Large corporations that have been in business for many years frequently have established production and testing systems in which they have invested considerable capital. For these facilities, the rapid turnover of computer technology can create a variety of logistical and cost control problems. Computers may need to be replaced or upgraded, and these newer systems must still interact with legacy infrastructure and have a long life span to justify the expense. This was the recent situation at an American manufacturer, and CP Technologies was able to solve the problem.
A prominent American motorcycle manufacturer needed a rack mount computer to test the quality of the motorcycle emissions system. Their existing system was bundled with their test software and was very expensive. The application software ran under Windows XP. They needed support for their legacy PCI card voltages (5V and Universal) and room for their full length cards.
Legacy Support Solution
CP Technologies was able to support this legacy operating system where many manufacturers were only offering Windows 8. By asking the right questions, we were able to make sure their legacy PCI and other support requirements were met. The system solution was our 3U-D4 Chassis with an ATX Motherboard, SSD, optical drive, and running XP. We provided room for future expansion with PCIe slots, and the system supports their full length cards. Also, our system was very cost effective for their needs.
As a large organization with extensive procurement processes, our customer needed a vendor able to meet their administrative requirements. CP Technologies was able to accommodate this and provide payment terms that met their needs.
On the Road Again…
The system will be used in a lab/test environment at the Arizona Proving Grounds. There is a sister facility in Wisconsin for testing in cold weather conditions. The Arizona Proving Grounds covers nearly 4,000 acres and has a 5-mile oval track. It provides a variety of driving conditions, in addition to other testing capabilities.
CP Technologies has over a decade of experience solving customers design requirements. For more information, see some of our other case studies.
Photo courtesy of the Chrysler Group, LLC.