Custom Engineering Samples

Single Board Computers
Microprocessor Training Systems
Custom Engineering & Manufacturing

Incubator Controller

This custom control system controls temperature, humidity, and ventilation with a high degree of precision. In addition, it also rotates the eggs and logs data. The system is ultra reliable and has the ability to diagnose itself and report errors. If the controller was to fail tens of thousands of eggs could be destroyed. Within a hatchery up to 100 of these systems are networked together to a gateway. The system therefore can be responsible for over 100,000 eggs. The gateway is responsible for polling the individual controllers and reporting status. The controllers can be individually or globally interrogated via the Web using a standard browser as the interface. The system can also be diagnosed over the Web.

Pneumatic Leak Detector

When Cincinnati Test Systems (CTS) required a versatile Single Board Computer (SBC) with Analog and Digital I/O, which was both easy to program and inexpensive, they chose EMAC's MICROPAC 180 with MTBASIC. And when they needed an SBC with 24 bits of A/D, again they chose EMAC, however, this time they chose EMAC's Semi-Custom design services. EMAC took the MICROPAC 180 core and MTBASIC that CTS was so comfortable with and added a 24 bit A/D, a few relays, and modified the firmware in the I/O coprocessor to pulse width modulate three valves. The result was a low cost product solution that can detect leaks in a Pneumatic system to 1/1000th of a PSI. CTS wrote and maintains all the software and EMAC manufactures the units. A win-win for both CTS and EMAC.

Smart Card Reader

Unlike conventional magnetic stripe cards, Smart ½ Cards have a tiny microprocessor embedded in the card. This allows a far greater amount of data to be held in the card as well as the ability to change that data at any time, provided you know the password or key to get into the card. National Cache Card (NCC) called on EMAC's experience to develop a integrated Smart Card reader allowing NCC to participate in this growing technology. EMAC designed an eight layer PC board utilizing surface mount technology front and back, allowing the board (about 3" by 3.5") to be reduced in size to fit the space provided. The system is installed in soda machines, copy machines, washing machines, and video games for use by students on college campuses. Not only is the system more convenient than using cash, but the student can get transaction reports of their expenditures.

PC Compatible Computer Switch

When Cybex Computer Products Corporation needed a PC Compatible SBC as the brains for their new Computer Switch product, they tapped EMAC's SBC expertise. This product connects multiple computers to one monitor, keyboard, mouse, and speakers. The operator uses an on-screen selection to determine which computer is connected. EMAC designed the circuitry, developed the schematics, laid out the PC board, and made a custom BIOS for the product. DOS and the Video BIOS were both placed in Flash with the modified System BIOS to conserve space. The system has the capability of booting from floppy, hard drive, or Flash, and a Flash file system was incorporated to allow solid-state file storage. A custom Video Switching Coprocessor and on-board Ethernet were added. By utilizing a PC compatible design, system software development was made extremely easy.

Power Outage Notification Device

EMAC was contracted to design and manufacture a solid-state utility meter (AMRON II) that can be read over the Internet and a Outage Notification device (AMRON I). Con-Edi was very interested in a Power Outage Notification Device similar to the AMRON I but wanted one with certain modifications, including the ability to call in to their existing Voice/DTMF Recognition Unit. EMAC was called on to redesign the AMRON I to incorporate Con-Ed's additional requirements. The new device (AMRON Lite) uses an inexpensive microcontroller to generate and accept the DTMF tones required by the Recognition Unit without the use of a conventional DTMF encoder/decoder. In addition, the unit uses the phone line to acquire the 50 uAmps of power required by the device, thus eliminating the need for a battery. The AMRON Lite is programmed using a custom Windows application also written by EMAC.

Stair Step Machine Controller/Display

After having EMAC develop a custom display system for their Rotary Torso machine and an inexpensive LCD display for their first Stair Step machine, Sollami Fitness contracted EMAC to design and manufacture their Deluxe Digital Display package for their new Hydra Step Stair Step machine. The Digital Display System monitors step travel, as well as steps-per-minute, floors climbed, calories, and time. The System dynamically controls step resistance in conjunction with the selected profile on the display. Changes in the resistance, simulates going up and down hills. After having units out in the field for more than five years, less than one percent have been returned for service.