Internet-based design services are all the rage lately, and for good reason. With design resources at a premium and time-to-market pressures unabating, the Internet brings immediacy and interactivity to the table. With that in mind, a newly launched Internet-based design service, Sweetcircuits, offers a trio of online design tools that lets engineers test their design ideas, try different combinations of components, and determine their end-product's feasibility before committing to the project.
Each of Sweetcircuits' tools—the Virtual Product Designer (VPD), the Virtual System Designer (VSD), and the Real Sweet Designs (RSD)—is meant for a different aspect of the design flow. All of the site's tools and the company's design services are currently configured to focus on the embedded-computing market. After a design has been worked through and its feasibility determined, the company's engineering and manufacturing services help convert the design into working evaluation units and then into full production.
VPD lets users design a circuit-board assembly from scratch by selecting components they want to use. They can then instantly view the estimated costs for manufacturing that product. VSD takes the process to the next level, incorporating a configured pc board into the system with peripherals and I/O and then showing the estimated cost for manufacturing the system. Finally, RSD comprises a list of preconfigured pc-board assemblies that can be modified easily or used as is. The advantage the tools bring to the design process is the ability to apply timely feasibility information early in the design cycle.
Located on the company's Web site, the tools are available for use free of charge via a password to qualified OEMs who register online. For further information, call Sweetcircuits at (800) 722-1850 or visit www.sweetcircuits.com.