Electronic Design Services Book

HEAD OFFICE
iLumTech
OMS, spol. s r. o.
906 02 Dojč 419
Slovakia
Tel.: +421(0)34/694 0847
e-mail: info@ilumtech.eu
www.ilumtech.eu
Book of services

HARDWARE
DESIGN
LONG-TERM TESTS
ELECTRONIC
DESIGN REVIEWSOFTWARE DESIGNFIRMWARE DESIGN
DALI COMPATIBILITY
TESTS
RAPID
PROTOTYPINGLABWARE DESIGN
Electronic solutions
& services
Analysis of customer requirements
Key component selection
Schematic design
PCB design
Prototype
Documentation and validation
Final product
Functionality test
Frequent switching test
Under-voltage test
Over-voltage test
Endurance test (IEC60598-1-12)
Dimming test (DALI, 0–10 V, 1–10 V)
Lifetime test
Consultancy and product optimisationFirmware solution analysis
Complete firmware design for prototype device
Full support and maintenance of
firmware for serial production
Conformity reportQuality analysis
Bare prototype PCBs
Assembled PCBs
Functional prototypes
Enclosed functional prototypes / engineering
samples
Data acquisition systems
Automatic measuring systems
Instrument control and device driver
development
Data processing, mathematical analysis and
storage
Machine control and vision
Complete turnkey solutions (fully automated
customer defined measurement and process
units)
Customised solution
ELECTRICAL
SAFETY TESTS FUNCTIONAL TESTS
High voltage test (dielectric
voltage withstand test)
Insulation resistance test
Earth bond test
Leakage current test
Functionality test

Electronic solutions & services
Many well know concepts and technologies have great hidden potential. In the
field of electronics, boundaries are being broken not only by new technologies but
also by the intelligent use of familiar ideas in new and extraordinarily innovative
ways. Nevertheless, we also believe that the success of an idea greatly depends on
the time it takes to reach the market. There is no room for a slow and expensive
trial and error approach during the transition of an idea into a working product,
and neither for semi-finished ‘engineering’ samples when competing with qualified
rivals. The iLumTech electronic design team can offer you a comprehensive range
of electronic design solutions and services along with our full and continued
support. Starting with advanced hardware design and the design of various types
of software, to the final combining of them together with a pinch of synergy
added in, we are able to provide the system level design of a vast array of
customer defined electronic products and solutions. All stages are checked and
verified during various in-house tests, which we can also offer as independent
services. Furthermore, we can assist you with our professional review of your
own designs at any stage of their development. Our personal approach and high
level of expertise throughout the whole process of transforming your idea to a
professionally formed functional prototype, or any derivative of it, ensures you
and your product will be first on the market.
Long-term tests DALI compatibility tests
Electronic design review Rapid prototyping
Electrical safety tests Functional tests
Hardware design Software design Labware designFirmware design
The field of electronics is
moving forward so rapidly that
it is almost impossible to keep
up, but we will help you do
just that.

I 109108 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Hardware design
Since hardware is the basis of each
electronic device, creating a functional
part of its physical body, there is vital need
for good hardware design. Only well-de-
signed hardware will ensure the quality,
reliability, and long-term stability of a so-
lution. Our hardware design engineers are
responsible for the complete development
process from idea to final product, and are
keen to develop tailored solutions utilising
the Altium Designer development environ-
ment, all within unbeatable timescales.
We have extensive experience in both low-
speed digital and analogue designs, and
the routing of printed circuit boards (PCB)
with multiple layers. We are especially ex-
perienced in hardware designs tailored for
the lighting industry.
The hardware design process is a complex
combination of tasks, decisions, and rep-
etitions. With this in mind we follow well–
defined internal processes together with
ISO9001 documentation so that we can
provide a fast and almost flawless hard-
ware design process.
And once the design is complete, we de-
liver a final product made using the very
best components thanks to our wide net-
work of cooperating partners and suppli-
ers. They periodically provide us with the
latest news from semiconductor industry
and with important notifications, e.g. EOL,
based upon which we have available to us
state-of-the-art components along with
full supplier support. Furthermore, our
fully equipped R&D laboratories allow us
to minimise the time taken to manufacture
a prototype.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Electronic design review
Rapid prototyping
Electrical safety tests
Functional tests
Long-term tests
DALI compatibility tests
Hardware design / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Hardware design
Outcomes:
Schematic design
PCB design
Prototype
Final product
Only the best hardware can ensure the
reliability and stability of a solution.

I 111110 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Hardware design services
The identification and analysis of cus-
tomer requests act as the primary input for
the development process. Precise request
definition from the customer is of vital
importance both at the beginning and
throughout the entire project.
The overall cost and complexity of a
device depends predominantly on key
component selection. The ratio between
those parts needed for the hardware,
firmware and software of the product are
put in place during this phase of develop-
ment.
Schematic design
The functional schematic of the solu-
tion is based on the chosen key compo-
nents, supporting blocks and the analysis
of customer needs. This schematic defines
the complexity as well as the final cost of
the developed solution.
PCB design
PCBs are designed based on the func-
tional schematic, but consideration also
needs to be given to the mechanical as-
pects of the device. The design itself is
strongly influenced by forecasted produc-
tion quantities, based upon which the ap-
propriate PCB manufacturing technologies
will be chosen. Electrical safety require-
ments also have an impact on the design
rule check.
Prototype
A prototype is an integral part of the
development process as it is the first real
substantiation of a customers’ vision. It
also acts as the base for demonstration
of functionality, corrections to functional-
ity and price adjustment of the product.
Depending on customer needs, several
prototypes can be prepared during devel-
opment.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Hardware design services / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
One of the primary outcomes of the
development process is the technical doc-
umentation of the product. This enables
customers to run serial production as well
as being a requirement for product certifi-
cation.
Final product
Finalisation of the development pro-
cess is marked by the product entering
serial production. This is based on the
aforementioned technical documentation
and requires that the product first receive
appropriate certification.
Hardware design

I 113112 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Firmware design
Programmable components are used in
almost every electronic product found on
today’s market. Even if only a trivial logic
function is requested, a microcontroller
unit (MCU) is usually chosen to be used
instead of discrete components such as di-
odes, transistors or operational amplifiers.
Firmware development requires close co-
operation with the customer, especially
when dealing with user interfaces, in order
to design the device functions according
to customer wishes. We have been deal-
ing with firmware design for several years,
and we have expertise mainly in ST Micro-
electronics architecture (both 8 and 32 bit
cores). However, if required, we are able to
work with manufacturers such as Micro-
chip, Atmel, NXP, or any other. We have
tight partnership with all the big MCU
players on the market and their vendors,
which gives us direct access to the latest
technology available.
Firmware design is closely connected with
hardware design. Therefore, the two pro-
cesses often start parallel to each other,
which considerably shortens development
time. The timeline that is required for pro-
fessionally done and thoroughly tested
firmware design depends on the complex-
ity of the desired product. For instance, a
simple switching function that depends
on user input can be done in weeks, while
the development of a network with tens
of nodes communicating with each other
will take months.
In order to optimise development time
we have at our disposal a library of
various ready-to-use solutions such
as PWM control, analogue measure-
ments, buck/boost regulation, commu-
nication interfaces (UART, I2C, SPI, etc.),
communication protocols (DC-PLC, USB,
DALI, TCP/IP, DMX, etc.) and others.
To achieve the creation of efficient and
safe firmware we are using the standard
MISRA C:2012 during the design
process.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Firmware design / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Firmware design
Outcomes:
Firmware solution analysis
Complete firmware design for
prototype device
The meeting place between
hardware and user software.

I 115114 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Firmware design services
Firmware solution analysis
The analysis of a firmware solution is a
fundamental step in the final design. It
results in the estimation of hardware re-
quirements, MCU selection and a flow
chart.
Customers are required to provide a list
of features they expect the firmware to
incorporate, based upon which the firm-
ware designer will decide if it is suitable
to use an MCU. If so, the designer will go
on to provide an analysis of the solution
including an estimated memory size and
details of any peripheral units that may
be needed, such as communication in-
terfaces, pulse width modulators, timers,
analogue measurements, etc., as well as
the size of the required MCU (the number
of pins). The next step is to select a suit-
able MCU. At this point, the customer may
request that a particular manufacturer be
chosen. The final step is to prepare the
firmware flow chart, which simply outlines
the firmware solution, similar to the sche-
matics of a hardware design.
Complete firmware design for
prototype device
Once the firmware solution has been ana-
lysed and all subsequent output prepared,
the next phase is to design the firmware
itself. This will result in a functional pro-
totype that can be tested and all corre-
sponding documentation.
Firmware design can be compared to PCB
routing in hardware design. The firmware
designer uses ready-to-use functional
blocks or creates completely new ones
and then defines the relationships be-
tween the blocks. The outcome of this
stage is functional firmware tested on a
real prototype. Full documentation is now
prepared, which includes source code, any
necessary software tools and a compre-
hensive description of the design.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Firmware design services / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Firmware design
There is a world of difference between
firmware designed for a prototype device
and that needed for serial production. For
production, it is necessary to also take
into consideration the workflow needed
for the programming of devices. We can
either provide device programming within
our own facilities or prepare for you a pro-
gramming tool that you can use in your
own production facilities.
It is common that, during the first months
of use, some ‘bugs’ will appear, and you
may also have ideas about how to improve
the product. For this reason, we are also
happy to correct and update firmware ac-
cording to your needs and desires.

I 117116 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Software design
Software is the most important part
of an overall system design as this is the
only part the customer really sees. There
are hundreds of thousands of software
programs on the market that can do
almost anything you could desire, yet,
these programs are so diversified and
specified that it is near impossible to find
one that does everything you need in
one package, necessitating the creation
of something precisely tailored to your
needs.
Our software design engineers have
extensive and wide-ranging experience
in the design of all types of software. We
are able to design software for any PC or
portable device platform and can provide
truly tailored solutions for any kind of
control software in cooperation with
our hardware and firmware designers.
Our quality outputs are characterised by
their usability, portability, maintainability,
reliability and security.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Software design / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Software design
Outcomes:
Customised solution
If hardware is the heart of an electronic
system, software is its soul.
Using smart programming approaches, we
are able to develop qualitative software
solutions within very short timeframes.
Furthermore, we use proven design
patterns to ensure best practice and rapid
development. Alongside this, we use
the Unified Modelling Language (UML)
to allow us to combine techniques from
data, object and component modelling.
We also use refactoring to make future
modifications updates easier and faster to
implement.

I 119118 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Software design services
Customised solution
Software brings added value to a prod-
uct when it precisely meets customer
needs, and can, if appropriate, be con-
trolled and set-up remotely. Its effective de-
sign and operation will minimise hardware
requirements and maximise performance.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Software design services / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Software design

I 121120 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Labware design
Labware is a specific kind of software
that automates operations in laboratories
or in industry applications, controls ma-
chines and measuring instruments, and
acquires data and process it. Our solutions
are based on the LabVIEW development
environment, which enables short devel-
opment cycles, user-friendly GUI design
and a large number of libraries for data
acquisition, data processing, data genera-
tion, mathematics, statistics, etc.
LabVIEW (Laboratory Virtual Instrument
Engineering Workbench) is a development
environment for a visual programming
language from National Instruments. It is
widely used for instrument control, data
acquisition or industry automation. An-
other advantage is that all hardware pro-
vided by National Instruments is support-
ed by LabVIEW and using this hardware,
the development cycle is even shorter.
LabVIEW-based applications are very use-
ful in data acquisition, where data acqui-
sition systems can be controlled via PC
or can run as stand-alone applications.
A large number of various measurement
devices from different manufacturers
can be integrated into the data acquisi-
tion system very effectively, making data
processing a particular strongpoint of La-
bVIEW. A large set of functions for data
processing and mathematical analyses
enables fast implementation of the appli-
cation. After acquisition and processing,
data can be easily exported to reports. A
very interesting option is connectivity with
databases.
To control fast processes, FPGA-based
devices from National Instruments can be
programmed by LabVIEW with outstand-
ing performance. For industrial automa-
tion, LabVIEW offers machine control
and machine vision. Another noteworthy
possibility is the development of LabVIEW
device drivers. With all these features, we
are offering complete turnkey solutions for
fully automated customer defined meas-
urement and process units.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Labware design / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Labware design
Outcomes:
development
Data processing, mathematical
analysis and storage
Complete turnkey solutions (fully
automated customer defined
measurement and process units)
Complex electronic solutions for
complex environments.

I 123122 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Labware design services
Data acquisition systems are responsi-
ble for measuring and sampling electrical
or physical quantities and their consecutive
processing. A complete data acquisition
system is composed of sensors, measure-
ment hardware and a computer with pro-
grammable software. Such a solution is
powerful, flexible and cost effective.
Automatic measuring systems are use-
ful when large numbers of electrical or
physical quantities need to measured, ne-
cessitating the use of many different data
acquisition devices. It is possible to syn-
chronise the functions of all devices using a
programming environment. The basic steps
involved in this synchronisation are the set-
ting of hardware parameters, acquisition of
data, evaluation of that data and the crea-
tion of a measurement report.
development
Device drivers act as the software inter-
face with the hardware device and should
contain all the functions implemented
within the device. The main purpose of the
driver is to create a higher-level application
without requiring that users have detailed
knowledge of the device hardware.
Data processing, mathematical analy-
sis and storage
Data acquisition is the term used for
the process of manipulating data in various
ways in order to obtain meaningful results.
These manipulations include mathematical
calculations, signal processing and report
generation.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Labware design services / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Labware design
Machine vision is a technology used for
automated inspection of and within indus-
trial processes to achieve higher product
quality. Other uses include the control of
production processes and industrial robots.
Machine control and vision ensures high
industrial process throughput and reduced
production costs.
Complete turnkey solutions (fully au-
tomated customer defined measure-
ment and process units)
Complete turnkey solutions can be re-
alised in one project. The project includes
the hardware, firmware programming of
the designed hardware, development of
a device driver to act as the interface be-
tween the hardware and higher-level ap-
plication and development of the control
application.

I 125124 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Electronic design review
Electronic design is not always a sim-
ple task. The performance of an electri-
cal device is influenced by many factors
such as the selection of components, their
combination and placement on the PCB,
routing on the PCB, interference from the
environment, ambient temperature, and
many other factors. There are some basic
principles that you can learn but the real
master of electronic design firstly needs
to be experience. Problems connected
with electronic design are likely to repeat;
therefore, you do not have to ‘reinvent the
wheel’ because we can solve the problem
with you and save your time.
Our team consists of highly-experienced
hardware design engineers who are avail-
able to help customers build high-perfor-
mance and reliable systems. We can help
you to create custom designs based on ex-
perience and knowledge. Such support in-
cludes the provision of reference designs,
detailed device and system design rules,
design reviews and general advice.
Integration support is aimed to provide
customers with direct access to our en-
gineers who can provide immediate as-
sistance during the integration phase of
a product. Typical problems faced are
configuration, connection, system per-
formance and general system behaviour
issues, although we are here to help with
any problems that may arise.
Thanks to our well equipped, ESD protect-
ed laboratory we are able to quickly test
and diagnose the source of a problem.
Our long-term partnership with compo-
nent manufacturers allows us to consult
your difficulties directly with their applica-
tion engineers, thus rapidly shortening the
time needed to find a solution.
Our engineers have a great amount of
practical and real world experience that
they are open to share with customers.
We can also provide support via an email
hotline, the phone or face-to-face consul-
tation.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Electronic design review / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Outcomes:
Consultancy and product
optimisation
Thorough analysis guarantees that your
electronic device will have no ‘bugs’.

I 127126 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Electronic design review services
Consultancy and product
optimisation
Inspection of electronic designs during
the development process can uncover po-
tential weak points and risk areas, which
should be treated carefully by a responsi-
ble and experienced developer. During the
electronic design review, we provide the
results of our extensive knowledge and
expertise. This will considerably shorten
the development process as well as help
designers avoid problematic or clumsy so-
lutions. Based on the advice we offer dur-
ing consultation, the development of elec-
tronic devices will proceed in an optimal
way thanks to the use of already proven
and tested design blocks.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Electronic design review services / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services

I 129128 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Rapid prototyping
Prototyping is an integral part of the
system level design process. Custom-
ers can take advantage of our in-house
rapid prototyping services to verify the
functionality of their projects. Functional
prototypes help to identify problems dur-
ing early design stages and thus minimise
risks, development costs and accelerate
development cycles.
We manufacture, assemble and test pro-
totype PCBs and 3D printed or machined
mechanical parts such as enclosures ac-
cording to your input. All within very
short timescales. Our ESD protected, well
equipped laboratory is ready for assem-
bling and testing.
A comprehensively produced rapid proto-
type of any electronic device provides you,
the customer, with a strong competitive
advantage.
The following workflow shows the rapid
prototyping of a functional sample of an
ambient light sensor based on previoisly
prepared data. The overall time taken to
produce the prototype is an amazing one
working day.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Rapid prototyping / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Rapid prototyping
Outcomes:
Bare prototype PCBs
Assembled PCBs
Enclosed functional prototypes /
engineering samples
We can provide a prototype of anything
from a PCB to a full control system within
a remarkably short timeframe.PCB DESIGN
Micro machining
(2 hours)
Bare PCB
Ultrasonic cleaning
(1 hour)
Clean bare PCB
Solder paste dispensing
(30 mins)
Components placing (1
hour)
Infrared soldering
(30 mins)
3D printing
(3 hours)
3D printed and
micromachined parts
Assembled PCB
FUNCTIONAL PROTOTYPE
WITHIN 8 HOURS

I 131130 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Rapid prototyping services
Bare prototype PCBs
We manufacture prototype PCBs us-
ing a TECHNODRILL 2 CNC drilling and
milling machine or conventional chemical
processing. Whichever method suits cus-
tomer needs best, the prototype will be
provided within an unbeatable timescale.
Assembled PCBs
We assemble both surface-mount de-
vices (SMD) and through-hole devices.
Reflow is carried out in a computer con-
trolled infrared reflow oven.
Functional prototypes are required as
the base for performance of a wide array
of laboratory tests, a crucial part of the
overall development process.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Rapid prototyping services / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Rapid prototyping
Enclosed functional prototypes /
engineering samples
If desired, functional and tested pro-
totypes can be provided in standardised
or customised boxes. If a customised box
is required, we will also manufacture this
prototype from aluminium or 3D printed
plastic.

I 133132 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Electrical safety tests
Electrical safety testing is essential to
ensure safe operating standards for any
product that uses electricity. Various gov-
ernments and agencies have developed
stringent requirements for electrical prod-
ucts that are sold worldwide.
In most markets, it is mandatory for a
product to conform to the safety stand-
ards of agencies such as UL, CE, VDE,
CSA, BSI, and CCC. To conform to such
standards, the product must pass various
safety tests, all of which are described in
IEC 60335, IEC 61010, and many other na-
tional and international standards.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Electrical safety tests / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Outcomes:
High voltage test (dielectric voltage
withstand test)
Earth bond test
Leakage current test
Functionality test
In general, IEC 60335 is the most widely
applied standard for electrical safety test-
ing, especially for domestic appliances.
Many safety testing standards in the world
have been based on it.
A basic need for every electronic
device, we can help you ensure the
safety of your products.

I 135134 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Electrical safety test services
High voltage test (dielectric voltage
withstand test)
A dielectric withstand test is an elec-
trical test performed on a component or
product to determine the effectiveness of
its insulation. The test may be between
mutually insulated sections of a part or
energised parts and electrical ground. The
test is a means to qualify a device’s abil-
ity to operate safely during rated electrical
conditions.
The insulation resistance (IR) test is
a spot insulation test which uses an ap-
plied DC voltage to measure insulation
resistance in either kΩ, MΩ or GΩ. The
measured resistance is intended to in-
dicate the condition of the insulation or
dielectric between two conductive parts,
where the higher the resistance, the bet-
ter the condition of the insulation. Ideally,
the insulation resistance would be infinite,
but as no insulators are perfect, leakage
currents through the dielectric will ensure
that a finite (though high) resistance value
is measured.
Functionality test
This test is performed by checking
functionality of the electronic device un-
der well defined standard operating condi-
tions.
Earth bond test
This test is performed by measuring the
resistance between the third pin (ground)
and outside metal body of the product un-
der test. The maximum acceptable value
is generally 0.5 Ω. This test is usually car-
ried out at a slightly higher current (e.g.
25–60 A) so that the ground bond circuit
maintains safe voltages on the chassis of
the product, even at a high current, before
the circuit breaker. This test is essential so
that the product does not cause an elec-
tric shock resulting from insulation failure.
Leakage current
Leakage current is the current that
flows through the protective ground
conductor to ground. In the absence of
a grounding connection, it is the current
that could flow from any conductive part
or the surface of non-conductive parts to
ground if a conductive path was available
(such as a human body). There are always
incidental currents flowing in the safety
ground conductor.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Electrical safety test services / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services

I 137136 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Functional tests
Each electronic device needs to pass
through a testing stage in order to verify
its functionality and to characterise its
properties. Testing procedures are usu-
ally performed several times during device
development as they provide the designer
with feedback essential for correct elec-
tronic design.
During the functional tests we first test
the device using the recommended condi-
tions – temperature, input voltage, input
signals. All the parameters necessary for
the proper functioning of the device are
measured. After passing this basic set of
measurements, we can test the behaviour
of the device when working at the internal
edges of recommended conditions.
To reach fast and repeatable measure-
ments we have developed an automatic
testing instrument, originally designed for
the characterisation of power supplies,
but reconfigurable for the measuring of
any kind of electronic device. This instru-
ment is composed of a switching power
supply, electronic load and four-channel
digital oscilloscope. All these instruments
are controlled and automated by a soft-
ware application made in the LabVIEW
development environment.
Measurement of input voltage ranges is
an example of the kind of test that can be
performed using this equipment. Another
test measures the output voltage range,
the advantage of which is that an input
voltage can be set at an arbitrary value.
Also, time dependent device properties
can be tested. These properties are turn-
on time, turn-off time, rise time, fall time,
voltage ripple, and current ripple. Another
useful option is the ability to measure in-
rush current.
All measured parameters are processed by
software and exported to reports. Graphs
and tables can be exported to OriginLab
or MS Excel, and all results are then ex-
ported to a Word document and can be
saved also as a PDF. The overview clearly
shows the versatility of this automatic
measurement system.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Electronic analysis
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Functional tests / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Functional tests
Outcomes:
Quality analysis
Every electronic device must pass
functionality and characterisation tests
to ensure it meets needs.

I 139138 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Functional test services
Quality analysis
Electronic device functional tests are
very useful when functional device char-
acterisation is needed. Quality analysis can
be performed on a large number of pro-
duced devices where failure rates can be
determined using statistical methods. An-
other possibility is the determining of de-
vice reliability under abnormal conditions
such as under-voltage, over-voltage and
overheating. Also, useful are lifetime tests
where the device is commonly exposed to
relatively high temperatures and humidity
to accelerate aging.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Electronic analysis
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Functional test services / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Functional tests

I 141140 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Long-term tests
The use of Solid State Lighting (SSL)
technology continues to grow rapidly, and
LED-based luminaires bring new challeng-
es in testing and characterisation. Modern
SSL luminaries offer additional capabilities
in the control of light properties in com-
parison with conventional light sources.
Therefore, the complexity of electronic
design is much higher, thus the demands
on testing also.
Our automatic long-term testing system
was developed to test LED based lumi-
naires. Our system was developed to
measure in four measuring nodes, each
with six channels (luminaries), which al-
lows up to 24 luminaries to be measured
simultaneously. Luminaries are powered
from a regulated linear power source and
measuring devices measure light output,
electrical parameters such as input cur-
rent, voltage, apparent power, active
power, reactive power and power factor.
Up to 10 thermocouples per channel are
available to measure temperature on dif-
ferent parts of the luminaire. This large
number of thermocouples fulfils also
the highest requirements of the largest
luminaries. Safety is also taken into con-
sideration, with each luminaire powered
through a circuit breaker with a tempera-
ture safety relay which turns the fixture off
if overheated. This prevents serious dam-
age to the luminaire as well as the fully-
automated laboratory.
At first, the system provides a basic
functionality test followed by a frequest
switching test. This system also enables
the performance of endurance tests ac-
cording to the EC 60598-1-12 standard.
SSL luminaires often include dimming
capability. The most frequently used pro-
tocols, DALI, 0–10 V and 1–10 V, can be
tested both in exponential, as well as lin-
ear operation.
Another very important parameter, espe-
cially for SSL luminaires, is lifetime. This
can be tested using the same principles
as the functionality test, but over an ex-
tended period of time, for example, sev-
eral thousand hours.
All measurements are performed in a
room with a stabilised temperature of
+25 °C, varying not more than ±1 °C.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Electronic analysis
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Long-term tests / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Long-term tests
Outcomes:
Functionality test
Under-voltage test
Over-voltage test
Lifetime test
A new era in lighitng technology
necessitates a new era in testing.

I 143142 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / Long-tetm test services
Functionality test
This basic functionality test determines
if the device functions properly over a pe-
riod of a few days under normal operating
conditions. If the device fails this test, no
further tests will be performed and the de-
sign must be reconsidered.
This test determined the effects of fre-
quent switching on and off of the power
supply on the device under normal operat-
ing conditions. If the device turns on each
time it passes the test.
Under-voltage test
Here, the device is tested under abnor-
mal operating conditions. In this case, it is
supplied with a lower than nominal supply
voltage. The device passes the test when
able to operate under these conditions for
a defined period of time.
Over-voltage test
Again, the device is tested under ab-
normal conditions. In this case, it is sup-
plied with an above nominal supply volt-
age. The device passes the test if it can
function under these conditions for a de-
fined period of time.
In this test, the device is supplied with s
voltage 1.1 times higher than the nominal
supply voltage. The test comprises ten cy-
cles of 21 hours of operation and 3 hours
of no operation. If the device still functions
after this, it passes the test.
It is important to understand the re-
sponse of the device under test to various
dimming protocols.
Lifetime test
The determination of a device’s lifetime
is paramount to its incorporation into a
product or system. This test operates the
device under normal conditions for an
extended period of time to induce and
measure the degradation of electrical and
optical parameters, which are measured.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Electronic analysis
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
Long-term test services / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Long-term tests

I 145144 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / DALI compatibility tests
DALI stands for Digital Addressable
Lighting Interface, based on an inter-
nationally recognised IEC standard for
the intelligent and easy management of
lighting equipment. The standard incor-
porates several parts that provide control
and monitoring functionality for ballasts,
Emergency Gear and LED drivers; expand-
ing to lighting controls in the near future.
Its digital simplicity and flexibility enables
customers to create solutions that are
easy-to-use, robust, interoperable and
above all affordable. DALI has proven its
reliability for many years, and will continue
to develop and support the growing de-
mands for professional lighting.
iLumTech has been a regular member of
DALI since 2012 and actively participated
in each DALI group meeting since the
group’s establishment. This gives us the
opportunity to influence the DALI stand-
ard itself and also certification conditions
for new products.
In 2014, a new logo and licensing process
will be agreed to define the conditions for
proper usage of the DALI logo. Each new
product must pass testing by an official
DALI tester. In September 2013, we pur-
chased a DALI tester, enabling us to per-
form DALI testing in-house. The basic DALI
tester configuration can be extended for
further testing, meaning we can provide
even stricter testing than that required by
the standards. We intend to become an
official DALI testing house to simplify and
shorten the DALI certification process for
our customers. Furthermore, as an active
member of the DALI WG, we have direct
access to the newest version of test se-
quences and standards, thus ensuring the
most up-to-date testing conditions.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Electronic analysis
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
DALI compatibility tests / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services
Outcomes:
Conformity report
Our ability to offer DALI compatibility tests
makes product development even easier.

I 147146 I Product development & engineering services / Electronic design / DALI compatibility test services
Conformity report
The results of testing, if positive, can be
sent directly to DALI WG for the certifica-
tion process in order to obtain the DALI
logo for the product.
Hardware design
Firmware design
Software design
Labware design
Electronic analysis
Rapid prototyping
Functional tests
Long-term tests
DALI compatibility test services / Electronic design / Product development & engineering services

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