BEST PRACTICE CASE STUDY
ENCON INSTRUMENTS LTD
About INDEX
INDEX (Innovation Delivers Expansion) is a unique demand-led innovation voucher scheme led that invites Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to apply for a voucher to purchase academic support from one of the 13 Higher Education Institutions in the West Midlands. The project is funded by Advantage West Midlands (AWM), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Innovation Vouchers allow SMEs to purchase academic expertise knowledge to develop their innovation and enhance their business.
The Innovation Voucher scheme aims to build links between Universities and SMEs to create a demand led approach to innovation.ABOUT THE BUSINESS: Encon Instruments Ltd
The Mount
Moreton Street
Prees
Whitchurch
SY13 2EQ
Telephone: 01948 840116
Email: john@enconinstruments.co.uk
Website: www.enconinstruments.co.uk
Main Contact: John Golder
INNOVATION
Electronics
THE BUSINESS CHALLENGE
Radio Linked Data Logging System
Encon’s work in the environmental electronics field specified a requirement for a low-cost radio-linked data logging system to be identified. This requirement was economically met by the use of microcontrollers programmed to meet specific needs.
The Type of Help
The type of help Encon needed from the university was in the design and writing of the programs necessary to achieve their goal. In the past they had found Stafford University outstandingly good in the help given for this type of problem.
The Task.
Their immediate need was to collect data from a number of encoded transmitters each handling up to 16 channels of analogue or digital information being monitored and, transmitting this data to a single receiver which in turn identifies, decodes and processes the data from each transmitter. For them the difficulty was in producing the encoding and decoding software to achieve this. There was systems available to do this but they were too expensive and frequently did not meet their specific needs.
The Benefits.
Developing this system enabled Encon Instruments Ltd to assist their clients in environments that are often difficult and hazardous. Which in turn, enabled them to sell more of their environment monitoring modules. Also it would add to their range of specialist products and could increase their sales in this field by a projected 60%.
Previous work.
Over the past 12 years projects undertaken with Staffordshire University have been varied and numerous and very beneficial to Encon Instruments Ltd. They had included various types of motor controllers, a vacuum control system, a Carbon Dioxide monitoring system, a multi channel Carbon Monoxide alarm system.
They had also produced the software for various pieces of specialist test equipment. Four of the above were with help of government grants the rest were financed by Encon Instruments Ltd.ABOUT THE HEI: Staffordshire University
Staffordshire University
College Road
Stoke on Trent
Staffordshire
ST4 2DE
ABOUT THE ACADEMIC
Professor Steve Grainer, Lecturer Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Technology
Prof Steve Grainer works at the Electronics Design Centre originally funded by the DTI to give advice and assistance to SMEs. This centre is now run on a commercial basis and offers design and prototyping consultancy on a variety of technologies ranging from embedded systems to PCB design and EMC and CE marking