Case Study - Vacuum control system
This project involved developing a compact and cost-effective interface to control an industrial vacuum process from a PC. The goal was to provide a simple yet reliable means of automating a vacuum test cycle with an integral data logging system for traceability and process control.
We designed a custom control board that connects directly to a host PC via USB 2.0, allowing software on the PC to command the process and capture real-time data. The board includes a small number of digital and analog I/O channels, suitable for controlling pneumatic valves and monitoring sensors such as pressure and flow transducers.
This was a low-cost, single-purpose device, built to meet a specific industrial requirement where traditional automation platforms would have been unnecessarily complex and expensive. The USB interface ensured easy integration with existing PC-based control software, while enabling data logging and basic supervisory control.
We handled the entire development process in-house, including hardware design, firmware development, PCB assembly, and basic mechanical integration. The result is a dependable, minimal-footprint solution that automates a previously manual process and integrates seamlessly into the existing workflow.
Typical Applications
This type of low-cost USB-controlled interface is ideal for:
Laboratory and Industrial Vacuum Control – simple valve actuation and monitoring under PC control
Desktop Test Setups – where direct PC integration is useful and full-scale PLC or embedded control is overkill
Niche or Temporary Automation Tasks – small-scale tools or rigs requiring repeatability, traceability, and automation without infrastructure overhead