Project

We develop hardware and software architecture, prepare designs for electronic devices, that is, diagrams, PCB mosaic design and create software, implement functionality and test the prototype.

What form does the process take?

OBJECTIVE: execution of a solution demonstrator at level 7 of technological readiness (TRL VII), which can be verified in operational conditions (Customer tests).

  • System architecture

    We carry out work in the field of system engineering and develop the architecture of the solution, in both the hardware and the software. We then make a preliminary selection of a number of technological solutions and, if necessary, pre-validate them, for example, PoC.

  • Implementation

    We develop electronic designs, diagrams (SCH) and printed circuit designs (PCB). For demanding circuits, we simulate signal integrity and power (SI/PI), as well as typical analogue-to-digital (A/D) simulations. We implement embedded software. We build prototypes and carry out engineering tests in a real-world environment (TRL VI).

  • Tests

    We systematise and perform hardware and software tests, using laboratory resources. These are, among other things, functional, reliability tests as well as, to some extent, pre-certification tests. The end result is the testing of a solution, in an operating environment and achievement of the seventh level of technological readiness (TRL VII).

  • Documentation

    We summarise the work by creating as-built documentation. Clear and complete files of the electronic project - hardware and software - as well as solidly documented reports on the tests and research carried out, are the element that distinguishes professional solutions. This is what we strive for.

What can we do for you?

  • We can develop system architecture (hardware and software)

  • We can develop electronics design (SCH, PCB, BOM)

  • We can simulate major peripheral phenomena (SI/PI, A/D)

  • We can embed software

  • We can construct, commission and measure prototypes

  • We can conduct functional, reliable, pre-certification tests

Project

On the basis of the specification developed, we carry on and design the electronic device; this is created in several phases: the architectural concept (pre-BOM), the development of schematics (SCH+BOM), the design of the board (PCB) and the construction of the prototype of the device.

Our competences include the design of devices, taking into account the latest electronic components, both in the field of digital techniques – FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or SoC (Systems on Chip) and analogue – reading systems, signal conditioning and circuit switching power (AC/DC, DC/DC converters) etc. We use the latest technological achievements in the field of wireless communications systems – BT4.0, WiFi, 868MHz open-band transceivers and communication stacks, GSM modems, LTE-Cat. M. NB1/NB2 and others.

We design multi-layer PCBs with dimensions up to 3-4 mils. For projects requiring it, we use techniques to control the impedance of RF signal lines. and high-speed digital signals (25-33gbps). We have successfully implemented printed circuits on advanced ISOLA materials (e.g. I-Tera MT40).

We work on high-quality, licensed software for both electronic projects and simulations. We are licensed by three market-leading EDA suppliers: Altium Designer, Cadence Or Cad and Mentor PADS. We have experience in simulating signal integrity in the 25-33GHz band in Cadence Sigrity software.

Embedded software

Electronic devices, containing electronic components subject to programming, (processors, micro-controllers etc.) are equipped with an appropriate control code, offering services in the design and implementation of software for embedded systems and low-level software.

In our projects, we use software engineering techniques, by using such as the logical division of software into abstraction layers, thanks to which we obtain high code maintainability.

Our experience also includes highly specialised tasks such as:

Compilers – modification of the default behaviour of GCC and LLVM compilers, extending functionality,

High-speed data acquisition systems based on Gigabit Ethernet or PCIExpress technologies.

Programming languages

  • C
  • C++
  • Assembly language for Intel and ARM processors
  • Python

Operating systems

  • Services (Windows) or Daemons (Linux)
  • Dedicated device drivers for Linux and Windows (Windows Driver Model or Windows Driver Foundation technologies)

Selected standards

  • ATCA
  • uTCA
  • VME

Selected platforms

  • Intel
  • Atmel
  • Texas Instruments (C2000, C64x+, MSP430, ARM)
  • NXP Semiconductors
  • Freescale Semiconductor
  • STM

Real-time operating systems

  • TI-RTOS
  • SYSBIOS
  • RTEMS
  • VxWorks

Selected Protocols

  • TCP/UDP
  • MODBUS
  • MBUS
  • GazModem I
  • GazModem II
  • CAN / CANopen
  • BACnet
  • DALI

Our software complies with MISRA C and MISRA C++ standards.

Reconfigurable systems and IPCores

In advanced electronic systems, where response time, data acquisition or processing is critical, FPGA reprogrammable circuits are usually used.

Preparation of the description of the hardware for reconfigurable circuits does not fall into the terms of ordinary software and standard knowledge in this field. It requires a system designer to have a thorough knowledge of digital architectures, their limitations and above all, a knowledge of the hardware and a description of the languages, in the context of logical synthesis, as well as the skilful use of dedicated tools.

FastLogic offers many years of experience in supporting the development of a hardware description of completely reconfigurable systems (e.g. based on PowerPC cores, Microblaze), as well as dedicated functional blocks (IPCore). Closed, specialised IPCore solutions, in combination with dedicated SoC systems, are an opportunity to achieve a competitive advantage by shortening the time-to-market, reducing the cost of the device, as well as power consumption, due to the possibility of implementing complex digital systems in one system. The undoubted advantage of such solutions is also their relatively easy portability, thanks to which the lifetime of the product, resulting from the decreasing availability of systems, is no limitation.

Our experience includes the development of reconfigurable systems for Xilinx and Altera platforms, or IP blocks developed in VHDL.

IP functional blocks, designed by ourselves, are used successfully in industry.