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The Critical Difference

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

When you design with our off-the-shelf system on modules, you receive the attention, service, and support you need to be successful. We never tire of hearing customers tell us how much they enjoy the experience of working with us. This sets us apart from so many other engineering design firms. Our teams’ technical expertise, coupled with our customer-focused approach, mean you can have confidence that we’ll cross the finish line together. And above all, 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 for the life of your product – the entire company stands behind each of our products

Obsolescence Management

Lifetime product maintenance with published PCNs. Plus 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

Critical Link has been supplying SOMs to our customers for more than 20 years

Commited to our Products

Our first SOM was released in 2004 and is still in production, successfully navigating DSP package changes, memory die shrinks, and many other component updates

Quality

As an ISO9001:2015 certified supplier, 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, with options to purchase direct or through distribution, often with standard parts 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:

  • Customers can depend on availability, regardless whether you order 5 or 5,000
  • MitySOMs are 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. Because of this, we work exclusively with silicon partners who have a strong commitment to ensuring key components have at least a decade — and preferably 15 or more years — of availability.

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

Why is obsolescence such a focus for us? Well, first and foremost, 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 EOL a product if the central component around which the module is designed becomes obsolete and a reasonable alternative is not available. We manage all other parts obsolescence (RAM, NAND, etc) as required over the life of the module. Each change is documented through Product Change Notifications, which are made 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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