Uk Embedded Systems Magazine

Innovative enclosure manufacturing technology is based on the tool-less manipulation of flat sheet plastic

Smartboxx, designer and manufacturer of custom plastic enclosures, panels and housings, has announced that it will be exhibiting at the UK Device Developers’ Conference, to be held in Cambridge on 16th May.

Smartboxx will be available to discuss their innovative approach to enclosure design, one that is based on the tool-less manipulation of flat sheet plastic by CNC machining, bending and forming, all carried out to strict tolerances. This approach enables its design team to turn around a working prototype within 1 week from receipt of drawings, or approval of CAD/CAM designs.

“We are very pleased to be supporting the Cambridge event,” said Karl Sears, Operations Director at Smartboxx. “ This will be a good opportunity for us to explain our innovative approach to enclosure design and what is now possible. More importantly, we will be able to explain how we can help accelerate product development and improve design quality, whilst also reducing costs.“

Conference workshop explains how to best exploit the powerful new technologies that have resulted from worldwide smartphone development

UK Computer board manufacturer Blue Chip Technology has announced that it will be presenting a workshop at this year's UK Device Developers' Conference.

The workshop will discuss and demonstrate how engineers can best exploit the new generation of hardware that has resulted from smartphone development. It will explore the hardware and silicon options, the choice of operating system support, display options and it will explain what is now achievable and the best approach to development.

The Device Developers' Conference is an event for developers of intelligent systems and intelligent devices, targeting engineers involved in Embedded Systems development, Software Development, Electronics Design, Enclosure Design and Manufacturing Services; it will take place at Bristol, Cambridge and Manchester on the 14th, 16th and 22nd May respectively.

"We are very pleased to be sponsoring this event and presenting," said Barry Husbands, Managing Director of Blue Chip Technology. "The UK has a very strong electronics and engineering sector, and this event will enable the industry to come together to share information on the very latest tools and technologies."

The New MISRA C:2012 Software Coding Standard to Be Explained at UK Conference

Half-Day Workshop discusses the latest standard for the MISRA C programming language, explaining the changes and improvements that will enable better quality software

The UK Device Developers' Conference have announced that they will be running a half-day workshop to discuss and explore the new MISRA C:2012 coding standard and the tools available that enable engineers to meet the new criteria.

The Device Developers' Conference is a one-day event for developers of intelligent systems and devices, taking place in Bristol, Cambridge and Manchester during May 2013.

MISRA C is a set of guidelines to aid the development of safety related systems in "C" in the automotive world. Since its inception, MISRA C has been widely adopted by the embedded systems community and has become the dominant, international coding guideline for the use of "C" in critical systems. This workshop will provide delegates with a good understanding of why they should be using coding standards, how adopting MISRA C:2012 will help in creating a set of coding standards and how tools are available, that not only help enforce coding standards, but will also make it possible to produce better quality code generally and improve the management of the development process.

The MISRA C:2012 workshop is a collaboration between Phaedrus Systems Ltd, LDRA Software Technology Ltd and Programming Research Ltd - three of the world's leading experts in the field of static analysis and coding standards compliance tools.

"Coding standards are necessary, and they help towards better quality products," said Chris Hills, Managing Director of Phaedrus Systems Ltd. "MISRA-C provides an extremely good basis for creating your own standards, but there are MISRA-C rules that may not be appropriate so MISRA-C has always provided the option of “Deviating”.

One of the improvements in MISRA C:2012 is that the rationale behind rules has been greatly expanded, making it easier to decide which rules can be deviated and which maintained. Other improvements, mainly based on feedback of the users of MISRA-C2, have been re-tuning the rules to make them even less ambiguous, breaking down some rules into smaller sections and providing more examples."

http://device-developer-conference.co.uk/misra-c-2012-workshop.html

"During the MISRA C:2012 workshop we will also discuss how developers can integrate the MISRA standard into the software development process, with full MISRA compliance from requirements traceability through coding, analysis, testing, verification and certification," said Mark James, Marketing Manager at LDRA. "Delegates will also learn how to automate MISRA standards compliance into their project."

"We are very pleased to be supporting this important UK event”, said Fran Buchmann, Senior Marketing Executive at PRQA. "The first set of MISRA guidelines were based on coding standards PRQA developed, so we are delighted to have the opportunity to share our first-hand knowledge on the developments and benefits of the latest version of this important coding standard".

Integrating Touch Screen Technology to be discussed at the UK Device Developers' Conference

Integrating a Projective Capacitive Touch screen into an application, from the basics of operation, through to mechanical integration and up to how to interpret the raw signals into a format you can use.

Specialist display technology company, Intelligent Embedded Solutions will be giving a presentation on applying Touch Screen Technology at the Device Developers' Conference in May.

The technology, Projected Capacitive Touch, is now the first choice for touch projects in device development. This technology can be considered to incorporate the best of competing touch technologies. Projected Capacitive Touch screens can be bonded to toughened glass, making them virtually unbreakable. The touch sensors will allow operation from various types of gloves from cotton to surgical. These rugged touch screens are immune to most chemicals due to the typical glass front surface, and can be easily sealed to meet requirements for wash down environments.

"This is an exciting technology that is now becoming mainstream and widely available," said Adrian Amor, Technical Director of Intelligent Embedded Solutions. "Projective Capacitive Touch offers a number of benefits such as long life, excellent optical properties, Multi-Touch and no requirement for continuous calibration. This presentation will introduce engineers to what is possible and how best to go about incorporating this technology into a new project."

Advanced Debugging Techniques to be Explored at Device Developers Conference

Half-day workshop explains the very latest approaches to debugging and code analysis

Lauterbach have announced that they will be presenting a half-day technical workshop at this year's Device Developers' Conference. This workshop will consist of two hands-on sessions that will explain advanced debugging techniques and are intended to provide developers with the knowledge and experience that will enable them to create more reliable code whilst also accelerating development.

"We have been working with many of the world’s leading developers," said Richard Copeman, Technical Manager at Lauterbach UK. "This workshop is an opportunity for us to share our experience and the knowledge that we have been accumulating. It will be a relaxed, interactive and hands-on experience for engineers with basic debug skills who wish to enhance their knowledge in this field."

Session 1 of the workshop will work through examples of setting up complex breakpoints to trap obscure problems, running performance analysis to help with code optimisation, viewing and manipulating complex variable types, statistical analysis of code and other examples of ways to make code development easier.
Session 2 will show how to make debugging easy by going back through the code to the point that the error occurred, and then for critical applications, how to obtain code coverage information down to assembly line level, investigate code nesting, measure best and worst case timings for each section of code and export this information for reports and qualification procedure.

German based Lauterbach is recognised for both engineering excellence and exceptional technical support, Lauterbach tools have become a favourite with many hi-tech engineers. Lauterbach tools support more than 3500 microprocessors and all known ARM Cores, covering products from over 75 silicon companies. The quality and capability of these tools enables engineering teams to develop robust code whilst minimising development time lost to debugging.

Electronics engineering design specialists Zuken to share design flow expertise at Device Developers' Conference

Zuken, a leading provider of electronic engineering software solutions, announces its support for the first Device Developers’ Conference in May this year. The company will present the latest thinking in software tools for PCB and system-level design, and explore how engineers can overcome the hurdles of new technology to deliver innovatively superior devices.

Nikola Kontic, an electronics design engineering expert from Zuken speaking at all three locations, said, "This new event offers us the perfect opportunity to share our electronics engineering design knowledge and expertise. We will explain how device developers can improve their design approach by working with engineers from the product planning, conceptual stage and reusing, sharing and synchronizing design data to achieve a smooth flow throughout the design process.”

“PCB design can be a challenging aspect of any project as it has a major impact on the size, cost, performance and reliability of a product,” said from event organisers Energi Technical. “Zuken’s involvement broadens the scope of the event, offering delegates a comprehensive view of device development.”

UK Conference to Explore The Latest Thinking in Electronics Enclosure Design

Presentation explores the best approach to the creative and engineering development stages in enclosure design when brining a new product to market.

Cambridge Design Partnership has announced that it will be presenting at the Device Developers' Conference, a UK event for the developers of intelligent systems and devices. This event will take place in Cambridge, Bristol and Manchester in May of this year.

Xorge Castro, Consultant Design Engineer will present at the Cambridge event to discuss the various stages of ‘enclosure design’ when taking a new product to market.

Cambridge Design Partnership is a leading research, design and development consultancy working in the consumer, medical and industrial markets. This team has delivered hundreds of new product development projects and filed well over 300 patents, winning many international design and innovation awards.

"Enclosure design can be a very challenging aspect of device development,“ said , Event Organiser. “In this respect we are very pleased to have Xorge presenting on this topic. Cambridge Design Partnership has a great deal of experience in this field and work with leading edge technologies such as 3D CAD, Simulation Tool, Finite Element Analysis and 3D printing. I feel sure that this presentation will prove very informative and worthwhile for many engineers in this field.”

Urquhart-Dykes & Lord LLP to Offer Free Advice On Patents, Designs and Trademarks @ The UK Device Developers' Conference

Leading Patent and Trademark Attorneys UDL have announced that they will be exhibiting at this year's UK Device Developers' Conference and will be available to engineers, project managers and designers for an initial consultation. The Device Developers' Conference is a UK event for engineers and designers involved in the development of intelligent systems and devices.

UDL (Urquhart-Dykes & Lord LLP) will be exhibiting at all 3 locations and will have patent, designs and trademark professionals available to provide free advice for delegates who have questions about their intellectual property.

To compliment traditional patent strategies, UDL are able to advise on the new Patent Box scheme, which provides UK corporations with an opportunity to qualify for a reduced rate of Corporation Tax on income derived from patents. Initially, companies can claim 60% of the benefit in 2013/14. The benefit will increase by 10% each year until 2017/18, when qualifying profits will be taxed at a rate of 10%. The benefits apply to income derived from new patents granted after April 2013, those patents already granted when Patent Box is introduced in 2013 and, under certain conditions, from pending patent applications.

By prior arrangement, UDL will provide a free consultation to help delegates assess whether their idea, logo/branding, or design may be protectable and, if so, guide them as to the best strategy, the possible costs and the overall benefits that it may bring in the longer term. The aim is to provide commercially-savvy advice to help companies, large and small, to maximise on the value generated by their creativity and also protect themselves from walking into potential IP-related conflicts.

Urquhart-Dykes & Lord is a leading United Kingdom-based firm of Chartered Patent Attorneys, Registered Trade Mark Attorneys, European Patent Attorneys and European Trade Mark Attorneys. The firm has offices around the United Kingdom, in Cardiff, Leeds, London, Milton Keynes and Newcastle.

Urquhart-Dykes & Lord was founded over one hundred years ago and from its beginnings in Leeds and London has grown organically and by acquisition to become one of the largest firms of specialist patent, trademark and design attorneys in the United Kingdom. It is ranked in the top tier for both patent and trademark practices in both the Legal 500 and Chambers Guide to The Legal Profession, with a number of attorneys gaining special mention.  

Urquhart-Dykes & Lord assists small, medium and large corporations, universities and research bodies as well as individuals in obtaining, protecting and exploiting their Intellectual Property, both nationally and internationally. Clients benefit from local services supported by the resources and international expertise of a major Intellectual Property specialist firm.

Blue Chip To Discuss The Next Generation Hardware at Device Developers’ Conference

Presentation will explain how smart phone technology is enabling a new generation of ultra-low power, very small footprint single board computers.

Blue Chip Technology has announced that it will be sponsoring the UK Device Developers’ Conference, taking place in May 2013. Blue Chip will be exhibiting its extensive range of single board computer technology, as well as making a key presentation on current trends in off-the-shelf hardware for embedded system.

Blue Chip Technology design and manufacture single board computers for a broad range of industry sectors, providing both off-the-shelf products as well as bespoke designs. All aspects of the design, manufacturing, test and software support are undertaken in the UK at the Blue Chip factory near Chester.

“We are very pleased to be supporting this event, “ said Barry Husbands, Managing Director of Blue Chip Technology. The UK has been needing an event such as this, where vendors and engineers can share information and learn about new technologies and new approaches to device design.”

Key to Blue Chip’s presentation will be a discussion relating to how silicon developed for smart phones and notepads is now enabling a new generation of single board computers (SBCs) for industrial applications. This new generation of SBC offers ultra low power usage, a very small footprint, an advanced graphics capability, a broad range of connectivity options and support for a range of OS’s and RTOS’s.

“The new boards that are based on ARM technology are enabling a lot of innovation,” said Barry. “We are seeing more portable devices being developed, location devices with GPS and GSM, digital signage projects requiring dual independent displays and many more diverse applications in field such as medical and telematics. Design engineers are really benefiting from this new technology”.
www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk

UK Conference to discuss Verification Tools and Techniques for Safety and Security Related Embedded Software

LDRA presentation to discuss target verification tools, techniques, and services for embedded system software developers

Specialist technology company LDRA have announced that they will be presenting at The UK Device Developer's Conference, taking place May 2013.

Entitled "Verification Techniques that Improve Code Quality, Developer Productivity, and Enable Certification/Qualification", this presentation will explore how conflicting demands for productivity and quality in safety- and security-critical software development environments have driven software development teams to look for automated solutions in the areas of requirements engineering, model-based design, code generation, and system/software verification.

“These technologies are key to ensuring productivity and quality in environments that enforce both overall safety- and security-related processes and compliance to standards such as DO-178B/C in aerospace, IEC 61508 in industrial applications, ISO 26262 in automotive, IEC 62304 for medical device software, and EN 50128 for rail transportation,” Ian Hennell, Operation Director at LDRA Ltd.

For forty years LDRA has provided automated analysis and testing tools for software applications on which people's lives depend. Blue chip companies in the aerospace, defence, nuclear, industrial, railway, medical and automotive sectors use LDRA tools to test their applications to safety-critical standards.

"In this presentation, we will review verification criteria for both hand-written and automatically generated embedded code," said Ian. "We will discuss target verification tools, techniques, and services for languages ranging from C/C++, Java, Ada and Assembler that ensure embedded code matches the design and satisfies requirements, even in highly iterative or agile development environments. We will also discuss integration with complementary tools such as MathWorks MATLAB/Simulink, Esterel SCADE and IBM Rational Rhapsody, showing how these tools and techniques can streamline the development process to enhance both developer productivity and the quality of the resultant code."

TTE Systems presentation argues that ‘real time’ is out of date and 'defined time' is a better way of thinking about reliable embedded systems

Specialists in the development of high-integrity processors, TTE Systems Ltd have announced that they will be exhibiting and presenting at The UK Device Developers' Conference in May 2013. CEO, Michael J. Pont will give a talk that will argue that it is more helpful for developers of reliable embedded designs to think in terms of 'defined time' rather than a more traditional ‘real-time’ model. The talk will consider system health-monitoring and security issues as well as more general “design for test” concerns.

The Device Developers' Conference is an event for engineers and software developers working in the field of intelligent systems and devices. The aim of the event is to provide a productive forum whereby engineers can meet with key industry experts and design tool and hardware vendors, as well as undertaking half-day workshops that offer new skills and knowledge and attending key technology presentations.

"We are very pleased to be supporting the DDC," said Michael Pont.
"The UK is a leader in embedded systems engineering: if we are to maintain this position it is essential that we run events like this, where we can share insights and discuss new ideas. I'll be explaining how I think developers should approach the development of reliable embedded systems in a wide range of sectors. I’m pretty sure that some of the observations made during this presentation will challenge established thinking in this important area, and I’m expecting to provoke some lively debate."

TTE Systems enable the creation of reliable embedded systems based on time-triggered technology. TTE develop and sell high-integrity processors, both ‘off the shelf’ & custom software development tools and advanced safety protection mechanisms (‘shutdown systems’). They also offer a range of training, consultancy and custom design services. Application sectors for TTE products and services include aerospace, medical, industrial, automotive, marine, defence, and satellite systems as well as high-end consumer goods.

"This event is shaping up to be a key UK engineering event for 2013," said
, the event organiser. "Presentations such as this are what it is all about. Writing reliable code is a big issue for everyone in this industry, whether it is for safety reasons or simply to protect the brand, so I am sure there will many engineers keen to attend and engage in such a discussion."

Other companies attending this event and presenting include single board computer manufacturer Blue Chip Technologies, embedded systems development consultants Pebble Bay and German debug tool company Lauterbach. Topics will range from the 'Management of Linux code for Commercial Projects' to 'An Engineer's Guide to Off The Shelf Hardware'.

Attendance at the Device Developers' Conference is free to engineers and project managers working in the technology sector, although the half-day workshops will be subject to a small charge.

Pebble Bay to explain hardware interfacing and code portability at new UK event

Pebble Bay has announced that it will be supporting the UK 'Device Developers Conference' planned for May 2013 with a series of half-day workshops that covers such topics as software portability and hardware interfacing. The Device Developers Conference will be a one-day event, taking place in Cambridge, Bristol and Manchester.

Planned as an annual event for engineers and development teams working with intelligent systems and devices, the Device Developers Conference will be an opportunity for engineers to explore the latest technologies, gain new skills and learn about emerging tools and technologies. This event will cover such topics as enclosure design, hardware design, software development, debug tools, single board computers, operating systems, test and instrumentation and contract manufacturing.

"We are very pleased to be a part of this event," said Ian Willats, Managing Director of Pebble Bay. "Our industry does need a new UK event with a fresh approach, and I think this is shaping up to be just that. We will be presenting two workshops for engineers that wish to further develop their skills in the area of hardware interfacing and code portability. These can be challenging but important issues in any device development, these workshops will offer guidance based on many years of experience."

UK-based Pebble Bay is a business that helps companies build and improve all kinds of products based on microprocessors. Since the company's launch seven years ago, Pebble Bay has become a respected leader in the development of board support packages and hardware-software interfacing, working with companies around the world. With extensive knowledge and experience of a broad range of RTOS's, Linux and Windows based OS's and a thorough understanding of microprocessor-based hardware, the Pebble Bay team has become a valuable resource to the worldwide embedded systems industry.

"We are very pleased to have Pebble Bay on board for this event," said , Event Organiser. "Pebble Bay is a world leader in the field of software development for embedded systems and this is the kind of standard for which we have been striving. We also respect that engineers now need a very good reason to leave their desk and come to an event like this. I think well presented and well thought-out workshops such as these will prove to be a worthwhile investment of their time."

About Pebble Bay
Pebble Bay helps businesses build and improve all kinds of products based on microprocessors. The company helps their customers to get the best out of their design by focusing on the software building blocks that support the application. Clients trust Pebble Bay’s team of specialists and project managers to solve embedded software problems across a wide variety of industries and applications. This enables new products to be delivered to market quicker and existing products to be enhanced and improved. http://www.pebblebay.com

A new UK event for the Technology sector is now being launched. The Device Developers’ Conference will take place in Cambridge, Bristol and Manchester during May 2013 and will target the needs of developers of intelligent systems and intelligent devices.

This event has been structured to include not only hardware, software and development tools, but also enclosure design, PCB design and 3D CAD. The intention has been to create a new annual UK event that will engage with the entire development team.

The organisers have chosen to run the one-day conference in three different cities, in order to maximise accessibility for engineers. The Conference will include half-day technical workshops, a vendor exhibition and a program of technical presentations. Attendance will be free for engineers and project managers involved in the development of intelligent systems and devices, with just a small charge for workshop places.

"I think the key to its success will be the nature and quality of workshops and presentations," said . "We are working hard to deliver the kind of experience engineers really need if they are going to take time away from their desk to attend such an event. Having said this, we also plan to structure the event so that delegates have the time and opportunity to meet with the vendors, as there will be engineers with a lot of expertise and experience manning the vendor tabletops in the exhibition space."

The Device Developers Conference is being warmly received by the industry, with more than ten key vendors already committed to exhibiting, presenting technical papers and providing technology workshops. Early sponsors of the Device Developers’ Conference include UK computer board manufacturer Blue Chip Technology, German debug tool company Lauterbach and embedded systems development consultants Pebble Bay.

“The level of industry support for this event has been most encouraging,” said Richard. “Vendors seem keen to have a new event that is tailor made for this aspect of the electronics and engineering sector.”

The half-day workshops at this event will include ‘An Introduction to Advanced Debugging Techniques’, ‘An Introduction to Device Driver Development’ and ‘Getting to Grips with the MISRA 3 Standard’.

Presentations will range from ‘Managing The Commercial Use of Linux’, to ‘Developing Reliable Software – Exploring a Defined Time Approach’.

Lauterbach UK has announced that it will be a key sponsor of "The Device Developers' Conference", a new engineering industry event to take place during 2013 in Cambridge, Bristol and Manchester.

Billed as a conference for the developers of 'intelligent systems and devices', it will be a one-day event that will explore the very latest tools and technologies for the design and development of electronic and electro-mechanical devices. Exploring such topics as enclosure design right through to PCB design, software development, off the shelf hardware, test equipment and debug tools, this event is intended to be of interest to the entire development team.

"We are delighted to be a leading sponsor of this project," said Barry Lock, UK Manager at Lauterbach. "It is clear that our industry needs a fresh approach to shows and conferences and I think the Device Developer's Conference will deliver something new. This event will bring together a broader range of development technologies, so I feel sure that engineers will value this opportunity to explore new ideas and to speak with experts from around the world."

The Device Developers' Conference will include a vendor exhibition, technical presentation and 1/2 day technical workshops. It will be free to engineers and project managers, but there will be a small charge for the workshop places. The technical workshops will cover such topics as 'Developing with Single Board Computers', 'How to Develop Portable Code', 'Using Debug Tools to Develop Better Systems', 'A Guide to Developing Device Drivers' and 'An Introduction to 3D CAD and Visualisation Tools'.

German based Lauterbach had a turnover in excess of $90 million worldwide during 2011 and has seen its customer base grow year on year. Recognised for both engineering excellence and exceptional technical support, Lauterbach tools have become a favourite with many hi-tech engineers. Lauterbach tools support more than 3500 microprocessors and all known ARM Cores, covering products from over 75 silicon companies. The quality and capability of these tools enables engineering teams to develop robust code whilst minimising development time lost to debugging.

At the event, an expert Lauterbach engineer will be available to discuss the latest developments in debugging technology, such as 'multi-core', 'high speed trace', 'long term trace' and energy profiling. There will also be a workshop enabling engineers to use their debug tools on live targets, enabling engineers to experience the power of hardware assisted debugging first hand.

“Energy Profiling should be of interest to engineers working in the development of battery powered devices,” said Barry Lock. “Software performance can have a big impact on power usage and this tool helps extend battery life and reduce battery size. In a high volume product, this approach can save a lot of money.“

Other companies offering sponsorship for this event include computer board manufacturer, Blue Chip Technology Ltd and embedded software development consultants Pebble Bay. Companies wishing to take part in this event should contact at Energi Technical (contact details below).

Engineers seeking to register for the event, can do so at the event website. device-developer-conference.co.uk

About Lauterbach
Lauterbach is the world’s largest producer of hardware-assisted debug tools. Its engineering team has more than 30 years of experience in making world-class debuggers and emulators. The company attaches great importance to very high technical standards and only the latest development methods are used. This sound technical know-how has a high priority in the sales, support and training departments contributing to the technical expertise that is highly regarded by their customers across the world. www.lauterbach.com