Consumer Electronics
Although consumer products are often taken for granted, quality, performance and value for money is the key to the success of these products. Nytric has designed and developed many innovative and successful consumer electronics products over the years.
Raptor Innovations
Canadian company Raptor Innovations wanted to introduce an easier and more cost effective way of managing multiple CD/DVD duplication requirements. They asked Nytric to take on the challenge of turning this exciting concept into a fully functional commercial product.
- Nytric provided the following services:
- Engineered the mechanical elements and completed the industrial design
- Developed a patented robotic system
- Designed and developed the hardware and firmware
- Designed a custom cable management system
- Completed extensive QA testing in line with industry standards and regulations
- Developed a manufacturing process plan for faster and easier assembly & testing
After extensive mechanical and industrial design and prototyping, the result is the world’s most cost effective CD/DVD duplication system. The iRippit allows individuals and small-medium sized businesses carry out CD/DVD publishing with greater flexibility but without the high overheads usually associated with the process
Zapit Games
Nytric was approached by ZAPiT to develop an interactive game console that would permit up to six players to simultaneously play interactive games directly on the existing home television. Working with technology partners National Semiconductor and Panasonic, Nytric came up with the revolutionary approach of using available low-cost technology to create a game console.
More than two years of extensive research and development lead to a revolutionary new design of game console that not only utilised, but also extended the available DVD technology and integrated with it, the ability to simultaneously use up to six hand-held TV-type remote controls.
Nytric managed the product from concept through design to manufacturing, created new game engines, software libraries, built a proprietary operating system, and hardware.
This project presented many engineering challenges and innovations:
- Designed plastics and tooling
- Developed and testing of a proprietary FPGA architecture
- PCBs met RoHS and other international standards
- Developed a unique Real-Time Operating System (RTOS)
- Developed a manufacturing process plan and test procedure
- Initiated regulatory testing for various jurisdictions
GameWave Software
In addition to the operating system and games engines for the Game Wave Console, Nytric developed the all of the game content and code for the launch titles – new software games content specifically conceived to enhance the experience of interactive family entertainment. Nytric has produced more than ten software titles and has helped to launch ZAPiT Games into the world spotlight.
Zapit SDK
In order to enable independent software development companies to create content that can run on the Game Wave platform, Nytric developed the ZAPiT Software Development Kit (SDK). The SDK not only looks stylish, continuing the fluid lines of the console, but more importantly provides all of the tools a games designer will need to produce exciting world class titles for the ZAPiT Game Wave.
In essence, the SDK is a proprietary emulator for the Game Wave and presented some unique challenges. A PCI emulator board involving voltage converters and level translators had to be developed that allowed 5V FPGA technology to be translated to 3.3V technology, for example.
Additional technologies were invovled in the design of the SDK:
- Designed a custom PC platform for the SDK
- Developed compiler tool chains
- Industrial design on external enclosure
- Applied regulatory compliance testing
- Implemented manufacturing and testing procedures
Essential Reality
New York based Essential Reality approached Nytric to develop an innovative product that would fundamentally change the human to computer interface. In essence, a wearable HID (Human Interface Device) intended for the gaming market. Since then the P5 glove has become ubiquitous and can be found in applications as diverse as nuclear and medical instrumentation, automotive design and even remote control systems for UAV’s
Starting from the concept of a simple cloth glove trailing coloured wires, Nytric undertook an intense two-year product development project that culminated in the highly acclaimed P5, representing an entirely new mode of interaction in 3D gaming environments with unlimited possibilities in the PC desktop and commercial applications.
This is a product that, even today, has never been supplanted by anything as capable for the cost.
On the P5 Nytric introduced the revolutionary bend sensor technology along with the following innovations:
- Futuristic advanced Industrial Design – hygienic, one size fits all, durable
- A unique and patented bend sensor technology
- Compact yet rugged multi-layer PCB
- A patented, unique but low-cost 6 axis infra-red tracking system
- Designed custom development, testing and debugging tools
- Designed tooling and mechanical fixtures
Clio
When Data Evolution acquired the Clio line of convertible tablet computers they were looking for a solution that would allow them to upgrade to the next generation product. After facing a number of engineering delays leading to postponement of product release, Data Evolution eventually approached Nytric to designing the electronics for the proposed next generation Clio product. D.E. were however, faced with the enormous problem of already having a predefined footprint for the Clio, and the new technology had to fit within it.
Ultimately Nytric arrived at a design that used a 12 layer, ultra-fine pitch BGA printed circuit board that exactly fitted the footprint of the existing two-layer board, but with very greatly enhanced functionality. Using a Freescale IMX31 CPU in a 457 MAPBGA package, the new board includes USB2.0, 802.11g support, 2D and 3D graphics acceleration; with a unique system architecture that incorporates the most advanced PCB technology so as to support, DVD/MPEG encode and decode, along with a host of other features new features.
The Clio NXT board proved to be extremely complex due to many factors, including the fine pitch and complexity of the technology that had to be fitted within a highly constrained footprint, but the product worked perfectly from the first iteration.
Nytric’s involvement with the development of the Clio NXT:
- Developed a compact, advanced 12-layer PCB to fit an already defined and constrained space
- Implemented complex hardware solutions to provide maximum functionality within a fixed space
- Designed power management systems for maximum battery life (9hrs+)
- Developed, wrote and tested system firmware and software
- Successfully integrated new and previously untried technologies into a working product
Ice F/X
Ice F/X is the leading Air Hockey game on the market today. Designed as a game of finesse, skill and speed, NHL® ICE FX is the most sophisticated and fastest table hockey game in the world.
When the product was in need of an update, Nytric was approached to see if it could be improved and optimized for manufacturing.
The Nytric team took an existing model, stripped it to component level and devised a way to improve the assembly process of the multi-layer playing surface that made it easier to assemble, thereby reducing the time required. Additionally, Nytric made changes to several of the electrical and mechanical components that reduced the COG without impairing the performance of the product.
In order to meet the exacting needs of the project Nytric:
- Re-engineered the electronics to update them for newer technology and to conform to RoHS standards
- Undertook design modifications for ease of manufacturing
- Undertook regulatory testing for various jurisdictions
- Developed a manufacturing process plan for faster and easier assembly & test
Overall, significant savings were achieved, game-play experience was improved and the client was extremely happy with the outcome.
