BVM Portable Pelicase PC – Portable Electrical Test Unit

Description

This design and configuration is an example of a solution we’ve produced for one of our customers and
will hopefully serve to provide you with an idea of what we can produce.

Project Overview: Design for Manufacture of a Portable Electrical Test Unit

This project focused on transforming a client’s prototype into a production-ready system by applying ‘Design for Manufacture’ best practices. The primary goal was to create a highly portable and field-sustainable electrical test unit.

Key engineering tasks included integrating the customer’s Smart Li-Ion ‘hot-swap’ battery packs to enable a full 8-hour day of remote operation, and re-designing the unit’s active couplers and bond probes to ensure they were robust and manufacturable. A critical final requirement was to engineer the complete solution to weigh no more than 7kgs (15lbs), ensuring true portability for field engineers.

Core Design Requirements

• Design for Manufacture: Re-engineer the client’s existing prototype, applying best practices to ensure the final design is production-ready, repeatable, and robust.
• Power Sustainability: Integrate the customer’s Smart Li-Ion ‘hot-swap’ battery packs to enable continuous, sustainable remote working for a minimum of 8 hours.
• Component Re-Design: Re-engineer the system’s active couplers and bond probes, specifically addressing internal wiring routing to ensure they are manufacturable.
• Portability: The final assembled unit must be a lightweight solution, not exceeding an overall weight of 7 kgs (15 lbs).

Application & Deployment: Aerospace & Renewable Energy

This portable system is a specialized instrument deployed for measuring electrical resistance on large-scale structures where safety and integrity are paramount.

It is used extensively in the aerospace industry for testing aircraft and in the renewable energy sector for checking the electrical bonding of wind turbines and other infrastructure at risk from lightning strikes. The unit accurately tests bond resistance between structural elements as well as the loop resistance and integrity of cable shields and bonding straps.

Solution Specifications

**The configuration detailed above is an example of a successful client system; we can customise any aspect of our Pelicase PC solutions to meet customers unique requirements.

Customisation, Performance and Reliability
Our Build to Order: Our Rugged, Portable Peli Case PCs never need resuscitation.

Customization: Built on the South Coast of England BVM’s industrial and embedded systems can be configured to any specification.
Performance: Our industrial and embedded systems are available with a wide range CPU’s ranging from Intel Celeron to the latest Intel Core i7 CPU’s.
Reliability: Built from the highest quality industrial components BVM’s industrial and embedded systems are designed to run 24/7 in the harshest of environments.

Portable, Ruggedized PC Solutions with touchscreen interactivity…….

For customers requiring a robust PC that is ruggedized by design yet remains lightweight and portable, BVM offers a specialist design and manufacturing service to create your ideal ‘system in a case’. We understand that no two applications are the same. Our service is entirely tailored to your exact technical and environmental requirements, ensuring you get a solution that is fit for purpose, reliable, and built to last.

Why Choose a BVM Custom Solution?

Customers choose our bespoke solutions as a superior alternative to off-the-shelf rugged laptops or tablets. Our Peli Case PCs offer:

• Superior Protection: Provides better protection against impact and vibration, with custom IP ratings available to protect against dust and water ingress.
• Integrated Systems: A perfect solution for combining specialized instrumentation, computing hardware, and I/O into a single, cohesive, and portable package.
• Bespoke by Design: Where a standard rugged computer won’t meet the need, we deliver a custom-engineered solution with the exact HMI, performance, and connectivity you require.

Extensive Customisation Options

We can tailor almost any parameter to meet your project’s needs. Here is a selection of available options:

• Peli Case Enclosures: Utilise Peli’s wide range of case sizes to suit any footprint or equipment requirement.
• Processing Power: Integrate modern computing platforms, from low-power Intel Atom to high-performance desktop Intel Core i7 processors (up to 65W TDP).
• LCD & Touchscreens: Choose from display sizes ranging from 7.0” to 21” with either resistive or PCAP touch interactivity for your HMI.
• Connectivity: Integrate the latest in wireless technology, including LTE (4G/5G), Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
• Storage & Expansion: A variety of Solid State Drive (SSD) options and internal expansion slots (mPCI-E, M.2, PCI-Express) are available.
• Custom Electronics: We can integrate electronics provided by you or design and manufacture custom controller boards in-house.
• Bespoke Fascias & Cabling: Custom-milled internal and external fascias to provide the exact I/O and user interactivity you need, supported by custom internal cabling.
• Enhanced Security: Solutions can be made tamper-proof with locking mechanisms and a choice of handle grips.
• Long-Term Availability: We focus on product reliability and ensure lifetime availability for your system, often exceeding 5 years.

Our Collaborative Design Process

Our service is geared towards creating production-ready solutions. While we cannot cater for ‘one-off’ projects, we provide a structured, collaborative process for our partners:

1. Requirement Specification: The process begins with you providing a specification of your needs.
2. Technical & Commercial Discussion: We work with you to refine the design and scope.
3. Prototyping: A prototype is developed for your testing, evaluation, and final sign-off.
4. Production: Following approval, we move to the full production of your units.

Let’s Build Your Solution

To get the exact system you want, talk to our expert team today. We are always happy to provide help and advice for your next project.

To get the exact system you want, simply talk to us via our quick contact form, email us on info@bvmltd.co.uk or call us +44(0) 1489 780 144.
We’d be more than happy to provide further help & advice where needed.