Modernizing Embedded Electronics and Software for Advanced Optical Equipment

A global leader in optical and microscopy solutions, delivering high-precision devices used in research, industry, and advanced imaging applications. The company continuously evolves its products to meet growing expectations around performance, usability, and form factor.

The client needed to modernize a legacy product by integrating existing functionality into a significantly smaller enclosure while introducing new capabilities enabled by upgraded hardware.

This required balancing physical constraints with performance expectations, without compromising reliability or usability.

At the same time, the product had to meet strict international regulatory standards, including FCC, CE, and EMC requirements, to ensure global market readiness. Minimizing hardware changes was also critical to reduce development time and avoid the cost of redesigning the enclosure.

To achieve the desired outcome, the solution needed to:

• fit upgraded electronics within an existing compact enclosure
• preserve and extend functionality of the legacy system
• ensure compliance with global regulatory standards
• integrate new hardware with existing components
• improve user experience through software optimization
• minimize redesign effort and associated costs

The goal was to evolve the product without disrupting its existing architecture or increasing complexity.

A combined hardware and embedded software modernization approach was introduced, focusing on maximizing functionality within existing physical constraints. Instead of redesigning the product from scratch, the system was carefully re-engineered to fit into the current enclosure while integrating upgraded components and new features.

Advanced PCB design techniques were used to optimize component placement and ensure compatibility with the mechanical structure. At the same time, embedded software was refined to fully leverage the capabilities of the new hardware, improving responsiveness and usability.

The solution also incorporated design elements to meet international compliance requirements, ensuring the product could be deployed across global markets without additional modifications.

Technology stack:

• Embedded C/C++ for firmware development
• ARM Cortex-M7 (i.MX) for processing
• USB HID / VISCA protocols for communication
• Altium Designer 24 for PCB design

The redesigned electronics integrate seamlessly with both new and legacy components, maintaining compatibility while extending functionality. Careful layout planning ensures that all elements fit within the constrained physical space, avoiding the need for structural changes.

Embedded software interacts with the hardware to provide enhanced control and improved user interaction, including optimized visual output and responsiveness. Compliance-related components ensure stable operation within required electromagnetic standards.

Key capabilities:

• Compact hardware design fitting existing enclosure
• Integration of legacy and new system components
• Compliance with FCC, CE, and EMC standards
• Optimized embedded software for improved user experience
• Enhanced system performance without full redesign
• Support for new hardware-driven features

The modernization approach allowed the client to upgrade its product without redesigning the enclosure, significantly reducing development time and complexity. Integration with legacy components ensured continuity, while improved software and hardware performance enhanced overall product quality.

The system now offers better usability and responsiveness, supporting a more refined user experience.

The solution delivered measurable improvements across key areas:

• Reduced development costs, by avoiding enclosure redesign
• Faster time to market, through efficient modernization
• Expanded market access, enabled by global compliance
• Improved product performance, with upgraded hardware and software
• Enhanced competitiveness, through new features
• Stronger product positioning, in premium market segments

The redesigned platform provides a foundation for future product iterations, allowing additional features to be introduced without major structural changes. Continued collaboration supports further innovation and expansion into new markets.

Can new electronics for an optical device fit into the existing enclosure without a mechanical redesign?

Yes. Careful layout planning and PCB component placement can fit upgraded electronics within the constrained space, avoiding structural changes. In this project, InTechHouse re-engineered the hardware of a microscopy equipment manufacturer's legacy product to fit the current enclosure while integrating upgraded components and new features, which reduced development costs and supported faster time to market.

Which standards must a redesigned optical instrument meet for global market access?

FCC, CE, and EMC requirements applied to this optical equipment redesign. Meeting them lets the product be deployed across global markets without additional modifications. In this project, InTechHouse incorporated compliance-related design elements into the electronics, which ensure stable operation within required electromagnetic standards and enabled expanded market access for the optics and microscopy manufacturer.

Which communication protocols and processor were used in the modernized optical device?

USB HID and VISCA protocols handle communication, and an ARM Cortex-M7 (i.MX) handles processing. Embedded C/C++ firmware links the hardware to improved control, optimized visual output, and responsiveness. In this project, InTechHouse refined the embedded software to use the new hardware's capabilities and integrated new components with legacy ones, keeping compatibility while extending functionality.