Case Studies
Christie Digital: Media Master Application
Challenge
Christie Digital is a global leader in projection technology and visual solutions for business, entertainment, and industry; and recently wanted to establish a new software group to rewrite their existing suite of media control software for their projection systems.
Solution
Christie Digital decided to leverage ALT's extensive supply of fulltime staff and contractors, and speed their time to market and increase the return on investment - by using ALT's resources to ramp up quickly for this new venture. ALT assisted with the re-design, development, testing, and technical documentation on the project.
Cirrus Logic: USB-DVR DirectShow 9.0 update, driver development package gets WHQL certification
Challenge
Cirrus Logic is recognized worldwide for its expertise in video recording technologies. Cirrus required an update for their USB-Digital Video Recorder (DVR) reference driver package to support the features offered by Microsoft DirectShow 9.0.
Solution
Utilizing ALT's experience with digital video encoding devices and driver architecture, ALT was able to provide an updated functional and WHQL tested driver. This was an enormous return on investment; reducing the time to market that would have been required by Cirrus to ramp up and perform the development and testing internally.
Cogency Semiconductor powerline networking
Challenge
Cogency required a company with immense experience developing custom networking drivers to support their next generation powerline networking system.
Solution
ALT produced a series of USB and Ethernet embedded and desktop drivers and firmware development, and Cogency was able to leverage ALT's immense networking expertise to enable their prototype systems through to final product production.
Elysium Broadband set top box
Challenge
Elysium Broadband needed to quickly and cost-effectively design a next generation set top box system based on streaming audio/video/data communications all through Phone System/RJ11 copper wire.
Solution
ALT was selected by Elysium to fulfill their software engineering and assist with their hardware design requirements since time to market was essential. ALT developed a number of the key components to their next generation set top box system; including a series of audio, video and networking drivers, firmware and applications to enable their hardware and RTOS configurations. Examples of some of the deliverables included IR Remote Driver, I2C bus library software, rate-Adaptive, Asymmetric vDSL driver, TCP/IP wrapping application, and HomePNA driver.
Freedom Scientific PDA for the blind
Challenge
Freedom Scientific needed a comprehensive services firm to support their development of the first PDA for the blind.
Solution
This device runs on the WinCE operating system. ALT provided board support package software and drivers to enable USB, PCMCIA, 802.11, IrDA, audio, keyboard, and PCMCIA/Compact PCI firmware. The software passed Microsoft's requirements for manufactures who wish to display the Microsoft Embedded logo on their product. ALT Software provides a testing and certification services to satisfy the requirements of various Microsoft logo programs.
Honeywell Video Security Systems
Challenge
Honeywell Security Systems' internal engineering resources were completely maxed out and they required a series of drivers and firmware to support their next generation WindRiver VxWorks based security system.
Solution
ALT successfully developed a series of audio, video and computing firmware to support Honeywell's next generation video security system through to final production. Some of the software successfully developed and deployed included VxWorks WindML ATI Radeon video driver to support multiple Radeon ASICs, CD-RW device drivers, PCI-IDE Controller firmware, Intel based LCD display drivers and Intel based AC97 codec audio drivers.
North Sails RM: Step Motor Controller
Challenge
As the world leader in racing and cruising sail making, North Sails required an update to their older sail making machine which consisted of manually adjusted thread laying arms used in the creation of a sail.
Solution
ALT Software developed an application based on a proven legacy design for JK Microsystems LogicFlex single board computer that would communicate over a network to control step motors on each of the thread arms to speed up production and automate the process. ALT developed the board-level software and assisted with the onsite integration. This automated process was then migrated and installed on a new sail making system capable of three times the production of the original machine. At less than $200.00 per unit these small boards can be considered an alternative to expensive industrial PLC controllers and PC based alternatives for system control applications.
RPC Electronics and Silicon Turnkey Express for industrial control electronics
Challenge
RPC Electronics and Silicon Turnkey Express required a company with significant audio, video, graphics and networking expertise to assist with low-level software design and development for their customers' industrial control electronics hardware engineering requirements.
Solution
ALT has supported RPC Electronics and STx customers with full integration and system level engineering development pertaining to their customer's audio, video, networking and graphics prototype development. Rather than spend internal resources to ramp up a strong software engineering team, RPC Electronics and Silicon Turnkey Express continue to leverage ALT's existing infrastructure including technical support, FAEs, and large engineering resources.
Spectrix diffuse infrared networking
Challenge
Spectrix Corporation needed to develop a series of prototype diffuse infrared networking systems that required firmware and driver development.
Solution
Diffuse optical is omni directional just like RF transmissions using infrared signals. This specialized optical technology is the network of choice for many wireless applications in situations where wireless RF is unsuitable or undesired because of security, interference, or safety problems. Rather than stepping out of their core hardware engineering competency, Spectrix outsourced their software development to ALT to utilze their extensive wireless development expertise. ALT provided a series of drivers and firmware development to enable the Spectrix devices to function on a number of different Windows operating systems. ALT developed and WHQL certified a number of custom drivers based on a variety of different hardware configurations.
ALT Software Inc.