Your Next Industrial Computing Challenge

Do you face complex obsolescence issues or require industrial computing hardware certified for extreme operating environments? BVM has over 30 years of specialist experience in specifying, supplying, and supporting rugged and embedded computer systems for mission-critical applications across industrial, defense, and maritime sectors.