Ritecom can provide consulting services including, but not restricted to, the following areas:
Product design
Ritecom can take you from concept and design through to manufacture.
We practice, and would urge clients to adopt, a well thought-out design methodology that increases your chances of succeeding with your product:
We use tools, such as QFD - Quality Function Deployment, to define the optimum feature set to address customer requirements.
We understand the product life-cycle, and know that success and failure or profit and loss are often determined before the first prototype is ever made.
One-offs and specials
We love the challenge of something unusual or unique, although this doesn't happen as often as we might like. As a consequence, we will often take on projects that others aren't interested in because there's no immediate follow-on.
At Ritecom, we don't always think like that. If a project is important enough for you to invest time and money in, then the least we can do is consider it in like mind. If there's one thing we can be sure about the future, it's that you can't entirely predict it.
System level consultancy
Ritecom can generate the high level specifications you need to define your product, and let your engineers get on with designing. A top-down methodology is used to distill the details from the concept, and define the design flow.
Well-tried system design tools, spreadsheets and our extensive experience are used to determine the optimum and most cost-effective approach. Whether your product is a light dimmer or an RF transceiver IC, our rigorous analytical approach will predict the criticalities and present the optimum solution.
We can also appraise 3rd party proposals to ensure that you get what you have paid for.
If you just want advice, we can do that too - sometimes even for free!
Circuit design
Circuit design can be a "try anything until something works" procedure, or it can be an analytically driven process that meets the requirement in the shortest time. Knowing what to avoid can be more important when it comes to meeting today's ever-decreasing time to market. Sometimes, however, only a fresh approach can provide the ultimate solution, but it is important to remember that this is never without its risks.
There is no substitute for experience - we have more than 30years of it. Couple that with the use of the latest circuit simulators, and you have shortened the odds considerably. Not everything is state of the art, of course: ultimate cost can be just as challenging as ultimate performance. However, most jobs are an amalgam of the two, reflecting a balance between aspiration and reality.
PCB
We, of course, design all our own PCBs, and would be happy to quote for yours. We prefer to use Protel design software, but can use OrCAD. If your company preference is something else, we may be able to come to some arrangement.
RF layouts are obviously our speciality, with high density designs on up to 8 layers, but we understand the requirements of most types of board, including power, high voltage and lowest cost designs using through hole technology.
Test
To complement our design capabilities, we undertake to test everything we make. Not everything is easy (or cheap) to measure, and if you're surprised at our quote it might be that what you require isn't either. We are continually investing in our test capability, and use ATE software extensively to maximise the utility of our gear.
Whether you need a one-off measurement like phase noise, a full design appraisal and report, or an ATE suite to optimise the throughput you already have, talk to us.
We can help you devise a test plan, either for development or production. In a volume environment, testing can account for 20% of your product cost, so a little effort spent determining what needs to be measured, and what can assured by design whilst meeting quality requirements will be well repaid.
We have a good overview of the test equipment market and can advise on purchasing. We can even configure a test solution for you, incorporating software solutions in LabVIEW™ or VEE™ or Visual Basic, capitalising on our existing software library. If you didn't think you needed automatic test, think again.
Applications and marketing support
You already have a product that you would like to get designed-in? We can provide end users with application support - datasheets, application notes, reference designs, while you develop your next generation product.
Evaluation and type approval
We can advise on the risks and provide assessment services in respect of the LV directive and EMC requirements.
We are not an approved test house, but it has been said that design for EMC is a lot about common sense and simply good design practice. The sooner in the design process that these things are embraced, the less trouble you'll wind up in. As a manufacturer of electronic products, you should know what your responsibilities are.
Troubleshooting
Products consistently failing final test and holding up the line? This sometimes means the design is marginal or even hanging by a thread, but often it just requires design centering with minimal change (although, of course, any change at this stage is undesirable). Surprising how often it is simply a wrong part being fitted.
Our responsive on-site troubleshooting can track down the cause, usually suggest a solution to get the line moving again, so you can maximise your profits.
