Our electronics: the top 10 developments of the company Promwad

^{In the photo: projects from the Promwad innovative company portfolio.}

Today we publish our 30th post on Habré about the development of electronics for mass production. For a year and a half, we wrote about all the stages of designing new devices: from idea to after-sales service.

The time has come to show real examples of our own development that we are doing for clients from Russia, the EU, the USA and Canada. So, under the cut you will find a review of 10 breakthrough projects of Promwad, one of the largest design centers in Eastern Europe with a full cycle of custom-made electronics development. According to the founders of our company, these developments were innovative for their time, both in terms of technology and business solutions.

If you read our first post about the appearance of the Promwad team ( “Personal experience: a hobby = business?” ), Then you already know that 10 years ago the company was headed by a small team of like-minded people - graduates of technical universities, who believed in their own strength after successful implementation first projects:
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1. Information board controller board

Far 2005 ... It was our first project using systems on a chip and Linux OS. At that time, those who were fond of Linux were considered freaks and cranks, but Promwad such a specialization gave an undeniable advantage and allowed to successfully occupy its niche in the market. It was an advanced development at that time: open source + embedded web server + flash - all on the x86 architecture with the cost price of the board below $ 100.

2. JPEG2000 DVR

This project was implemented 6 years ago, but still has not lost its relevance. We created a device that digitizes analog video and audio using a hardware codec, and then pinch the data and send it to a remote server via a low-speed radio channel.

The software was developed on the basis of free open components, and the finished firmware took only 1.5 MB - a little more and the full system could fit on a standard 3.5 ″ diskette. Video recording began a second after the device was turned on! For Linux in those days it was incredible.

3. DVB-T set-top box

In 2009, even before the official approval of the state program for the transition to digital TV, we successfully completed our first project in the field of STB. It was a complete development of hardware and software. The first batch went into production - 1000 pieces.

With this console, we began our fruitful cooperation with the famous Swiss company STMicroelectronics, which is one of the leaders in the production of microprocessors for multimedia electronics. The choice of ST was deliberate, we analyzed the solutions of all brands that somehow identified themselves in the Russian market, and chose the best (cost criteria + Linux support + technical support for development).

4. IP Smartphone Prefix

We are proud of this development! Our first project with a circulation of about a million products. In 2009, the Russian company SmartLabs set us a difficult task - to design a turnkey device with support for IPTV, OTT and PVR media player (MPEG-2/4, support for 3D / HD video) and launch the series in just 9 months, which we did.

We are following the progress of this development: in 2011, Rostelecom chose this set-top box for its federal program, signing a $ 50 million contract with our client. Also, the device has become a platform for the service "Home TV MTS". And in 2012, SmartLabs entered the media center market with the MOYO project, which uses a set-top box created in Promwad.


^{Pictured : SmartLabs IPTV set-top box}

5. Jade Automotive Platform

Our first project with a large Japanese chip vendor. We have developed a processor module based on the OS Embedded Linux and a motherboard for the Fujitsu Jade graphics controller, which is used in car dashboards. Fujitsu uses our platform as the official developer evaluation kit for this processor line.

The Jade platform allows you to significantly speed up the development time of complex automotive on-board equipment, because it has already implemented the most complex elements of the system: BGA components for the processor and memory, data transfer bus, OS, as well as development tools and examples of graphical application interfaces.


^{Pictured: Jade Automotive Platform}

6. 5D cinema

The largest project for the Belarusian customer, the company "Entertainment Technologies". We have developed an entertainment complex from scratch - a mobile platform with seats for the audience, a multimedia software and hardware system for creating and playing videos with special effects, as well as a user interface.

Testing turned out to be the most pleasant part of the project. We installed all the equipment right in our office building and watched a movie.

The project was successful, both for us and for the customer, who took the risk and even before the development was completed, he sold several cinemas to his clients in order to receive further financing. We did not let him down.

By the way, we realized our first project for 4D cinema back in 2008, when this trend was just emerging. Today, our development can be used not only for entertainment, but also when creating simulators for air, auto and special equipment.

7. Black box for auto

A unique product created for an American customer. At the time of development, the device did not have analogues worldwide.

This compact tracker connects to the car via a standard OBDII connector, monitors the route, fixes dozens of technical parameters, records the passengers' talks in the cabin and transmits all information wirelessly to the coordination center. The gadget was intended for a rental car fleet, another area of ​​its application is parental control, because in the US you can get a driver's license as early as 14-17 years old.

For this device, we have developed software based on Embedded Linux, as well as the design and design of the case. When writing code, a new SocketCAN subsystem was used to work with the CAN bus, which had just appeared in the Linux kernel by that time.


^{In the photo: compact car recorder}

8. Mini IP Server Plug

Russia's first commercial plug-in computer and our first project on a Marvell processor. We developed this turnkey device on the order of AK-Systems.

In such a small box fit many useful features, it can be configured to work as a full-fledged computer or server. It is inserted into an ordinary household outlet of 220 V, it works around the clock and consumes little energy.

Thanks to the flexible configuration of the software today, IP-Plug replaces more cumbersome and expensive devices in the field of telecommunications.


^{Pictured: IP Plug Computer}

9. AK1100 Thin Client

Another interesting development for AK-Systems is a lightweight version of a desktop computer with data processing on a remote server.

As part of this project, we made an analogue of the devices from Dell and HP, but at the same time with cost control and production. There are three operating systems to choose from, there is the possibility of modifying software for specific applications.

As a result, our customer received a product that is designed to replace expensive PCs in offices - the right solution for a falling market (this was 2011).


^{Pictured : AK1100 thin client}

10. Network router

Our first project in the area of ​​subscriber telecom, the complex development of a gigabit LAN / WAN / WiFi router with 5 ports supporting VoIP and IPTV.

The list of technical characteristics of the device takes 4 pages: more than a dozen different interfaces, about two dozen network protocols, advanced routing and security settings. One of the main features - TriplePlay - thanks to this feature, the user can use one broadband cable to simultaneously launch three services - high-speed Internet, cable TV and telephone.

We hope that our list of the top 10 will allow you to believe in yourself and provide inspiration for your own high-tech projects. After all, even the journey of a thousand miles begins with a small one — from the first step. We were able to see for ourselves that a good idea + a strong team = successful development.

PS We will continue to publish on Habré useful articles on various aspects of the development and production of electronics. Subscribe to our blog to not miss new topics!
PPS Nine projects from our list of the top 10 are based on Open Source software technologies (OS Embedded Linux and STLinux).