Case Study: A Custom Carrier Board for a Global Laser Technology Leader

Solving Obsolescence:
A Customised Carrier Board Solution for Advanced Laser Technology
A BVM Case Study

Introduction to the Customer

BVM’s customer is a globally recognized leader in the development and production of advanced laser technology, with a product portfolio that reaches customers around the world. This case study explores how BVM addressed the customer’s critical need for a stable, long-term single board computer (SBC) solution in their laser systems, ensuring ongoing operational instability removing and obsolescence issues.

Customer Requirements

The customer’s laser product line had been in production for several years, utilizing a single board computer (SBC) that required replacement every five years due to obsolescence. With each SBC reaching its end of life (EOL), the customer faced the challenge of selecting a new board that required adapters to maintain compatibility with their existing expansion cards. These adapters introduced a potential point of failure, leading to reliability issues. As the current SBC iteration was also approaching obsolescence, the customer urgently needed a more reliable and long-term solution.

Challenges

The primary challenge was the limited physical space within the customer’s existing system, which necessitated a drop-in replacement that could support the peripheral measurement cards without increasing the footprint. Despite extensive market research, BVM found that no “off-the-shelf” SBC met all the customer’s requirements, particularly in terms of size, compatibility, and future-proofing capabilities.

BVM’s Solution: Custom Carrier Design with COM Express Module

After thorough discussions with the customer to understand their needs and concerns, BVM proposed a tailored solution: designing a custom carrier board that would integrate a COM Express module. This approach would not only address the current obsolescence issues but also provide a stable, scalable platform for future upgrades.

The custom carrier board was designed to incorporate all the legacy features necessary for the customer’s existing peripheral measurement cards, along with additional features to ensure the system’s longevity. BVM selected a COM Express Compact module with an 8th Generation Processor, ensuring immediate compatibility and providing the option to upgrade to an 11th Generation Processor in the future as technology advances.

Results: Enhancing System Reliability with a Custom SBC Design

BVM successfully completed the design and is now supplying production units to the customer. The new custom carrier board has resolved the system stability issues by eliminating the need for adapters, which were previously required to connect expansion cards to the new SBCs. The integrated solution has significantly improved system reliability and stability, providing the customer with a robust, future-proof platform that can be deployed over many years without the need for frequent, disruptive changes.

Conclusion

This project exemplifies BVM’s ability to deliver customised, innovative solutions that meet the specific needs of our clients. By working closely with the customer, BVM not only solved their immediate challenges but also provided a sustainable solution for the future. Contact BVM to discuss your next industrial computing or embedded design project. With over 35 years of experience, we’re here to help. Call us on 01489 780144 or email sales@bvmltd.co.uk.

We like to make life easier ….

BVM supply a wide and diverse range of Industrial and Embedded Systems.
From Industrial Motherboards, SBCs and Box PCs, to Rack Mount computers and Industrial Panel PCs. Our support teams have worked in a variety of industrial and embedded environments and consequently provide knowledge, know-how, experience and all round good advice around all BVM’s products & services when and where you need it. 

We don’t profess to know everything you need at the time – but we’ll always help in the first instance and get back to you when a little more information is required.

You can Call us on +(0) 1489 780 144 and talk to one of the team | E-mail us at sales@bvmltd.co.uk | Use our quick contact form here