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The Critical Difference

Every product we sell comes with an inherent partnership – your success is our success.

When you choose to design with one of our off-the-shelf system on modules, you receive the attention, service, and support you need to be successful. Time and time again our customers tell us how much they enjoyed the experience of working with us, and how this sets us apart from our competition. We’re pleased that our products and services have been selected by so many leading OEMs across a wide range of industries.

Why Choose a Critical Link SOM

Product Support

Design and application engineering support is available for the life of your product – the entire company stands behind each of our products.

Obsolescence Management

Lifetime product maintenance with published PCNs, meaning no unexpected rev changes. We manage component EOL and availability issues, removing the burden from your engineering and procurement teams.

US-Based Support

100% US-based development and assembly

Faster Time-to-Market

Average of 6-9 month schedule advantage vs in-house development

Continuity of Supply

Escrow service available for all designs to minimize possible impact from unexpected circumstances

Commited to our Products

Our original MityDSP is still in production, more than 20 years after its release in 2004. During that time we’ve addressed DSP package changes, memory die shrinks, and many other component updates.

Quality

As an ISO9001:2015 certified partner, our SOMs are designed for reliable performance in critical applications and the most challenging environments

Long Term Availability

MitySOMs are built for long term production, with 10-15+ year availability from product release

Industrial Performance

Our SOMs are not reference designs; they are designed for long life in the field with 24/7 operation

Sourcing Advantages

Using a SOM means sourcing one component, not hundreds. Critical Link MitySOMs can be purchased direct or through our distribution partners, and most standard parts are in stock for quick fulfillment.

Flexible & Scalable

MitySOMs are flexible by design, and can be customized to support product requirements and ramp-up schedules.

Security

We offer solutions that meet security standards in the most mission critical environments

Production-Ready SOMs

Critical Link SOMs are production-ready solutions for embedded development teams taking their next design to market. But what exactly does “production-ready” mean?

Advantages of a Production-Ready SOM:

  • Whether you order 5 or 5,000, you can depend on availability
  • Built for long term production, with 10-15 year availability from product release
  • Professionally supported, directly by the team who developed it
  • Our SOMs are not a reference design; they are designed for long life in the field with 24/7 operation
  • Lifetime product maintenance with published PCNs, meaning no unexpected rev changes
  • Commercial and industrial temps
  • Conveniently available through distributors you’re already doing business with
  • 100% US-based development and assembly

>>Download these advantages as a PDF

MitySOM Product Lifespan

Critical Link prides itself on providing long product lifecycles and production availability for our System on Modules. We work with silicon partners who have a strong commitment to ensuring the key components have at least a decade — and preferably 15 or more years — of availability.

Occasionally, we encounter obsolescence issues on our SOMs: die shrinks on memory, PCNs from component manufacturers. Critical Link updates and validates the SOM maintaining both electrical and code compatibility.

Why is obsolescence such a focus for us? Because our customers, and the markets we serve demand it. Our customers’ products are typically available for 10+ years – and because it’s important to them, it’s important to us.

Key facts about our System on Module availability:

  • Critical Link SOMs have 10-15+ years availability at product release, compared to 5, 7, or 8 year availability projections of other SOM manufacturers.
  • Our original MityDSP is still in full production today after its original release in 2004. During its life we have addressed package changes in the DSP, addressed die shrinks in the memory components, and other required changes all while maintaining software and hardware compatibility.
  • Critical Link will only cease production of a module if the central component around which the module is designed becomes obsolete and a reasonable alternative is not available. We manage other parts obsolescence (RAM, NAND, etc) as required over the life of the module with each change documented through Product Change Notifications, which are available on our technical support wikis.
  • Should a product become obsolete, customers are notified a year in advance, giving adequate time to plan end of life buys and ease transition to a newer module.
  • Design engineering and application engineering support is available from early design and development throughout the life of your product – the entire company stands behind each of our products.

 

View lifecycle, status, and key specs for all MitySOMs

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