"Although our focus is on the mechanical elements of engineering, much of our business is in the hi-tech sector," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director at Innova Systems. "Working with SolidWorks, we help development teams create working models of their ideas, both on screen and as rapid prototypes. This technology enables engineers to create truly innovative products that put them ahead in the marketplace. Not only does SolidWorks accelerate product development but it also helps refine the design prior to manufacture, helping to reduce both the cost of development and the final manufacture."

The Embedded Masterclass is now in its 6th year, with over 800 embedded engineers having registered for previous events. Amongst the key features of the 2008 Embedded Masterclass will be a workshop that will enable developers to use the Linux operating system within embedded devices. The Linux workshop will be presented by Feabhas, one of the UK's leading embedded systems training companies. Another key feature of this year's event will be the introduction of an emerging embedded technology called Microfluidics, sometimes called Lab-On-A-Chip. This technology enables the microscale control and measurement of fluidics on a single chip, enabling the design of more powerful medical systems, faster drug discovery systems, and is also used in fuel cell technology. UK microfluidics company Dolomite will be opening the Bristol event with a presentation of their most recent technologies.

"We like the fact that the event bills itself as a non-sales forum and that its focus is on the technology," said Mark. "We know that engineers like to feel that events such as this are going to be useful to them in the work that they do and I think the agenda and the range of exhibitors should make for a good forum for us to explain our technology and hopefully develop some new relationships." www.innova-systems.co.uk

back to top>>

 

Telelogic Announces Enhancements to Rhapsody Model Driven Development Solution including New Eclipse Plug-in

At the Embedded Master Class Telelogic, an IBM company, will introduce new capabilities to facilitate mid-stream adoption of Model Driven Development, and help systems engineers validate technical, real-time or embedded systems designs earlier

The new features of Telelogic Rhapsody® decrease time-to-market through the support of MDD best practices that do not disrupt current project workflow, and provide system engineers a way to leverage advanced visualization and prototyping capabilities to easily validate design correctness and effectively communicate intended design behavior.

Latest news includes:
o The introduction of Rhapsody 7.2, a new version of the company’s flagship Model-Driven Development solution that provides breakthroughs in systems engineering, software asset re-use, and automated documentation and testing;
o The new Telelogic Rhapsody Eclipse Plug-in, a version of Rhapsody integrated within the Eclipse open source development environment, scheduled for release this summer; Rhapsody Eclipse Plug-in allows embedded device and real-time system software developers to continue working on existing projects at the code level while gradually adopting MDD within a single familiar development environment

“Leveraging existing code from previous projects is a significant part of most embedded system development efforts and for teams implementing model driven development approaches the need to efficiently automate the transfer of design intent among system models and software code is of key importance,” said Matt Volckmann, Senior Analyst/Program Manager with Venture Development Corporation’s (VDC) Embedded Software practice.

“By offering several new features within Rhapsody 7.2 that allow for more integrated methods of code design and model driven development, Telelogic continues its strong history of product innovation and clearly endeavors to maintain its leadership position within the embedded software and system modeling tools market,” said Volckmann. “VDC’s most recent analysis of the embedded standards-based software and system modeling tools ranked Telelogic as the market share leader on a revenue basis”.

back to top>>

 

SDC to Exhibit PhotoShop Enabled GUI Tool At Embedded Masterclass

Embedded development tools and software specialists, SDC Systems have announced that they will be exhibiting their Tilcon graphical interface development tool at the UK Embedded Masterclass. The Tilcon IDS Suite has recently been upgraded and has introduced an Adobe® Photoshop® integration. This feature is now available to customers who have requirements for creating world class embedded GUI and HMI solutions in such diverse markets as medical, industrial, defense, and automotive.

"There is no doubt that the user experience of an embedded product can be greatly enhanced through the quality of the graphical user interface," said Stuart Parker, Managing Director of SDC Systems. "For software engineers working on the development of human machine interfaces, this new version of the Tilcon IDS Suite provides the capability for a whole new generation of embedded displays and touch screen applications."

Tilcon IDS is a multi-platform user interface technology (GUI and HMI builder) that delivers robust, highly interactive user interfaces for real-time and embedded applications. It is used to bring graphical capabilities to embedded equipment in the automotive, medical, industrial, consumer and defence sectors and has gained an excellent reputation for its ease of use and its ability to add value quickly to embedded designs.

“We've introduced our Photoshop® integration feature as a way for designers to easily create their UI designs in tools they are familiar and comfortable with. This allows them to import, export, and merge new designs into a functional interface builder, which then enables them to fully prototype and implement a production GUI without any coding.” says Prosanto Sarkar, CEO of Tilcon Software. "This is exciting because UI designers are no longer constrained by their choice of tools for creating their unique look and feel. Additionally, this feature streamlines the process of building an appealing, engaging interface which is both highly functional and easy to use.”

"This is a great fit for the Embedded Masterclass," said Richard Blackburn, the Embedded Masterclass organiser. "This leading edge technology is very much what the event is about. GUI design is an increasingly important part of embedded systems development and I feel sure that there are many engineers who will be keen to learn how this technology can help them develop the next generation of man machine interface.” More info at www.sdcsystems.com

Note all trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

back to top>>

 

Dolomite to Present Microfluidic Technology at Embedded Systems Event

Leading microfluidics company Dolomite, will be presenting their latest technology at the UK Embedded Masterclass on May 13th in Bristol. In addition to a presentation that will explain how microfluidics is enabling future medical systems, drug discovery systems, DNA analysis equipment and environmental testing, Dolomite will also be exhibiting their latest droplet generation chipset and microfluidics edge connectors.

"In many ways microfluidics is where chemistry meets embedded engineering," said Dr Gillian Davis, Commercial Director of Dolomite. "Microfluidics is a technology that enables small scale fluid control and analysis, allowing manufacturers to develop smaller, more cost-effective, and more powerful systems. At Dolomite we provide a range of off-the-shelf solutions, custom designs, system integration and microfluidics training for development teams."

"A lot of hi-tech medical equipment often has a network of microchips communicating together at amazingly high speeds," said Gillian Davis, "The size and nature of our microfluidics devices make them ideal for integration into small automated systems such as point of care equipment and automated laboratory equipment."

back to top>>

 

 

RapiTime 2.0 Improves The Timing Performance of Real-Time Embedded Software

Rapita Systems Ltd, leaders in measurement based worst-case execution time analysis, announce the release of RapiTime 2.0 ; a comprehensive toolset for performance profiling and worst-case execution time analysis of real-time embedded software.

Within real-time computer systems, understanding, verifying, and improving software timing performance is a critical issue, especially in industries such as avionics, telecommunications, space, and automotive. RapiTime 2.0 is a powerful, Eclipse based tool that will help engineers address software timing challenges, enabling them to develop better systems.

“RapiTime 2.0 enables a systematic and scientific approach to ensuring that time constraints are met,” said Stuart Parker of SDC Systems, Rapita's UK distributor. “It allows engineers to build timing correctness into their system, the result is a much reduced time to market combined with enhanced reliability.”

Beyond providing an in-depth understanding of software timing behaviour, RapiTime 2.0 adds the capability to target optimisation effort precisely where it will have the maximum benefit. Using the advanced features of RapiTime 2.0, engineers can discover the extent to which different software components contribute to the worst-case (often very different from their contribution to the average case), identify worst-case hotspots, and select the best opportunities for source code optimisation.

“RapiTime 2.0 also adds the capability to answer “what-if” questions about achievable performance gains; enabling the headroom for new functionality to be accurately assessed.” said Guiem Bernat, CEO of Rapita Systems, “Exploiting this advanced capability will allow engineers to leverage their efforts, obtaining disproportionately large reductions in overall execution times through optimisations targeted at a tiny proportion of the overall software. The result is an elimination of timing overruns, and the efficient creation of headroom for new functionality, without the need for costly and time-consuming hardware upgrades.”

 

New JTAG/Boundary Scan Module enables structural Tests of DDR2 Mini DIMM244 Interfaces

GOEPEL electronic, world-class vendor of JTAG/Boundary Scan solutions compliant with IEEE Std.1149.x, officially announces the market introduction of Module™/DIMM244so as another I/O module of the CION product family.
The new digital low cost module is serially controlled via TAP by special CION™ ASIC chips, and enables the testing of all signal and voltage supply pins of JEDEC Std. (JESD79-2C) compliant DDR2 Mini DIMM 244 sockets.

“The opportunity to test DDR2 Mini DIMM 244 interfaces was on the top of our customer's wish list”, says Raj Puri, Vice President Marketing and Sales for GOEPEL electronics LLC. “With the new CION module we are now offering a cost-effective solution for the structural Boundary Scan test of such sockets, in particular in products such as laptops, PCs and work stations.”

The CION Module™/DIMM244so is plugged directly into the sockets to be tested, whereby the voltage adaptation of the interface steps is done automatically. Because the modules are equipped with transparent TAP, several boards of the same or different types can be cascaded in a Daisy Chain configuration. The structural Boundary Scan test of all DIMM 244 signal and voltage supply pins are executed by the on-board CION™ ASIC ICs. All channels can be independently switched as Input/Output/Tristate.

To ensure protection of test equipment and unit under test (UUT), CION Module™/DIMM244so provides special safety mechanisms such as “UNSTRESS” to prevent damages in case of shorts, extended power yield and voltage programmable TAP.

These features guarantee not only a high reliability and flexibility but also outstanding safety and extendibility.

The new hardware module is completely supported by all JTAG/Boundary Scan controllers of the ScanBooster™ and SCANFLEX ® families as well the integrated Boundary Scan software platform SYSTEM CASCON™. Since more than 10 years, SYSTEM CASCON™ is the most innovative Integrated JTAG/Boundary Scan Development Environment with more than 35 fully integrated tools. Users are now able to easily integrate the CION Module™/DIMM244so into a respective test project with fully automatically generated test vectors. Any faults can be interactively debugged and visualised graphically at pin and net level in the layout and schematic. www.goepel.co.uk

back to top>>

 

New Tool Simplifies Product Variant Management

pure-systems has announced a new extension module for the pure::variants variant management toolset - Connector for BIRT. Reporting on portfolios of software variants, commonly found in embedded systems development, becomes significantly easier with the addition of this new module.

BIRT (Business Intelligence and Reporting Tools) is a full-featured open source reporting system based on the popular Eclipse development environment. BIRT has two main components: a report designer and a runtime component that you can add to your application server. BIRT offers users a huge variety of data sources, presentation formats and customization opportunities.

Connector for BIRT enables systems developers to mix and match data from pure::variants and other sources in real-time to enable them to get an accurate and up-to-date snapshot of key management indicators for their product line. Overviews such as these are essential in planning and operating the complex multi-team projects typically found in embedded development.

pure::variants is distributed in the UK and Ireland by Cambridge-based Software Acumen. Please visit the Software Acumen web site for more information, to request a product demonstration or to download an evaluation edition of pure::variants. www.software-acumen.com

back to top>>

 

 

LDRA to launch TBreq Version 2.0 at Embedded World 2008

LDRA, the leading provider of automated software development, source code analysis and testing tools for a wide variety of market sectors, will launch TBreq version 2.0 at Embedded World 2008 (Hall 10, Stand 320). TBreq automates the manual, time consuming process of requirements traceability and verification, while also facilitating defect tracking and resolution, activities that represent 50% to 70% of project costs and are critical to successful software development.

TBreq v2.0 incorporates significant new and enhanced capabilities and is an integrated part of the LDRA tool suite, covering requirements traceability, code analysis, quality & design review, unit test, test verification and test management, that is at the leading edge of software testing technology. Many ground-breaking testing techniques have been derived from methodologies developed by LDRA.

The LDRA tool suite assists with the eight primary tasks required to achieve an organisation's software development and maintenance goals. It can be utilised by an entire project team, ranging from developers, QA managers, test engineers, project managers and maintenance/support engineers, to automate the software development lifecycle. Through the deployment of the LDRA tool suite companies are able to deliver well constructed, documented and tested software and, in addition, benefit from significant time, cost and operational savings for their businesses.

back to top>>

 

Dolomite Supplies Microfluidic Reactor Chip Enabling Powerful Flow Chemistry Technology

Dolomite has announced that its microfluidic device fabrication expertise is being used by automated laboratory equipment specialist, Syrris Ltd, within its novel range of flow reactor instruments. These microfluidic flow reactor modules supplied by Dolomite, enable the fast and efficient processing of chemicals for test and analysis. Used within Syrris's flow reactor instruments, this technology is starting to have a significant impact on companies involved in such areas as drug discovery, DNA analysis and forensic science, by greatly accelerating their research.

Dolomite is a leader in Microfluidics, also known as ‘lab on a chip'. This is an exciting new field of science and engineering that enables very small-scale fluid control and analysis, allowing instrument manufacturers to develop smaller, more cost-effective and more powerful systems. With lab-on-a-chip technology, entire complex chemical management and analysis systems are created in a microfluidic chip and interfaced with, for example, electronic and optical detection systems.

“Flow chemistry in microreactors often happens much faster than reactions in a bulk vessel, as a result of being able to run at elevated temperature,” said Philip Homewood, Engineering Manager at Dolomite. “It is also possible to improve product yield because the reaction conditions in a flow microreactor are closer to ideal conditions in terms of temperature and input reagent concentration. This technology is bringing a lot of important new benefits to the life science community and is having a major influence on the future of scientific instrument design and modern chemistry.”

UK company Syrris specialises in flow reactor tools for enhancing the productivity of R&D chemists. Their market-leading product Africa, a modular system for reaction optimisation, reduces the time taken to develop, synthesize, work-up and analyse a chemical entity. In laboratories around the world the Africa system is speeding up the drug discovery process.

“The microfluidic reactor chips from Dolomite are a critical component of the Africa system,” said Mike Hawes, Marketing Manager at Syrris. “Mixing in a batch reactor is quite random whereas in a microfluidic flow reactor it is far more uniform. For some processes like nano-particle manufacturing and crystallisation processes, the nano-particles or crystals end up being much more uniform in comparison to an equivalent batch reactor process. This important benefit, along with the speed and control achievable with this technology, is enabling us to help scientists accelerate their research and achieve more reproducible results.”

Key to the fabrication of these microfluidic devices is the use of microfabrication techniques capable of creating microchannels and complex structures in materials suitable for handling chemicals without being chemically attacked. Dolomite has expertise in the fabrication of devices in one such inert material, glass. “Glass is susceptible to breakage and chipping making it a difficult material to handle,” said Phil Homewood. “This is one of the main reasons why there are so few suppliers of glass microfluidic devices in the world.”

One of the challenges in the design and manufacture of microreactor chips includes getting a sufficient reaction volume. Most chips are less than 100microlitres in volume. To achieve greater volumes, Dolomite etches channels in both glass layers. The micron-sized features on the two patterned layers are aligned, before being bought into optical contact and thermally bonded to create the final device. “Recently we have developed a technique that enables us to align features as small as 5 microns wide”, said Phil Homewood. “Another challenge was the design of the mixing junction to make sure the diffusional mixing was fast enough. This was achieved by having a narrow channel after the mixing junction to keep the diffusion distance low. Also before the mixing junction, one of the input streams was split onto two streams and combined either side of the other input stream. The effect is that the diffusion distance is reduced by a factor of two. This reduces diffusional mixing time by a factor of four. Although each chip is only 28x90mm in size it has between 1.8 - 2.5m of reaction channel.” www.dolomite-microfluidics.com .

back to top>>

 

LDRA tool suite to support the new MISRA-C++:2008 standard

Motor Industry Software Reliability Association (MISRA) standards are increasingly being applied to safety-critical software projects outside the automotive industry

Complements the LDRA tool suite’s existing support for MISRA-C:1998 and MISRA-C:2004

LDRA, the leading provider of automated software verification, source code analysis and test tools, has further enhanced the capabilities of the LDRA tool suite to comply with the soon to be released MISRA-C++:2008 standard from the Motor Industry Software Reliability Association (MISRA). The support for MISRA-C++:2008 complements the LDRA tool suite’s existing enforcement support for the MISRA-C:1998 and MISRA-C:2004, HIS (Herstellerinitiative Software) and GJB (Chinese Military Standard) standards for the C programming language.

MISRA is a collaboration between automotive manufacturers, component suppliers and engineering consultancies which seeks to promote best practice and commonality in the development of safety-related automotive electronic and other embedded systems through the publication of standard guidelines. Since its launch, the success of MISRA-C as a “best practice” solution has not only seen its application spread throughout the worldwide automotive industry but also increasingly adopted for safety-related and safety-critical software development projects and applications in a wide variety of other industries including the rail, aerospace, military and medical sectors.

With the success of the MISRA-C standard, a MISRA-C++ committee was established in 2005 to work towards the creation of standard MISRA guidelines for the C++ programming language. As a long-standing MISRA committee member, LDRA has been closely involved with the development of the new MISRA-C++:2008 standard, facilitating its early support in the LDRA tool suite.

“The C++ language is widely used by organisations in the development of safety-critical software applications,” said Ian Hennell, Operations Director at LDRA. “The LDRA tool suite provides the most comprehensive C++ coding standards enforcement available on the market today and this has now been enhanced to support the imminent launch of MISRA-C++:2008. Already within the scope of the C++ language we have worked with Lockheed Martin in developing the JSF AV C++ standard, as well as enforcing the High-Integrity C++ Coding Standard and the LM Train Control Program (LMTCP) standard.

For more information of how LDRA can assist with MISRA-C++:2008 compliance, please visit http://www.ldra.com/misracpp.asp. For general information on MISRA, please visit: http://www.misra.org.uk.

back to top>>

Linux Powered Devices - The Embedded Masterclass Lifts the Lid

A key feature of this year's UK Embedded Masterclass is a workshop dedicated to using the Linux operating system on embedded devices. Working with an ARM processor, the workshop will be a combination of theory and practice that will give delegates an insight into the working of Linux in the embedded environment. The Embedded Masterclass will be held in London on the 8th May 2008, and again at Bristol on the 13th May.

The workshop is to be run by Feabhas, a recognised leader in embedded systems training. Feabhas work with many of the UK's leading hi-tech development companies and have been at the forefront of using Linux within embedded devices. The workshop will show engineers how to configure a standard Linux kernel for use in a cross development system and the steps to write, compile and download an embedded Linux application with real hardware.

"This is an ideal workshop for engineers wishing to assess the suitability of Linux for their next application or for software engineers who are developing applications for embedded Linux," said Jo Cooling of Feabhas. "We have been a keen supporter of the Embedded Masterclass since the first event 6 years ago, it will be a good chance for engineers to come along and not only develop new skills but to also explore the latest technologies and learn from industry experts in a non-sales environment."

Feabhas says that engineers considering registering for the Embedded Linux Workshop will need good C programming skills, some knowledge of operating systems and a knowledge of Unix or Linux commands will be helpful but not essential. The course presents embedded concepts applied to Linux, using an ARM development board as the target (ConnectCore Wi-9C Digi JumpStart Kit for Linux). The host development system will be a standard PC running desktop Linux. Feabhas will use the target as an example of a simple embedded system which can control hardware via a simple digital I/O interface.

The Embedded Masterclass is free to engineers and technology managers. Attendance is limited, so early registration is recommended. The Embedded Linux workshop is at a special price of £95 and again places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Click here to sign up for the Embedded Linux Training

back to top>>

 

QinetiQ Selects Aonix® PERC® for Taranis UAV

Aonix, a provider of complete solutions for safety- and mission-critical applications, announced the selection of the PERC Ultra virtual machine for Taranis, a $166.6M UK technology demonstrator program for the next-generation of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).

BAE Systems is the industry lead and prime contractor for the program and QinetiQ is providing the Reasoning Layer of the Autonomy Mission System making the high level plans which control the flight path and sensor usage to achieve a mission. Taranis will be the largest UAV yet built in the UK and, as part of the UK MoD’s Strategic Unmanned Air Vehicle (Experiment) SUAV(E) program, will explore and demonstrate how emerging technologies and systems can deliver battle-winning capabilities for the UK armed forces. The Taranis Reasoning Layer needs to run complex decision-making and optimization algorithms on an embedded processor. QinetiQ chose PERC because PERC enables existing Java code and libraries to be used in an embedded environment while providing the necessary support for soft real-time operation. Following extensive evaluation, QinetiQ found PERC Ultra as the most practical solution to meet the project requirements on its chosen embedded processor and real-time operating system. QinetiQ needed access to PERC’s efficient AOT compilation and static loading capabilities as well as the ability to connect to existing libraries of C++ routines.

Taranis represents a significant step forward in UAV capability, with its focus being targeting and attack rather than the surveillance and reconnaissance roles for which previous UAV programs had been designed. Accomplishing these goals requires QinetiQ to do much more with the system, to ensure it is capable of high-level decision making to support deep operations. Named after the Celtic God of Thunder, Taranis will be an unmanned fast jet demonstrator the size of a Hawk trainer.

“We chose to develop the Taranis Reasoning Layer with Java due to the broad range of capabilities of that platform, but we needed PERC Ultra to support practical deployment in a real-time, embedded environment,” said Peter Baynham, managing director of QinetiQ’s Command & Intelligence Systems business. “Support for our chosen architecture and ability to integrate with existing libraries were also key factors.”

back to top>>

 

Enea to Present dSPEED Platform at UK Embedded Masterclass

The First Commercial Software Platform for Managing High Performance DSP Clusters

Enea (Nordic Exchange/Small Cap/ENEA), a world leading provider of network software and services, today announced that it will present the Enea dSPEED Platform at the UK Embedded Masterclass, to be held in London on May 8 and in Bristol on May 13, 2008.

The Enea dSPEED Platform provides high-performance, comprehensive management services for DSP clusters executing data plane applications. These services include start up and configuration, monitoring, crash detection and recovery, error handling, event notification, logging and tracing, diagnostics and statistics, and remote debugging. Enea dSPEED can be used as a standalone DSP management platform. It is also available for the Enea Element high availability middleware platform , extending Enea Element's traditional “control plane” HA, software management, and chassis management services to DSPs and DSP farms in the data plane.

"We are working with many of the world's leading communications developers," said Joel White, UK manager of Enea. "The ability to exploit the power of DSP hardware and 'DSP farms' is becoming key to building future communication systems. Enea dSPEED provides a powerful off-the-shelf architecture that enables engineers to address escalating demand for higher data rates and more channels."

"This is a great fit for the Embedded Masterclass," said Richard Blackburn, Masterclass organiser. "This leading edge technology is very much what the event is about. DSPs are playing an ever increasing role in communication systems development and I feel sure that there are many engineers who will be keen to learn how this technology is being exploited in high-end system development."

The Embedded Masterclass is now in its 6th year, with over 800 embedded engineers having registered for previous events. Each event hosts an agenda of technical presentations that address issues at the cutting edge of embedded development. The event also includes a tabletop exhibition. Some of the world's leading embedded systems tools, hardware and software vendors have already signed up to exhibit.

"The tabletop format has been good for us," said Blackburn, “enabling us to focus more on the technology and less on the sales/marketing. It provides a better environment for engineers to learn about the technology. It also makes the event a lot friendlier and less competitive. As the event has grown, it's been easier to attract the more important world-class players. With people like Enea on board, we feel sure engineers will want to come along and learn about their new offerings."

Download dSpeed White Paper

About Enea

Enea (Nordic Exchange/Small Cap/ENEA) is the leading supplier of real-time operating systems, middleware, development tools, database technology and professional services for high-availability systems such as telecommunications infrastructure, mobile devices, medical instrumentation, and automobile control/infotainment. Enea's flagship operating system, Enea OSE, is deployed in approximately half of the world's 3G mobile phones and base stations. Enea has over 550 employees and is listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm AB. For further information on Enea, please visit www.enea.com .

 

back to top>>

 

MontaVista to Discuss Real-time in Linux at UK Embedded Masterclass

MontaVista Software, Inc., the leader in embedded Linux commercialization, will give a presentation at the next UK Embedded Masterclass, discussing how the Linux kernel can deliver true real time functionality and performance by itself, without resorting to techniques such as a separate microkernel. The Embedded Masterclass will take place in London and Bristol on the 8th and 13th May and is free to engineers and technology managers. www.embedded-masterclass.com

This presentation will address the mechanisms used to achieve real-time, why to use real time and the current state and future of real-time in Linux. Klaas Van Gend, who has been professionally engaged with Linux software development for various companies including Philips and Siemens, will present it. In his current job as Senior Solutions Architect at MontaVista, he visits a lot of customers across Europe and helps them with their strategy to apply Linux in embedded systems.

"This will be a good opportunity for engineers to debunk real-time myths and discuss common mistakes and problems when switching to the real time Linux kernel," said Klaas. "There is no doubt that Linux has an important role to play in embedded and realtime systems, this will be an opportunity for engineers to get up to date with the most recent development in embedded Linux."

MontaVista Linux is distributed in the UK through embedded tools and services specialist SDC Systems.

"Linux is now used in some of our demanding customer applications," said Stuart Parker, Managing Director of SDC Systems. "The availability of BSP's, the open source code, the real-time performance and the level of support available with products such as MontaVista Linux, is winning over even the most ardent skeptics. The Embedded Masterclass will be a great forum for this discussion, I can imagine it will be quite lively."

The Embedded Masterclass is now in its 6th year, with over 800 embedded engineers having registered for previous events. Each event hosts an agenda of technical presentations that are intended to address issues at the cutting edge of embedded development.

"We put a lot of effort into the presentation agenda," said Richard Blackburn, event organiser. "We want engineers to go away feeling that the whole event has been a productive use of their time, so we work hard to ensure each presentation imparts really useful knowledge and that each presenter is a true expert in their technology. Often, the presentations can get quite interactive, which is exactly how we want it to be."

The event also includes a tabletop exhibition. Some of the world's leading embedded systems tools, hardware and software vendors have already signed up to exhibit. These include Telelogic - a world leading UML modeling tool vendor, Enea - a world leader in operating systems and development tools for mobile phones and wireless infrastructure equipment, Innova Systems - a leader in supplying 3D modeling tools to the technology sector, Barric - leading UK manufacturer of complex electronics hardware and Rapita - a leader in the development of tools for the analysis of software timing.

"The tabletop format for the exhibition has been good for us," said Richard. "This means that there is more focus on the technology and less on the sales/marketing. It makes for a better environment for engineers to learn about the technology, it simply makes it a lot more friendly and less competitive. As the event has grown, it's been easier to attract the more important world class players. With people like MontaVista and Enea on board, we feel sure engineers will want to come along and learn about their new offerings."

The Embedded Masterclass is free to engineers and technology managers. Attendance is limited, so early registration is recommended. The Embedded Linux workshop is at a special price of £95 and again places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. For more information and registration, visit www.embedded-masterclass.com or contact Richard Blackburn at Energi - richard@energi-tech.co.uk

About SDC Systems Ltd

SDC Systems Limited is a leading distributor of embedded development software, tools and hardware and a provider of professional services to the European embedded systems sector. Focused on innovative and leading-edge technology, SDC strives to provide ‘technology that makes a difference', technology that will accelerate the development process and/or improve the quality and functionality of the final product. www.sdcsystems.com

back to top>>

 

SolidWorks Team Expands to Meet Demand for 3D Design Software

Cambridge based Innova Systems has announced that it has expanded its team of engineers, in order to meet the growing demand for its advanced 3D computer aided design software called Solidworks. After an extensive search for the very best people in this field, Innova has finally brought on board two application engineers and two new account managers.

"Our new application engineers are 'premier league engineers'," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova. "These are design engineers who have real industry experience and are at the top of their game. Likewise, with our new account managers, we have been careful to choose people who will fully understand our customers' needs and have the knowledge and motivation to ensure Innova maintains its reputation for excellent service and support."

Mark Bradford (center) with new additions to the Cambridge based SolidWorks team

SolidWorks is an advanced 3D mechanical computer aided design system that enables engineers to rapidly develop and refine ideas, enabling them to create innovative products. It is used by engineers in a broad range of industries that includes the automotive, medical, electronics, communications, architecture, furniture design and the energy industry.

"We work with engineers in some very demanding industries," said Mark. "Whether it's time to market issues for a new technology product, or an essential component for an oil rig installation, we know there are many engineers who depend on the technical support we provide; so it's always been important to us that we have sufficient capability to provide this support. We would never want to go down the route of 'call queues' or 'call backs', we need to be able to respond at the point of difficulty."

Innova is also a UK leader in the training of engineers in SolidWorks. Innova runs training course at their offices near Cambridge and on-site for many of their customers. They also provide training courses for COSMOS, an advanced software package that enables engineers to validate and simulate the real world conditions of their SolidWorks designs, enabling the creation of virtual prototypes to ensure a successful design. COSMOS enables engineers to apply the science of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to products under design.

"Design validation with COSMOS is an important new area for us," said Mark. "Because engineering time and materials are so expensive and product performance is so critical to commercial success, engineers are increasingly wanting to analyse and optimise their design in detail before releasing it for production. With our additional resource, we'll be able to train up more engineers to work with our customers in this area of the business."

New to the engineering team are Edward Hawkins, a BA Design graduate from Bournmouth and Alex Aprigliano , an experienced SolidWorks designer in the field of scientific equipment. Edward previously worked in the development of Heat Transfer systems and had been responsible for establishing a SolidWorks design team at his previous company. New to the business development side of the business are Wayne Parker and Adam Green. Although Wayne is responsible for new sales and account management, he also has an extensive background in mechanical design using CAD systems and brings a wealth of experience to his role at Innova.

"I'm really excited to be working at Innova," said Wayne. "SolidWorks and COSMOS are very powerful design packages that are hard to beat at this time. Also, I like the fact that Innova has very high standards with regards to customer service, engineering support, training and its own in-house knowledge of the products. I very much feel that I'm working with a first class team."

back to top>>

 

Hitec to Exhibit Electronics Enclosure Capability at Embedded Systems Event

Cambridge metalworkers to the technology sector, Hitec, have announced that they have helped sponsor and will be exhibiting at the Embedded Masterclass technology developers conference to be held in London and Bristol on the 8th and 13th May. Hitec is an important supplier to European developers of hi-tech systems, in markets such as medical, communications, printing, electronic systems, environmental control and machinery.

"We supported this event last year and found it to be an excellent event for meeting with engineers and technical managers," said John Stevenson, Managing Director of Hitec. "Our specialty is in the design and manufacture of enclosures and internal chassis for electronic systems, so this event is a good fit for us and gives us a chance to showcase our capabilities. Our ability to laser cut materials to produce fast and very accurate prototypes and our understanding of CAD packages such as SolidWorks and ProE are very much appreciated in this market, so it will be good for us to go along to this event to discuss how we can help engineers develop and take their new products to market."

Hitec are based in Soham, close to Cambridge, and supply many companies within the Cambridge technology sector as well as the wider UK. With a combination of advanced hi-tech equipment and the more traditional CNC sheet metal technology, Hitec is able to offer a rapid prototype service as well as competitive and consistent, higher volume productions runs. Hitec also have the very latest inspection technologies to ensure that they can manufacture to ever increasing accuracy.

"The new computer aided design packages such as SolidWorks are enabling engineers to design more complex systems and to much tighter tolerances that before," said John. "We've found that, in order to ensure we met the manufacturing specifications, we needed to upgrade our inspection technologies to address these very accurate tolerances. This inspection equipment has been a good investment for us and keeps us ahead of the game in this demanding market." www.hitec.co.uk

back to top>>

 

Embedded Linux Workshop Proves Big Attraction at Hi-Tech Developers Event

The organisers of this year's Embedded Masterclass have announced that their Embedded Linux Workshops are close to being completely sold out, weeks before the event. Engineers from leading technology companies across the UK have registered to attend this event; an event that looks at the very latest in microprocessor development tools, software and hardware. With high quality technical presentation, a table top technology exhibition and the Linux workshops, the Embedded Masterclass has become a increasingly important event in the UK engineering calendar.

"The demand for the Linux workshops has taken us by surprise," said Richard Blackburn. "Clearly commercial products such as MontaVista's Linux solution are now very much establishing themselves as operating systems that are fast enough and robust enough for realtime systems, yet can also be small enough for the mobile sector. This level of performance and the 'open source' nature of Linux is proving very attractive to development engineers."

The Embedded Masterclass is now in its 6th year, with over 800 embedded engineers having registered for previous events. Amongst the key features of the 2008 Embedded Masterclass will be the workshop that will enable developers to use the Linux operating system within embedded devices. Each venue will run the workshop and it will be presented by Feabhas, one of the UK's leading embedded systems training companies. Another key feature of this year's event will be the introduction of an emerging embedded technology called Microfluidics, sometimes called Lab-On-A-Chip. This technology enables the microscale control and measurement of fluidics on a single chip, enabling the design of more powerful medical systems, faster drug discovery systems and is also used in fuel cell technology. UK microfluidics company Dolomite will be opening the Bristol event with a presentation of their most recent technologies.

back to top>>

 

TTE Systems to Launch RapidiTTy™ Builder at UK Embedded Systems Event

Embedded development tools specialist TTE Systems Ltd have announced that they will be launching their new RapidiTTy Builder product at the UK Embedded Masterclass.

RapiTTy Builder is a powerful development environment supporting the creation of reliable and efficient code for "commercial off-the-shelf" (COTS) microcontrollers with ARM7® and Cortex-M3® cores. RapidiTTy™ Builder includes the TTE Builder™ engine which helps the designer integrate, customise and configure an extensive suite of library code (including three complete operating systems) in order to match the precise needs of a given application.

(the TTE Systems team - Dr Michael Pont bottom right)

"Feedback during customer trials has been extremely positive," said Dr. Michael Pont, CEO of TTE Systems Ltd. "It is our view that use of RapidiTTy™ Builder can help to ensure that even new developers produce reliable embedded systems, and that it can help to maximise the efficiency of an experienced development team."

Dr. Michael Pont will also be presenting at the event, giving a presentation entitled "Time Triggered Systems - Why ?, Where ? and How It's Best Done".

"In a time-triggered embedded system, we have only one interrupt enabled," said Michael. "This interrupt is usually linked to a timer, which will generate periodic “ticks” and these ticks will, in turn, drive an appropriate operating system. If you are used to developing systems using multiple interrupts, this approach to software development may sound a little crazy. During this talk, my job will be to argue that use of a time-triggered approach not only results in systems which have highly predictable behaviour, but also tends to reduce development times, unit costs and maintenance effort. My overall goal will not be to argue that a time triggered approach is a perfect match for all embedded systems. However, I will conclude by suggesting that – as engineers start their next project, they should ask themselves “Should we use a time triggered architecture this time?” By the end of this talk, engineers might be surprised how often the answer is: “Yes”."

back to top>>

 

LDRA New Tool Increases Visibility for Industry Standards Compliance, Security Vulnerabilities and Defect and Fault Detection

TBvision provides transparency into source code, enabling managers, teams and developers to better monitor testing, quality metrics, memory errors and security vulnerabilities.

LDRA has launched TBvision, a brand new product which provides companies with the ability to easily see how the source code performs against security vulnerabilities, fault-detection and adherence to the required quality standards. Aimed at enhancing collaboration and communication between development teams, TBvision enables managers, team workers and individual developers to collectively monitor testing and quality metrics.

Recognising the increased need for graphical ability to show code quality, fault detection and avoidance measures, TBvision incorporates next-generation reporting capabilities. As a highly flexible solution, TBvision provides users with the ability to quickly and easily view results in call graphs, flow graphs and code review reports. These graphical feedback mechanisms represent the system and show project teams the quality of the code generated in an easy-to-read, intuitive format.

“The advanced reporting measures of TBvision enable users to quickly assess the portability, dependability, testability, maintainability, complexity and style of code generated by project teams,” noted Ian Hennell, Operations Director at LDRA. “ These measures combine to provide valuable project code metrics to testers, developers, and project managers. With a mission to assist in the creation of zero-defect software development, LDRA has yet again given companies an easy-to-use tool that better identifies problems, which in turn speeds development and reduces cost.” www.ldra.com

back to top>>

 

Feabhas Launches Innovative Graduate Scheme for Embedded Systems Engineers

Feabhas FastTrack, launched for 2008, is a 9 week accelerated programme, enabling graduates to rapidly gain the practical and theoretical skills needed for productivity in the modern embedded environment.

The software which powers the embedded computer systems in electronic end-equipment is the main cost of these products and directly determines whether or not the product will function as intended in every circumstance.

A well rounded understanding which extends beyond purely tool-based knowledge is a prerequisite for any embedded systems engineer but currently there are few opportunities for graduates to gain this important foundation knowledge either at university or via vendor training providers. As a result most graduates learn this information gradually and piecemeal through trial and improvement.

Feabhas FastTrack has been designed to address this skills shortage and directly improve quality, save time and costs and increase speed of product to market for graduate employers. The programme comprises seven progressive courses, with a week on/week off format to allow graduates to hone their newly learnt skills on real projects back in the workplace.

Feabhas FastTrack is specifically designed to deliver a strong return on investment through:
- greater productivity and quality, much sooner in the graduate development life cycle
- fasttracking graduates as a cost effective alternative to hiring more experienced software engineers

Feabhas FastTrack performs rigourous delegate assessment before, during and after the programme to provide a clear measure of progress and competence for both the graduate and their employer organisation. Bookings are currently being accepted for the October intake. For more information please visit www.feabhas.com

The course content in detail

Foundation Skills
The Software Engineering for Real-Time Systems course provides basic level information on all topics of software development e.g. programming, design, testing and documentation in the context of real-time embedded software development. The aim is to provide a common baseline of knowledge for all students upon which we can build more detailed skills

Programming
The C programming language is used to teach the most important aspects of programming an embedded system. This course emphasises the issues of developing software for a real-time, embedded environment combining lectures and hands-on exercises.

Platform Technologies
Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) are a key technology in the embedded world. The RTOS course provides an introduction to the theory, structure and practice of real-time operating systems. Particular emphasis is placed on issues related to embedded applications.
Across the spectrum of embedded systems there is a universal need for reliability and robustness, beyond that required for desktop computer software. Failure detection and recovery is vital and the software must be designed so that it can run continuously without the need for a reboot. The Robust Software course explores the accepted industry best practices for achieving that extra level of quality in embedded software.

Design
Good design is the key to high-quality, performant and maintainable software systems. The design course focuses on the principles behind designing Real-Time Embedded Systems (RTES), using UML 2.0 notation to document the proposed design. This makes the course significantly different from most UML courses which focus on UML notation. Real-world examples are used throughout the course to demonstrate key concepts. The course material is backed up by a comprehensive case-study demonstrating how to apply UML to a RTES.

Software Quality
Testing is a vital aspect of verifying the design of a software system. This is especially true in a real-time embedded environment, where the system may be subject to strict safety or reliability requirements. Engineers require a good knowledge of how to test their code but, beyond that, they must understand other techniques to find and eliminate errors earlier in the design lifecycle.

Supporting testing are the concepts of configuration and change management, vital skills required for managing industrial software.

The quality segment is rounded off with a one-day intensive course that introduces coding guidelines developed specifically for use on embedded projects using the C language. The course covers the set of rules in detail and examines the commercial support for the guidelines.

www.feabhas.com

back to top>>

 

SolidWorks Enables Cambridge Design Partnership Develop a New Generation of Hand Held Navigation System

When Cambridge Design Partnership started development on the “Satmap Active 10” sports navigation system, computer aided 3D modelling was key to their design strategy and their success. Supported by Innova Systems, a leading UK SolidWorks supplier, Cambridge Design Partnership used the SolidWorks design tools as a powerful tool for communication between their engineers, clients, investors and retailers, ensuring that the product went to market at the right price and with all the right features. The Active 10 is now in production and enjoying success through retailers such as Blacks and Amazon.

Cambridge Design Partnership (CDP) is a 35 strong team of engineers. With a mix of electronic and mechanical engineers, and industrial designers, CDP undertake projects ranging from complex medical device development to DIY products. Recognised as leaders in the field of product development, demand for CDP's services is driving growth and they are currently expanding their workspace and expect to take on further engineers. CDP has seven licenses of SolidWorks software, which is an integral part of all of their mechanical engineering projects.

"With the Satmap Active 10, our client had a very clear idea of what they wanted the product to be and how it should function," said Tom Oakley, Chief Mechanical Engineer. "We initially used SolidWorks to create a solid model that demonstrated the size and feel of the intended design together with the layout of the controls. Being a hand held device, getting this right was essential. We were then able to present this model to the client."

Pictured - Mark Bradford, MD Innova System (left) Tom Oakley, Chief Mechanical Engineer CDP (right)

At every stage of the design, CDP were able to share their design ideas and communicate design changes with their client by using on-line conferencing facilities.

"There is no doubt that this was a challenging design," said Tom. "It needed to be small and stylish, robust enough for outdoor sports usage and yet faster, more powerful and more effective than anything else in the market place. To achieve all this and to meet the agreed timescales and budgets, a lot of intense communication took place and SolidWorks played a key role in enabling that level of design discussion."

Two important demands of the Satmap enclosure design were that it was to be both watertight and shockproof. Both of these demands were met with the development of an enclosure that is made up of two materials. One material is a soft durable rubber compound and the other a hard plastic material. In addition to this, a lot of design work was undertaken to ensure that the final enclosure would be accurately and dependably assembled. SolidWorks enabled the CDP engineers to implement and refine this complex design concept and create prototypes that could be field-tested. The CDP engineers also used COSMOS, a product within the SolidWorks suite of tools. COSMOS is a virtual environment that enables engineers to validate and simulate the real world conditions of their SolidWorks designs. It can simulate motion; undertake Finite Element Analysis and a host of other important analysis and validation processes.

"The development of prototypes and tooling for production is immensely expensive and time consuming," said Tom. "Using COSMOS we were able to resolve bugs and refine the components within the virtual computer environment. This ensured that both prototype production and the final injection mould tooling were right first time. SolidWorks also offers some powerful draft analysis technology to ensure that each component will be capable of being injection moulded without the risk of production issues. This was a very helpful feature for this particular project."

Throughout the project, Cambridge based Innova Systems provided support and guidance on SolidWorks issues. Innova is a leading UK reseller and training authority on 3D computer aided design. Innova have recently expanded their team to address the increasing demand for both SolidWorks and their training and consultancy services.

"The team at CDP are very capable engineers and in many ways, they know our products almost as well as we do," said Mark Bradford, Managing Director of Innova Systems. "So, when we get a call from CDP, we know it's going to be challenging! There are times when an engineer needs to discuss how best to tackle a design issue or maybe needs additional software tools to resolve a new issue, so we make ourselves available to assist in whatever way we can."

The Innova support team makes active use of technology that enables them to 'take over' a remote PC desktop with the client's permission. This enables the Innova support engineers to actively demonstrate a SolidWorks feature or resolve a query on the customers own computer screen.

"This feature has massive benefits," said Tom. "It is a much faster and more effective way for us to resolve the design issues that arise, rather than 'the waving of hands that we can't see'. We can see the changes on the screen whilst talking with the support engineer and this improves our understanding of SolidWorks and how we should move forward. In fact, this is a technique we've now adopted for our own business. Also, an Innova engineer is always directly available and it's always someone who is highly skilled in SolidWorks and engineering. With important deadlines looming and forecasts and budgets to meet, this level of support is essential for us, so that we can deliver the level of service to which we are committed."

One key benefit of SolidWorks that is highlighted by the Active 10 project is that of its ability to help the mechanical designer address the requirements of a broad range of people and regulations that influence a final design. These included the client, investors, retailers, the electronics engineers, toolmakers, model-makers, the assemblers, testers and regulations such as WEEE, RoHS, CE and EMC.

“As much as SolidWorks is a very powerful engineering design tool, for a company such as CDP, it is also a very powerful business tool,” said Tom. “The Active 10 is a great product and an amazing achievement, I don't think we could have achieved this success without access to the SolidWorks technology and Innova's support.”

http://www.cambridge-design.co.uk

http://www.innova-systems.co.uk

SolidWorks® is a registered trademark owned by the SolidWorks Corporation

back to top>>