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START A PROJECT WITH ENCATA
Custom firmware development is one of the core competencies of EnCata. Our engineers have developed embedded systems solutions for medical devices, military, aerospace, logistics, agricultural, lab applications, smart services, and the Internet of Things.
START A PROJECT WITH ENCATA
Practically no modern smart device will be able to work without firmware. Our company works at all stages of creating a new product. Therefore, embedded system development is a significant part of our everyday work. For simple devices, we prefer to design with a controller firmware using C and for multifunctional devices, we like to use Linux Embedded.
From our experience, the best results are achieved when having hardware development and firmware programming in one working team. In this case, hardware capabilities of microcontrollers and functionality of software libraries and stacks from manufacturers will be effectively used.
We act as your extended R&D team which is faster than hiring engineers locally. The breadth of our technical expertise is unique.
Our dedicated team is ready to scale up quickly. We utilize AGILE lean development process that leads to 30-50% faster delivery.
Our development location enables us to be cost-effective and deliver premium R&D and engineering services at 1/3 of the price compared to that of in N-W Europe and USA.
The embedded software development process usually consists of the following stages:
1. Writing terms of reference.
2. analysis of requirements for completeness and consistency.
3. selection of ready-to-use libraries and implementations of third-party software stacks.
4. embedded system architecture development.
5. firmware programming and coding.
6. code testing.
7. preparation of necessary documentation.
The architecture development is the most important step in the process of firmware programming, which allows you to be flexible and make changes in accordance with the changing requirements of the market. It also reduces the efforts to support projects in the long run.
Often, the development of electronics for new products requires research and experiments. It is almost impossible to make a new product with unique properties based on old technical solutions. Interference filtering, power supply management, radio signal interaction, and interference modeling require an iterative approach to find the right solution. Therefore, it is important to make a clear plan that coincides with the goals of the product. As a result, the research will not turn into a nightmare for the budget.
Designing electronics is closely related to the development of the device body. Protection from moisture and dust requires the development of complex sealing contours. This worsens the heat removal. Connectors and buttons make it difficult to seal. We design enclosures with several sealing circuits, and we are able to work with compounds for sealing electronics. When we design the enclosure, we make sure to take into account all the details and necessary components that must be in the product.
Numerical modeling is often used at the first stages of a product development. When designing an electronic device, it is important to take into account the operating conditions of the system. Creating computer simulations allows us to simulate processes with just calculations.This greatly simplifies embedded software development because it can help us identify inaccuracies before we start manufacturing. During the CFD research, we check the ventilation design and gather information for the cooling system design.
We have mechanical and electronics engineers in our team, working under one roof. It helps us to consider heat dissipation, antenna arrangement, condensation in the enclosure, convenience of assembly of electronic and mechanical parts, and wiring.
Preparation of CAD files is a standardized procedure. However, experience and collaboration helps save time and money. Necessary equipment and tooling, COGS and lead time could be highly affected by the several numbers in the technical documentation of your product.
Using reverse engineering gives obvious benefits. Since you are not reinventing the wheel during the mechanical design stage, you are both saving time and reducing the costs. However, reverse engineering is not a good idea for the main features of a product. In this case, your product will always fall behind your competitors.
The range of services for embedded software development depends on what has already been done in the project and what competencies your team has.
The most common task is to develop firmware from scratch. At the beginning of the process, our analysts and engineers communicate a lot with the Client. Our team relies on the Client’s view and understanding of the product, and consequently collects the requirements from the standpoint of business, functionality and development. Before beginning with the design, we formulate terms of reference where we consider the Client’s goals and expectations with our work experience and possibilities.
EnCata has a great experience working with startups and inventors, mainly led by innovators and engineers with a technical background. Amateur electronics and platforms like Arduino, Adafruit and Sparkfun make it possible to develop hardware and software for MVPs in a short time. Startup teams are, therefore, able to assemble a prototype of the device and implement the minimum functionality of the embedded software. They can then turn to EnCata to redesign the firmware and prepare it for mass production with a clear understanding of what their team needs to achieve.
We are often approached by companies that develop top-level software. For them, we develop hardware and lower-level software. In this case, we talk a lot with engineers on the Customer's side and adjust the firmware architecture to the requirements and restrictions set by the software architecture.
We are often approached by companies that develop software, for whom we develop hardware and firmware. In these cases, we communicate with the engineers from the Customer's side and adjust the firmware architecture to the requirements and restrictions set by the software.
We focus on the entire product/service lifecycle, from concept to implementation to market launch. EnCata’s knowledge, resources and innovation development expertise allow our Clients to develop and expand their businesses faster and leaner.
EnCata can provide your startup with the end-to-end product development service in both hardware and software domains coupled with the outstanding inhouse prototyping facilities.
Turn to EnCata if you need our premimum consultancy services (concept review, design / CAD review or advice on software architecture code you produced) only when our advice is needed.
Come to EnCata with your CAD to produce parts for your prototype in EnCata. Assemble and test your prototype at our MakeIT Center fablab - we don't charge for the access!
Work that highlights the incredible technologies, solutions, and products EnCata developed.
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Our hardware engineers are focus on the entire product/service lifecycle, from concept to implementation to market launch. EnCata’s knowledge, resources and innovation development expertise allow our Clients to develop and expand their businesses faster and leaner.
Warehouse and fulfilment robots, Plant and Process Automation, Lean Manufacturing, Digial Twins Development, Connected Equipment, Predictive Maintanance, Industrial Computer platform
Medical devices & equipment, IoMT, Diagnostic Tools, Robotics and Precision Placement, Optical System, Medical Instruments & Consumables, Micro and Macro Fluidic Systems, Custom Rehabilitation Equipment
Smart Farming, Food Delivery Robots, Smart Agriculture and Crop Management, Sustainable Farming, Food Ribitics, Farm Apparatus Design, Farm & Irigation Automation, Agricultural Mechanization, Greeenhouse Automation, Climate Monitoring
Cut your development speed and costs by half with our in-house design, engineering, and manufacturing capabilities for breakthrough new products from just an idea phase.
Laboratory Instruments, Test Benches, Biological Storage, Microfluidics, Biological Laboratory, Spectrometers, Automated Clinical Instruments, Custom Scientific Apparatus, Pilot Plants, Chemistry Laboratory, Centrifuge, Sample Preparation
Industrial IoT gateway, Compact Industrial Box PC, SCADA automation, Performance Trackers and Sensors, Logistics, Real-time Monitoring, Retail Systems, Inventory Tracking, Production Flow monitoring, Fleet Management
EnCata works with both fixed term and agile contracts.
1. Once you have approached us with the project, we conclude the NDA and send the information to the Sales Manager for further evaluation and project planning.
2. The Sales Manager or Sales Engineer will contact you to clarify your goals, requirements and tasks to accomplish. This process is very close to business analysis. When the details are agreed with you, a cost estimate and a quotation are prepared.
3. If you accept the quotation, we will prepare a Technical design specification to document scope of work and requirements and conclude an agreement.
4. After we've signed the agreements, we'll assign you a Project Manager who will gather a project team and report on the project progress.
EnCata employs around 30 engineers with Master's and PhD degrees in electrical and industrial design, mechanical engineering, prototyping and manufacturing from European universities. Each employee is an expert in his or her field.
The majority of specialists are of middle or senior levels. Their range of influence is broad enough to encompass the entire new product lifecycle. Our specialists resolve legal and certification difficulties during the concept stage, optimize production costs during the 3D model development process and create necessary documentation for firmware support. Juniors make up only 15% of the team. They constantly upgrade their qualifications under the supervision of seniors.
EnCata is always willing to work with its client. We have everything we need to create a collaborative site. Both parties can work on the project simultaneously. The Customer, for instance, and his/ her team designs the electronics while we work on the enclosure. When teams work together to achieve a fantastic result, it is always a win scenario.
EnCata’s team is always willing to discuss all the necessary details about the project proposed. Our full-fledged team of professionals will interrogate you until both parties are satisfied with the procedures necessary to complete the job.
It certainly can. For any product, EnCata creates a design documentation package and a process documentation package that is suited to the production. It should be noted, however, that the technologists at the customer's chosen plant may make changes or impose their own requirements on the documentation design. EnCata, in turn, makes it easier for the client and the technologist to communicate. EnCata does not mass produce, although it can undertake small-scale production at the request of customers.
Yes. As a highly professional design and engineering firm, we make sure that all discussions with our clients and all information regarding your invention, idea and other proprietary information are kept confidential.
We follow a LEAN approach in product and business development and thus we strongly recommend patent filings only after you are at least part-way through development. This is because patenting is expensive and early patents can already become obsolete or irrelevant later in the development phase. Typically, EnCata's work generates many patentable opportunities for our clients and the best strategy is to file patents at TRL-7, i.e. when early beta prototype is ready and when a startup is ready to start batch production and marketing.There is, however, another strategy, which is to use provisional patents which can be loose and are not to be disclosed to the public for 18 months. These are much less expensive and time consuming, generally costing below $500.
EnCata will always sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement and keep your intellectual property confidential during the development phase and then we can recommend several third-party patent attorneys when the time is right.
Our in-house professionals handle almost all electronics work, including interface design, protocol development, communication design, schematic design, PCB Design, Firmware design and battery management. If the Customer requires a service that Encata does not supply, we have partners that can meet that need.
We certainly do. EnCata employs electronics specialists who deal with low-level firmware. We also have experts on staff who can implement high-level software code.
EnCata employs 12 mechanical and industrial designers and 10 electrical engineers with experience in hardware and firmware. Our team consists of middle and senior level engineers, who have 5+ years of field expertise and have already completed more than 300 projects.
We do indeed help with fundraising through our large business network. However, we typically recommend startups to our partner VCs after we have done some work for the startup and learned more about the team and their core technology. This feedback and recommendation is of great value to all of the friendly VCs as it saves them much time and effort for due diligence.
