Testing is an essential part of the development process for GRiD’s military computers, both at the subcomponent and full system levels. We have always taken our commitment to environmental testing very seriously, and this year made the decision to bring some of this in house to have increased oversight of the process and facilitate more in depth and regular testing of devices throughout their development. In this blog we look in more detail at the benefits of in-house environmental testing.
Environmental testing compliance is critical to the development of rugged devices. This can be for variables such as temperature, vibration, shock, water/dust ingress or impact, and depending on the requirement from the customer, devices must be tested to, and accredited to, certain levels in line with these criteria.
When it comes to temperature specifically, military users can be expected to operate in extreme environments and as such, devices need to be able to switch on and perform in these conditions. This could be the hot desert environments in which western forces operated during the first part of the 21st century, or the cold environments of the northern hemisphere that NATO forces find themselves operating in today.
GRiD has always tested its subcomponents and devices to the strictest of criteria relevant for the environment in which they will be used, although until recently this was carried out by third-party partners.
Earlier this year we made the decision to bring temperature testing in house and acquired a test chamber that enables us to troubleshoot problems, enhance designs, conduct root cause analysis, rapidly turn around specific environmental requirements, and carry out confidence testing.
The chamber has proven particularly valuable for carrying out diagnostics on ongoing programmes, allowing our engineers to single out and fix any faults that might occur in units from specific environmental issues.
The results from diagnostic tests are then benchmarked against UK and international standards to ensure that they meet acceptable thresholds.
This guarantees that customers receive units that are safe, secure, and reliable even under the most extreme conditions, and GRiD is able to carry out more agile product development, faster troubleshooting, as well as build confidence for customers in the devices they are using.
Troubleshooting
Since bringing the temperature chamber online this year, GRiD has already seen a number of benefits for projects, and we have been able to work closely with long-standing customers to ensure systems go through specific environmental qualification testing that addresses their respective challenges and requirements.
The temperature chamber has allowed our engineering team to quickly troubleshoot issues or replicate faults experienced by customers, negating the need to send units to third-party test houses that adds cost and time.
This accelerates the time for solutions and fixes, a significant benefit for the end users that need working and reliable systems in their hands for critical missions. GRiD’s value as a responsive and proactive supplier has therefore been cemented further.
And the ability to troubleshoot any problems is one of the primary reasons GRiD brought this capability in house.
The chamber allows us to test to extremes and to failure, giving our engineering key data points on how different temperatures affect certain elements and where a fault could occur.
It is worth noting that this does not just apply to entire assemblies, but also subcomponents, allowing us to enhance designs or carry out root cause analysis should a component be failing at cold or hot temperatures.
By testing processor boards before assembling them into units, for example, we can rule out temperature as a problem going forward, and this is something we have been able to do since acquiring the test chamber.
The testing of processor boards actually helped us identify a problem with a customer’s own in-house chamber, something that we were able to swiftly identify by verifying the sub and full assemblies at our facility.
We were able to carry out this testing before by using a third-party test house, but this takes time, and that is saved by being able to carry it out in house. It also saves significant time being able to confirm that the sub-assemblies are functioning correctly, rather than have them fail within a laptop or tablet and then having to investigate the root cause as to why the device is not working.
Benefits to customers
Another benefit for the customer is the ability to showcase how a product can perform in specific environmental and use-case scenarios, such as being booted at a required temperature.
A customer using the GRiDCASE 2507 Rugged Tablet recently required it to operate within a temperature range of -40°C to +63°C. GRiD successfully demonstrated that the product performed reliably across this range, giving the customer confidence ahead of formal qualification with their system.
Another customer required that a GRiDCASE 2500 Tablet could reliably boot from battery at -30°C, for example, which is a challenge for any electronics equipment.
However, with the in-house chamber, the GRiD team was able to quickly conduct specific tests that would simulate this cold-start scenario, successfully passing this stringent requirement.
In just a week, the test data was generated in a formal report and with the customer satisfied, they could confidently move forwards with a specific application.
The chamber has also proven valuable for diagnostics on ongoing programmes, allowing our engineers to single out and fix any faults that might occur with units from environmental issues. The results from diagnostic tests are benchmarked against UK and international standards and that they meet acceptable thresholds. This ensures customers receive units that are safe, secure, and reliable even under the most extreme conditions, such as in desert conditions.
Of course, formal certification continues to be achieved through third party UK Accreditation Service (UKAS-)-accredited facilities, and this is essential for compliance standards and formal acceptance testing of systems. We do not believe in the “marking your own homework” approach to testing, and still value the accreditation from independent test houses.
But GRiD’s growing internal testing capability means it can carry out more agile product development, faster troubleshooting and build confidence for customers and end users.
This investment means that GRiD will further build on its product quality, responsiveness and technical credibility.
Conclusion
GRiD has always prioritised testing to ensure that our rugged computers are reliable and perform optimally in the harshest of environments. This is a top priority for military users where rugged computers are a mission critical asset that have a direct impact on operations.
Our investment in an in-house testing capability is further evidence of this commitment to environmental testing, and this investment is paying dividends as we continue to find new ways that it can be used to benefit both our customers’ deliveries and our product development.
Looking to find out more about our product’s capabilities? Contact us for more information: sales@griduk.com.
