Electronics - Design and development consultancy services

Consultancy services

We specialise in the design and development of electronics systems, with an innovative approach to design, we have the experience to deliver the full software solution.

Our services can support projects from an initial concept right through to production; developing both bespoke solutions and ‘Off-the-shelf’ products for a wide variety of applications.

Design

Our Electronic Design services include:

• Signal conditioning electronics. We have designed signal conditioning from microvolts to many hundreds of volts (Three-Phase) to protect surrounding electronics.
• Induction motor, Stepper motor and DC motor drives. We have designed the electronics to overcome problematic characteristics; i.e. excessive speed or torque.
• DC power supplies. We have designed DC power supplies for applications where ‘Off-the-shelf solutions’ are not available.
• High frequency AC power supplies for ultrasonic devices
• Optoisolation of Analogue and Digital signals
• EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) - Problem solving
• Analogue to Digital conversion and computer IO cards. We have digitised many different types of signal, interfacing to computers via:
  • ISA bus cards. Designing our own IO cards with up to 256 of analogue or digital input.
  • Serial communications port. Using the serial port for interfacing to portable computers. Achieving capture rates of up to 5000 samples per second by writing our own comms drivers.
  • Parallel port. Exploiting the parallel port in a similar way to the serial port, but taking advantage of the increased number of control lines available.
  • USB. Using USB ports to replace existing serial and parallel ports on newer computers that do not have either.

Independent design specialist

Our experience means that we are ideally suited to troubleshoot problematic systems or circuit designs. We can assist within existing projects, using a variety of techniques to isolate the cause of the problem:

• Thermal imaging for identifying stressed components that are likely to lead to premature component failure. This information can then be used to identify the cause of the component exceeding its design tolerances and to develop a solution.
• Signal analysis using a high-speed oscilloscope that can monitor several different parameters simultaneously to identify anomalies.
• Test and Validation, by designing tests to exceed normal operating conditions or introducing electrical noise, we identify potential failure scenarios.

Acting as an independent third party, we provide objective advice on products or designs. We can identify and solve problems with existing designs and ensure that they conform to industrial best practices.

Manufacturing

ESR can manufacture and test PCBs on your behalf; we have the capacity and provide a variety of solutions including:

• Design and layouts for PCBs
• Production of prototypes
• Production of sub-assemblies for 3rd parties
• Small batch production