Contact Alpha Data sales at [email protected] to discuss custom requirements and find your ideal MCOTS solution today.
Custom Solutions
Alpha Data’s Modified-Commercial- Off-The-Shelf service reuses existing products and designs, providing customers with a customised product.
Modified-COTS (MCOTS)
Modified-Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (MCOTS) is a service provided by Alpha Data that reuses existing products and designs, enabling customers to receive a product that fully meets their needs with minimum Non-recurring engineering cost and risk. Furthermore, existing COTS products can be used to develop much of the final functionality while the MCOTS product is designed and manufactured. This flexibility allows our clients to get their designs into the field or into space more quickly, more safely, and more affordably.
Why have a MCOTS solution?
Risk Reduction
Leverage proven products and decades of Xilinx design experience
Commercial high volume and military high reliability design expertise
ITAR Compliant
Detailed mechanical modelling and simulation
Cost Reduction
Migrate across form factors with universal architecture support – this can be very beneficial given the variety of Small configurations
Leverage >90% existing designs for similar reduction in non-recurring engineering (NRE) (1)
Time to Market
Available COTS hardware solutions for immediate prototyping
Board support packages for quick start with software development
Windows, Linux, and VxWorks driver support
Custom IP support services
No level of customization is too large or too small
The scope of work for MCOTS projects can vary greatly from simple component fit changes, to custom form-factors and extreme ruggedisation — making Alpha Data products adaptable to any environment. Alpha Data has decades of experience with both post-assembly services such as turnkey chassis deliveries and custom IP development.
Modified-COTS for Aerospace: Embedded Case Study
Alpha Data provides this custom solution for a client using a standard version of COTS XMC and adapting it to their requirements:
COTS XMC
(Std version)
Custom Solution for client
Modified COTS XMX + Custom VPX Carrier
Modified COTS XMC
- Functionally identical to COTS version
- Modified PCB outline
- Tin/Lead Solder
- Corner bonding
- Parylene Conformal Coating
+
Custom VPX Carrier
- Custom circuit
- Conduction cooled
=
Complete Assembly Qualified for airborne application
Modified-COTS process:
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Step 1: Requirements
Understanding the customers needs is key to delivering a successful project at Alpha Data. We work with the customer to discover what their requirements are and our experienced engineers will provide advice and suggestions on how to implement their idea.
Step 2: Proposal
In the proposal we will define the customers requirements and suggest the most appropriate, quickest and cost-effective way of to bringing the product to market.
Step 3: Product Design Specification
We will then prepare a full design specification which is used for the implementation phase. (And also for requirements tracking and testing later on).
Step 4: Pre-Production test, Manufacture and Approvals
We work with several carefully selected contract manufacturers in both the UK and the USA, allowing us to manufacture according to the customers needs: quick-turn, high-volume/cost-sensitive, and high-reliability with full part traceability and ISO approvals.
Step 5: Post-Delivery Support
Post-delivery support is a key area in which we pride ourselves. We stand by our product, providing the technical support customers need to get the most out of their purchase.
Get in touch to discuss custom requirements and find your ideal MCOTS solution today! [email protected]
Aerospace and Defence (Embedded)
Alpha Data has decades of experience and a robust product catalog covering the most popular VITA (2) form factors used in the aerospace and defense community today. With numerous products in VME (3), VPX(4), XMC (5), FMC (6) and other form factors for ground based and in-space applications, most customer requirements can be met with our standard commercial catalog. However, when certain communication lane arrangements, protocol standards, environmental requirements, or test criteria go beyond the scope of our catalog, MCOTS can step in to meet even the most stringent requirements.
Common modifications include: DIP Switch hard wiring, conformal coating, BGA underfill, integrated front I/O connectors, PHY/IC placement, custom backplane connection orders, enhanced thermal solutions (heat sinks and fill material), thermal screening, and more.
With over thirty years of technical heritage and a broad experience of providing hardware to aerospace primes, Alpha Data are now building on their technical expertise to manufacture ruggedized, space-resilient components for the growing NewSpace market. With no two space applications the same, MCOTS and products like our radiation tolerant Kintex® UltraScale™ Space Development Kit provide space customers with custom solutions based on proven designs.
Below is an example of an ADM-XRC-7Z1 with MCOTS results:
ADM-XRC-7Z1
Customized IO: ADM-XRC-7Z2
Custom System
Data Center (PCIe plugin cards)
The popularity of FPGA based compute acceleration has exploded in the last 6 years. While the FPGA is an amazingly flexible and powerful computing device delivered in a compact and efficient package, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Alpha Data's product line incorporates 4 generation of Xilinx technology providing a solid groundwork for most computational needs. Product modifications can be quickly and easily implemented and then scaled to data center deployments for unparalleled results.
Common modification include: form factor changes (PCIe width, card height), custom thermal solutions, pre-installed optics, device speed grade changes, front panel I/O additions, custom IC additions, and more.
ADM-PCIE-8K5
Full height ADM-PCIE 8K5
Custom Mounting System
(1) Non-recurring engineering costs are one-time up-front costs for new product development.
(2) VITA = VME International Trade Association
(3) VME = Versa Module Eurocard, a computer bus standard
(4) VPX = V: VME - P: PCI - X: the extents for both buses standards
(5) XMC = PMC with high-speed serial fabric interconnect (PMC = PCI Mezzanine Card)
(6) FMC = FPGA Mezzanine Card
No matter the size and complexity of the MCOTS solution needed, Alpha Data delivers high reliability hardware and outstanding customer support.
Work with us and see for yourself first hand.
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