Faster and more agile in the early stages of product development

In order to accelerate process steps and at the same time create room for the necessary flexibility, the international development service provider ARRK Engineering (www. arrk-engineering.com) has taken a new approach: On the basis of numerous use cases, frequently requested functions were determined and corresponding modules for a modular control unit concept, the so-called Build Rapid Systems (BuildRS for short), were developed. With this it is now possible to create measurement and control systems for a wide range of applications much faster and more cost-effectively than before: The building blocks with the required functionalities only have to be taken from a pool of already existing hardware and software components and combined with each other. "Instead of repeatedly developing new control units for test devices and prototypes that can only be used in a single project, we wanted to define building blocks - similar to Lego bricks - that can be assembled into an individual and flexibly adaptable control unit in just a few steps according to the respective application," explains Zarko Tomic, Team Leader Software Development at ARRK Engineering.

Highest flexibility through in-house development
ARRK Engineering developed the underlying hardware kit and the software in-house. A systematic and pragmatic approach was chosen: "Once the platform concept was established, a new module for our modular control unit platform was developed at the same time for all subsequent projects in which a previously non-existent function was required," recalls Tomic. Over the course of the last few years, the idea has evolved into a comprehensive modular system - which has grown in line with the customer requirements identified in the course of numerous projects. In the meantime, ARRK Engineering can access a pool of functions for various application possibilities, for example digital or analogue inputs and outputs, motor control and Bluetooth or W-LAN transmission and numerous supported bus systems. In the process, the portfolio is being further expanded across the board.

Compact modules with customizable software
The system, which ARRK Engineering has named BuildRS, consists of two boards: The controller board is used to connect to other devices via CAN and is the starting point for the unit; the peripheral board defines the actual function of the controller. "If, for example, due to a change in the customer's requirements, it is necessary to change from digital outputs to analogue outputs or from one sensor to another, we only need to replace the peripheral board ", the team leader explains. "The customer benefits from the fast response time, lower costs and increased system stability." There are two ways to assemble the boards: side by side, for easier access to all components, or compactly on top of each other, to make the system less sensitive to external influences. Depending on customer requirements, other connections besides CAN can also be implemented by means of an additional module, for example LIN, Bluetooth or W-LAN.

The software architecture of the BuildRS platform is also modular: "Just like the hardware, the software has a constantly growing portfolio of possible functions that correspond to the functionality of the peripheral board," explains Tomic. The system can be easily configured or reprogrammed via the CAN interface. This implies that when functions are changed, often only the software needs to be reconfigured and not completely reloaded. Since this is also an in-house development by ARRK Engineering, the company has full access to the source code. In this way, both the hardware and the software can be quickly and effectively adapted to the customer's requirements at any time and the full potential of the hardware can be used.

Three applications for rapid concept development and confirmation
BuildRS offers a wide range of applications for concept development and confirmation. For example, the modules can be used to electrify individual prototypes. "For example, BuildRS has been used in a seat box for seat adjustment - as a motor driver and for digital signal transmission," explains Tomic. Here, the longevity of the modules is a major advantage: stacked or installed in a housing, they can be used for many years. This also makes them suitable for long-term subject trials or demonstrators, for example for trade fairs.

The second use is for small series or test equipment. "An example of this is a pedal measuring device that we developed for the automotive industry," explains Tomic. The aim of this test device is the combined measurement and analysis of pedal travel and force, for example for brake, clutch or accelerator pedals. One module takes on the task of managing the values of both sensors, translating them into digital signals and transmitting them for further processing. A second module is part of the remote control, which can be used to control the system from a distance. The customer benefits here from the modularity of the system: "In this case, our development work with regard to the controllers included the selection of suitable BuildRS boards, the installation of the software and the configuration of the functions - an expenditure of time of just a few hours with low costs at the same time," Tomic summarizes.

However, BuildRS also offers advantages in terms of budget and time planning as part of table setups in the context of concept confirmation, because as in the other cases, no new control unit has to be developed here either. At the same time, in contrast to commercially available units, the customer has more freedom in customization and thus the possibility of using BuildRS multiple times. Since the individual peripheral boards can be purchased later and are easily exchanged, a new function can be purchased quickly and comparatively inexpensively. The new board is commissioned via the CAN connection using the modular basic software that is installed on the controller board. In this way, the user can independently adapt the function of the controller unit and integrate it into the table structure.