Test running device for valves
Abstract:
ARM microcontroller and linux Raspberry Pi-like device with touch screen. Connecting to valves using proprietary connector and executing sequence tests with PDF report generation for digital and analog inputs and outputs of the DUT.
Challenges:
- Customizing Ubuntu linux distribution while starting with limited Linux knowledge. First challenge of interfacing with microcontroller board went fairly easily. However customizing boot sequence, in particular how fast and what is displayed to the user on the screen was challenging. What made it harder was that the hardware platform I was using was not the most popular and usually answers to questions I had were not available online. The distribution seemed like it was maintained only by a single developer, in his spare time.
- Designing and embedding device inside of an enclosure.
- Designing for and passing ESD and EMC certifications at a late stage of development cycle.
Learnings:
- Unless there is a compeling reason to do otherwise, aim to use well known, well used and supported dependencies.
- I've learned a lot about Linux during quite a few sleepless nights.