Interview - Itron
Complete solutions offer autonomy to customers
CIE magazine editor Joe Bush caught up with Andy Stubbings, managing director of Itron, to discuss the complete display technology solutions on offer from the company plus the wide array of applications where the technology is being employed
O
ver the last 30 years Itron has seen its customers’ needs change and evolve in parallel with the rapid
change in technology. In the modern world of display technology Itron’s customers are keen to upgrade to colour, reduce software development costs, get to market quickly and cost effectively, give their products the ‘ifactor’, and include wireless and Ethernet communication capability. Therefore, during that time, Itron has
grown from a division of Noritaki with 40 employees dealing with component capability within displays, to a complex subsystem operation, dealing with firmware included in the module rather than just a display module on its own - thus creating a complete solution for its customers. “That’s why we call it an embedded TFT (thin film transistor) rather than smart TFT - a complete solution approach,” commented Stubbings. “Plus, we’re also supporting the software and writing the software for customers. That’s what really stands us apart.” Commenting on Itron’s position within the display technology space Stubbings added, “Thirty years ago there were several other companies in the UK making display modules - now we’re the only ones left. Even within Europe there are probably only two or three. So that gives us the ability as a local incumbent to actually serve the market better and be more responsive to the customer.
“A lot of people buy a display module with all the commands fixed - which limits it. Alternatively, and at the other end of the scale, you can buy a display module with Linux on it but then you will have to spend the next six months trying to get it to work. We sit in the middle supplying easy to use software with everything in the module.”
Applications
One such innovation from Itron is the company’s MPCT metalised-touch display that can be operated without having to remove protective gloves, making it particularly well suited to hazardous areas environments. It is a technology that has carved out something of a niche for Itron, as Stubbings continued, “The
36 July/August 2015 Components in Electronics
processes we use in the manufacture of the MPCT allows ultra fine printing of aluminium electrodes on glass, whereas most manufacturers use the transparent conductor ITO, which has a higher resistance. That improves signal to noise ratio allowing 4mm thick polycarbonate to be used for critical user isolation in electricity meters and external controllers. We have used the process for over 20 years and do not see any new entrants able to compete at this time. A key application for this is actually in casinos, because people get frustrated when they don't win! Originally the casino machines used resistive touch and people were smashing the displays. Now they are 4mm polycarbonate with the display behind it – so there’s no smashing that.”
The food and beverage sector is also key
to Itron and it is here that the company has been heavily involved in another evolutionary project. “A coffee machine manufacturer called La Cimbali came to us wanting colour displays on its latest coffee machine,” added Stubbings. “We developed the hardware and the software to solve the issue of operation with the existing I2C communication speed. Products such as coffee and vending machines use an I2C Serial Bus
running at 10-100kHz making it relatively slow for TFT update so, we moved the application screen software and key control into the display as there wasn’t enough time to send the information to the main host computer and then send back the appropriate image.
“This meant that we moved the application from the host computer into the display. That really is what we’re all about - providing a totally integrated solution with all the power retained where it needs to be - with the customer ending up using the existing proven
communication system, thus negating the need to invest thousands of pounds in new software and hardware. This application and others resulted in the iDevOS language being fully integrated to include the capability to handle spreadsheets and graphical reports with interfaces like Modbus, MIDI (for sound), DMX512 (for lighting) and Base64 conversion - all of these driver and reporting functions are built-in which means our firmware is compact and all in one.
“That sort of functionality is not available as standard elsewhere – and even if you were using Linux you’d have to find a package to create 3D piecharts.” Other applications that Itron has been involved with includes a drinks vending machine for Mars which included high brightness capacitive touch switches; software for smart farming - allowing the farmer to precisely mix feed and take it to where it needs to be into various livestock yards; plus a project with Bristol-based Modulus, a manufacturer of state of the art synthesisers. The company uses Itron’s displays to provide 150 synth waveforms for musician selection by spinning a rotary
encoder with minimum time lag. Stubbings added, “When it comes to challenging applications the iDevOS module is capable of supporting complex interfaces. So, in this application it had to interface with the main soundboard, and also control the buttons and two rotary encoders around it and crucially, make sure the display remained in sync and responsive. It’s now gone into volume production and it has been very well received - to the extent that the synthesiser was mentioned in a Tweet by a certain Mr Gary Barlow! They’ve gone from shipping around 25 a month to 150.”
Customer service “We will also de-bug customers’ projects,” continued Stubbings. “When customers run into problems the traditional solution is to go onto a forum, and then wait for someone to answer the query. However, when our customers have a problem they send their projects to us and one of our engineers will support them at various levels and actually sort out their problems - this really makes a difference. We couldn’t do it in any other language - as everyone has their own style and nuances - whereas the iDevOS language is fairly regimented so it’s easy to pick up someone else’s project, go through it, understand it and correct it.” Andy Warnes, Itron’s European sales and marketing manager added, “A lot of our customers have downsized their engineering departments so they haven’t got that spare capacity to throw at a project to kick it off - so our ability to drop in some extra resource where it’s critical can be the difference between them getting to market on budget. “A lot of our customers have been using PLCs for years who are now using the Itron platform as it has more functionality than a PLC and yet it is lower cost. So, if you’re a volume user of PLCs why spend £500-600 on a PLC when you can have our module which is sub-£100.”
www.itrontft.com www.cieonline.co.uk
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