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Before deciding to adopt Advantech RISC COM, customers must go through a complete survey
process, including product features, specification, and compatibility testing with software.
Advantech offers a RISC customer solution board (CSB) as an evaluation tool for carrier boards,
which are simultaneously designed during the development of RISC COMs. During the planning
stage, customers can use the CSB evaluation board to assess RISC modules and test peripheral
hardware. Moreover, Advantech provides standard software BSPs for RISC COMs to allow
customers to define the product specifications and verify I/O and performance. We not only offer
hardware planning and technology consultations, but also software evaluations and
recommendations regarding peripheral modules (such as Wi-Fi, 3G, and Bluetooth modules).
Resolving customer concerns is Advantech’s main target at this stage. Because product evaluation
is the key task in the planning stage, especially regarding performance and specifications, we try
to help our customers conduct all the necessary tests for their RISC COM.
Design Stage
When a product moves into the design stage, Advantech will supply a carrier board design guide
for reference. The carrier board design guide provides pin definitions of the COM connector with
limitations and recommendations for carrier board design. This gives customers a clear guideline
to follow during carrier board development. Regarding different form factors, Advantech offers a
complete pin-out checklist for different form factors, such as Q7, ULP, and RTX2.0, to enable
customers to examine the carrier board signals and layout design accordingly. In addition, our
team is able to assist customers with reviewing the placement/layout and schematics to ensure
the carrier board design meets all their requirements. For software development, Advantech’s
RISC software team can assist customers with establishing an environment for software
development and evaluating the time and resources required. If customers outsource software
development to a third party, Advantech can also cooperate with the third party and provide
consultation services. With Advantech’s expert support, the design process becomes much easier
and the product quality is enhanced to meet all customer criteria.
Integration Stage
This phase comprises hardware and software integration, application development, and
peripheral module implementation. Because they may lack the knowledge and experience of
certain platforms, customers may need to spend some time analyzing integration problems.
Additionally, the implementation of peripheral module depends a lot on the driver designs on
carrier boards, and RISC platforms typically have less support for ready-made drivers on the
carrier board. Thus, customers may have to figure out the best solution through trial and error.