Search
Close this search box.

Redesign Service

Electronic Design & Software Development

Find out how ByteSnap can help with your redesign project

Embedded Electronics Experts

Fast Turnaround

Control & Flexibility

Need Help With Electronic Redesign Projects?

Key components missing or hard-to-find?
Product design in need of updating?
Daunted by the thought of redesigning?

What We Do

At ByteSnap, we are experts at embedded electronics redesign. We provide a fast turnaround, while empowering our clients to maintain control and flexibility. We can support your team throughout your product redesign. Our expertise and resources cover:

Component replacement

1. Replacing Obsolete or Hard-to-Find Components

  • Microcontroller (MCU) / ARM processor replacement
  • ‘Drop-in alternative’ component
  • Migrating from one product family to another
  • Updating software to get device working with a new chip

 

For this redesign service, there is no incorporation of new features, or next generation migration.  If your goal is to get exactly the same features working on a different chip, then this is for you.

2. Product Optimisations

  • Upgrading components – cheaper, faster, higher performance
  • Improving features or performance of existing schematic, Bill of Materials (BOMs), PCB
  • Software development

 

ByteSnap will help you to choose a new generation of chips in order to give your device greater capability. It is not just about taking a sideways step. We help move your product forward too.

In order to impact the PCB design as little as possible and reduce risk, we strive to strike a balance between allowing for circuit updates while also ensuring critical circuitry remains unchanged.

Where possible, we ensure that the mechanical footprint of the PCB remains identical to the original circuit design, to guarantee that no changes are required to the mechanics of the system.

Product Upgrade

3. Complete PCB redesign, based on improved product idea

We are familiar with a broad spectrum of firmware and have worked with many different microcontroller families. Whatever your idea, PCB design or circuit board requirements, ByteSnap will work hard to find the best solution.

Take a look at our Electronic Board Design Process >>

4. Software Development

When migrating to a new microcontroller family, the need for accompanying software development must not be underestimated. ByteSnap are not just electronics engineers, we are a highly skilled and integrated hardware and software team.

ELECTRONIC REDESIGN SERVICE – HOW IT WORKS

Scenario 1: Porting your application to a different Microcontroller (MCU), within the same group of ARM cores

With the serious chip shortages, GigaDevice’s GD32 has been widely used as a replacement for ST Microelectronics’ STM32. However, it is important to understand that this is not a straightforward, drop-in alternative. It requires a fair amount of software development work in order to port it onto a new device.
Component replacement

Scenario 2: Adding Bluetooth Support to a WiFi Capable Device

When moving away from a hard-to-source microcontroller, you might consider upgrading your device to allow for better connectivity capabilities. You can look to replace an application with specialised chips that do Bluetooth as well as Wi Fi, which have also got a microcontroller built in. This upgrade allows for extra function, instead of just taking a side-ways step to an alternative.
Product Upgrade

Scenario 3: Alternative chip sourced and now need software support

You may find that the only available microcontroller has an inferior spec to the one you already use, or is actually an older part. It’s important to know that you can still use it, just with software support to get the component to work, or by re-spinning the board.This way of working is completely backwards to the norm, but becoming more common due to the chip shortages.
Software Development

WHY USE BYTESNAP?

We offer experience and reliable support throughout the redesign process, with both software and hardware engineers working side-by-side on projects to identify the best solution for each client.

Hardware & Software Experts

Need software? We are very experienced with firmware porting. Hardware required? We support development teams.

We Try to Simplify

Even if you have the software skills in-house, we can still write test software to ensure your board is working and has an example code for you to use.

Broad Market Experience

We do not focus on a single market vertical. This broad experience allows us to constantly bring innovative solutions to your redesign project.

Flexible & Adaptable

We are flexible in our approach. Have your own team? We can support your existing employees. Great idea and need a skilled team? We cover all stages of the redesign process.

Fast Turnaround

We’re very experienced and have done this process many times over, cutting down your time-to-market.

We Can Help

Do you have an obscure chip that’s not used often? If it’s available to buy and there is documentation available, ByteSnap can likely help.

ELECTRONIC REDESIGN CASE STUDY

Obsolete Processor Replacement & Security Device Redesign

Challenge

Component obsolescence: A Renesas Microprocessor had been rendered obsolete, within a security device product.

Solution

ByteSnap team was approached to redesign the line of existing PCBs, with the main purpose being to replace the obsolete chip.

The obsolete processor was swapped to a newer equivalent from the same manufacturer, which reduced the impact on the software.

In addition to the processor change, ByteSnap was able to use the customer’s experience with the boards, to carry out a wider redesign of the schematics, BOM and PCB. For instance, the battery backup circuitry was altered to increase the period of time the unit would operate if the battery were removed.

During the redesign of the mature PCBs, a balance was found between modernising circuitry where required, but leaving critical circuitry unchanged to reduce risk. This meant that particularly in EMC critical parts of the board, ByteSnap ensured that the existing design was impacted as little as possible.

Critically, the mechanical footprint of the PCB was kept identical to the original design to ensure that no modifications were required to the mechanics of the system.

Benefits

Having worked with ByteSnap – a specialist electronics design consultancy with broad experience of redesign projects – the client can now deliver an upgraded security product, with minimal impact to production.

AWARD-WINNING ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY

For over 10 years, clients have engaged ByteSnap Design to deliver exceptional electronic design and software development projects. This includes:

– Microprocessor replacement development and migrations
– Upgrading embedded software, drivers and Linux BSP to support electronic board redesigns
– Redesign expertise including sensors, apps, power management and IFTT scenarios
– Replacing components in intrinsically safe ATEX designs
– Managing component migrations in low power wireless designs
– Experts in redesigning electronic circuitry to meet evolving vertical market standard needs
– Experts in schematic and PCB designEmbedded LinuxWindows CE and FPGA development supporting redesigns

We are trusted by companies across the UK and beyond, providing them with business and deep technical expertise under one roof. Easily integrating into your team, our outsourced support is available throughout the project life cycle.

GET IN TOUCH TODAY

Whether your key component has become obsolete, you can no longer get hold of a chip and don’t know what to use instead, or you’ve bought replacement parts and need someone to add them into your design, ByteSnap can help!
We are deeply technical, flexible and can accelerate your time to market.
Rest assured, your project is in safe hands with ByteSnap’s Redesign Service.

Reach out to us and let’s get your project back on track.