Ever struggled for time getting an industrial grade connected device to market? Need ultra-rugged, high-performance processing in the harshest environments? Gateworks is the partner you’ve been looking for…
ipXchange loves a ready-to-go industrial-grade solution, so at Embedded World 2024, we chatted to Kelly from Gateworks, a company that has a slightly different approach to embedded industrial SBCs (Single-Board Computers).
As Kelly explains, Gateworks enables designers to bring the processing power of a typical SBC into environments ranging from the Arctic Circle to the Sahara Desert. This high level of ruggedness enables Gateworks’ plug-and-play, modular SBCs to last for ten years out in the field with constant use.
A highly connected industrial SBC
Of course, you’ll probably want to connect these devices with the rest of the World. Knowing this, Gateworks has partnered with lots of expert technology provider so that you can add wireless protocols to your Gateworks SBC. This is done via expansion cards in M.2 and mini-PCIe form factors and includes protocols such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 6, GNSS. CAT M1, 4G/5G LTE, and even NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) satellite communication using Iridium.
Best of all, Gateworks does all the software development to make sure these connectivity solutions work flawlessly with its SBC architectures. In no time at all, you can have up to four wireless protocols running on a ruggedised industrial SBC that is built to last.
Gateworks’ Venice SBCs are available in a wide variety of sizes and form factors. The family ranges from devices that can fit into drones (30 x 100 mm) to larger boards for gateway-type applications with six Ethernet ports. All are based on an NXP i.MX 8M Mini or Plus Arm SoM (System on Module) with a Cortex-A53 64-bit quad-core processor running at 1.6 GHz and are qualified for use in environments for -40°C to +85°C.
Why work with Gateworks?
Funnily enough, Kelly highlights that many of Gateworks’ customers are already experts in making industrial-grade processor boards. The modular nature of Gateworks’ solution, however, means that designers can bring far more products to market within a short period of time. In this way, Gateworks takes care of the processing and connectivity side of the designs. This leaves the customer to focus on sensing and other specialities.
Gateworks also offers a customisation service so that its customers can get these boards exactly as they need them for a design. When this is a minor job, such as removing a connector, Gateworks will even do this for free!
When it comes to full customisation, Gateworks is open to minimum order quantities as low as 1000 to 2000 units, but this will only be offered if its team already has the know-how. This helps to bring the cost of customisation down significantly.
Getting started with Gateworks
Gateworks produces several evaluation kits, with a preloaded Ubuntu distributions and plenty of tutorials for using the wired and wireless connectivity protocols. There is even a tutorial for the onboard 3-axis accelerometer.
Should you choose this solution to your design challenge, Gateworks guarantees a product supply/support lifetime for 10 years minimum. This is aided by in-house manufacturing and partnerships with big-name companies like NXP.
When things do go wrong with the supply chain, however, the customer always gets the final say on any modifications made to a design. With its team’s expertise, Gateworks survived the dreaded shortage with flying colours.
If you’re looking to speed time to market for a connected industrial-grade design, follow the link to ipXchange’s user-defined board page below. There, you can fill in a form – specifying your interest in Gateworks – and we’ll do our best to get you connected so that you can discuss your commercial project requirements.
Keep designing!