iControl Box
A Custom Design On a Very Tight Budget
 iControl Networks' iControl Box is the central command center of its online security and monitoring system. A single iControl Box lets you remotely communicate and interact-via a browser on a PC, PDA or cell phone-with a variety of devices, such as motion sensors, window and door sensors, cameras, thermostats, and lighting modules.

The original iControl Box used a generic, off-the-shelf plastic enclosure. After receiving a new round of funding and with a referral from Palm, iControl contacted IDE about creating a new proprietary enclosure design for the Box, a design that would establish a unique brand identity for the company and the product. Despite the additional funding, however, iControl's budget was still tight and, frankly, they were not sure they could afford a professionaly-designed custom enclosure.

Working Within the Contraints
Taking up the challenge, IDE tailored a design and development program that not only met the constraints of the budget, but also gave the iControl Box a sleek look and the unique identity they were after. Using our many years of experience and collaboration, we created a design to be tooled and manufactured in China by a supplier with whom we have a long-standing relationship.

Working closely with iControl on the mechanical interface of the main PCB and RF daughter boards also helped minimize development costs. The IDE design team, consisting of an industrial designer and a mechanical engineer, worked in parallel with iControl's systems engineer on the development of the new enclosure design and the PCB layout with maximum efficiency. Meanwhile, IDE's systems engineer took on the task of researching and sourcing an attractive yet cost-effective antenna.

Solidifying the Design
The IDE team, using 3D CAD, created several design solutions which were then presented to iControl in the form of computer-generated renderings. Once they selected a design, our team refined the concept and generated final renderings for approval. With this approval in hand, our mechanical design team finished the detailed design for the enclosure and light pipe. We modeled the light pipe using optical simulation software, then we physically prototyped it in our prototype facility using high precision CNC machining centers.

The IDE produced the upper and lower enclosure parts using stereo lithography. We then assembled a complete prototype enclosure including antennas chosen from our research and PCBs supplied by iControl. Once iControl approved the prototype, we transferred the 3D and 2D CAD files to the molder in China. IDE also provided complete technical support to our China-based colleague during the development of the production tooling all the way through the evaluation of the first-article sample parts.