Market
In these days of sensitivity about both the wallet and the climate, the electronics for a product that optimises use of solar power such that none is wasted and unnecessary and uneconomic dumping of energy on the grid is very much needed. This product delivers this, and its electronics were developed via the EM.
The UK government pays solar panel users a fixed fee for energy that they put on the grid, regardless of how much actually is. It therefore makes sense for those people having solar panels to use all the energy and export it. This device monitors the direction of energy flow and switches on electrical equipment in the home and/or charges batteries when solar energy exceeds the requirements of the home.
The device is in the market place and successfully selling, and the EM enhanced the performance by making the device wireless.
Technology
Apart from run of the mill sensor and embedded microcontroller system design, the following more demanding technology applications were encountered:
- PID: the control system needed to respond to all of the elements of a full proportional, differential and integral (PID) control system. This was because solar variations dictate fast change (differential control), long term drift must be compensated (integral control) and obviously the need for level control (proportional). All were implemented and control system development from first principles is certainly in the EM’s portfolio.
- Wireless: the EM is adept at implementing all wireless systems (module, bespoke, Bluetooth, etc.). An appropriate wireless was designed and implemented for this sysstem.
Capability
Key capabilities that the EM demonstrated during this development were:
- Control System: it was necessary to fully define the control system from a sensor that monitored current. Although current was being measured it is not possible to determine direction of energy flow from it because it is an a.c. waveform. It is necessary to resolve either power or energy direction. This was worked out from first principles and implemented in firmware.
- Cost/Risk/Specification: it is always a requirement that delivery to specification is prompt and in budget, but the reality is that risks, costs and requirements are not static. The EM prides itself on project management of these elements such that costs are never a shock, and risks constantly assessed so that deliveries and costs meet prevailing expectations. Fruitful, trusting development relationships depend on the foregoing, which we encourage are customers to openly debate with us before order.
- Manufacture: seamless handling of prototype and volume manufacture. The EM insulates its clients from arcane and unnecessary decision making regarding manufacture in early stages and compiles manufacturing packs such that post prototype is fully documented without the need for such decision making.
- Quality and Operations: the scope of quality and operations implementation post prototype, if it is a need of client, is so wide it can’t be thoroughly covered here, but some key points follow:
- Applicable standards (EN 13485/EN 60601, etc.)
- Quality plans – we generate these for our own work or your entire product if desired.
- Procurement assistance and planning – particularly electronic components with all their associated volatility.
- Assistance with supply chain design and implementation – most applicably to new products.
- Operations planning and implementation: the journey from prototype to volume manufacture.
- 6∑, SPC, FMEA, reliability trials and other modern techniques (only if required by client) – design and assistance with implementation.
We know that: your success is ours too; failure for you is failure for us. This is never forgotten and we strive constantly to be on top of risks and utterly transparent.
Testimonial
