Building Technology
FROM DRIVE TO CONNECTED ACTUATOR
A manufacturer of roller shutter and sun protection systems gets a Wi-Fi-enabled actuator – without any in-house electronics development.
Project / Client
The client manufactures roller shutter and sun protection systems and sells them traditionally through specialist dealers.
Between July 2019 and December 2020, the client commissioned IOX in nine individual steps: an initial project, a deep-dive, a dedicated maturation phase for the circuit board, a second, larger development phase and, finally, a documented handover.
The Situation
The client brought mechanics, sales and an established brand for roller shutter and sun protection systems. What it lacked was in-house electronics development for a Wi-Fi-enabled control unit.
The Key Question
How does a mechanical roller shutter drive become a Wi-Fi-enabled actuator without the client first having to build up its own electronics development?
A mechanical drive moves a roller shutter or shade. A connected actuator also has to send, receive and join a Wi-Fi network. Between a working first sample and a production-ready board lies a maturation phase that is often underestimated – and the course of this project shows that phase particularly clearly.
What We Built
PRODUCT: IOX developed actuator hardware with Wi-Fi connectivity for controlling roller shutters and sun protection. Between the first and the follow-up phase, the circuit board went through several iterations: a workshop clarified open points, PCB fixing corrected errors in the board design, and a PCB review checked the result before the next stage.
TEAM: After the second development phase came a separate, paid step: the handover with documentation in August 2020. This is not a cancellation but a handover point at which the client receives the complete documentation. Hardware support in ongoing operation continued until December 2020.
The Result
A Wi-Fi actuator was developed over two project phases, with a dedicated maturation phase for the circuit board in between.
The product was handed over with documentation in August 2020, in a separate paid handover step.
Hardware support continued until December 2020, during ongoing operation at the client.
9
orders between the initial project and the handover
18
months from order to documented handover