Chip 1 Success Stories
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May 12, 2020
One of the most common requests equipment designers hear from their customers is “can you make it smaller?” A Southern California manufacturer of military power products was redesigning an existing model to reduce its size. Initially, the project called for a 3U rackmount version. Later, the goal was to achieve a 1U form factor. Every part of the design was scrutinized. Even the height of the printed circuit boards was reduced to conserve space. Chip 1 Exchange engaged with the project engineer to assist with components that would help address the issues arising from the space constraints, which included heat dissipation and EMI mitigation.
One of the challenges for this effort was board-to-board connectivity. In addition to space considerations, the finished product had to be reliable under high vibration environments such as marine or aircraft installations. Chip 1 worked with a cable and connector manufacturer, Adam Tech, to provide a custom set of flexible cables. These cables provided solid electrical connection even under extreme vibration and also allowed for ease of manufacturing.
Ask Chip 1 Exchange how we can help you bring your most challenging products to market quickly.
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A Southern California designer and manufacturer of high fidelity headphones counts among its customers the most discerning audiophiles. Uncompromised Audio is their credo. As part of an amplifier project, the company’s engineering team was looking for a potentiometer solution. What they needed was not available off-the-shelf. Enter Chip 1 Exchange and Alps Alpine. Alps, a world-leading manufacturer of switches, encoders, sensors and potentiometers was happy to take on the challenge. In no time, Alps provided the customer with a customized version of a 4-gang potentiometer to control the output of a balanced stereo headphone amplifier.
If you are looking for ways to compress your design cycle, ask Chip 1 Exchange how we can help you get that product out of the lab and into the hands of your customers.
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A world-class designer and manufacturer of medical equipment, was in the early design phase for a new device. Ahead lay EMC and FDA testing as well as an anxious customer. But first, a thermal issue had to be solved. Because the device employed some powerful RF amplifiers and aesthetics called for a compact enclosure, heat issues were to be expected. An ideal solution would involve no changes to either the layout or the size of the case.
Chip 1 Exchange engaged the design services of YS-Tech, a manufacturer of fans, heat sinks and related components. By working closely with the designer’s engineering team and using computer modeling software, YS-Tech was able to identify an opportunity to improve on the design. Changes in the composition and construction of an existing cooling assembly were proposed. The software indicated that these changes would mitigate heat issues and provide a reliable operating environment.
Prototypes of the new heat sink confirmed the predicted results in the lab and the designer authorized the change for production. EMC and FDA certifications were achieved and the device was soon on its way to clinics and their patients around the world.
Bring your thermal challenges to Chip 1 today and let us find you a fast path to success.
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Anchor Audio
Anchor Audio, a leading manufacturer of quality portable audio equipment in Carlsbad, CA, was nearing release of a new product. Electrical interference was creating some undesired behavior in the Bluetooth section of the device. Anchor’s engineering team decided that the most expedient fix was to relocate the module to a different part of the enclosure. In order to accomplish this change, they needed a cable that would provide a high-quality Bluetooth connection.
Enter Chip 1 Exchange and Central Components Manufacturing. Working against the clock to meet the customer’s product announcement schedule, we communicated the cable requirements to the manufacturer, provided first articles for approval and hand-delivered the finished RF cable assembly in time to get the product out the door.
Talk to Chip 1 today about how we can solve your engineering challenges.
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