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As early as 1996, the company ZF Friedrichshafen AG realized that in the segment of driveline and chassis technology, conventional PCs with the necessary interface extensions are only suitable for visualization and parameterization of control unit data to a limited extent.

For this reason, IXXAT was commissioned to develop a stand-alone solution based on specific ZF requirements. The AZG2000^® developed by IXXAT was very compact, had a monochrome display with a touchscreen and could be connected to CAN or K-Line bus systems. In addition to the hardware, IXXAT also developed the user software with the various transport and diagnostics protocols.

The AZG2000^® was used successfully for 10 years. However, discontinued components, new bus systems, increasing requirements for processing and memory capacity as well as the  desire for a modern color display made it necessary to develop a new unit. Thanks to the fast, efficient implementation of the AZG2000^®, the many years of successful cooperation and last but not least the quality of the products, it was perfectly logical for ZF to also commission IXXAT with the development of a successor.

Highlights of the AZG3000^®:

• Powerful 32 bit micro-controller system
• 7" graphic display with touch panel
• Windows CE operating system
• Support of all conventional automotive bus systems (FlexRay, CAN, LIN, etc.)
• Analog inputs and outputs
• Sufficient system resources for future extensions

Specific requirements:

• Functional and operational compatibility with AZG2000^®
• Very low price level

In the course of development of the unit and to comply with the low price limit, IXXAT extended an existing car-PC platform. The aim was to obtain a platform for our customer ZF which is compatible with AZG2000^® and at the same time extendable. Due to the complex compatibility requirements, further detailed requirements for the new design were developed together with the customer in a concept study.

The new AZG 3000^® is a compact, powerful tool for use in vehicles, laboratories and test benches. As a stand-alone unit, it can be used immediately and provides valuable support for the application, diagnosis and visualization of data.

IXXAT was already able to present the customer with the first fully functional prototypes of the unit nine months after the start of the project. Simultaneously to further tests at IXXAT, qualification of the unit and work on series production, the customer verified the operability of the unit and user acceptance of the end-customers in a field trial.

Minor adjustments and additional customer requirements – as are common with such a complex project – were implemented quickly and flexibly in close cooperation with the customer. The function for the simple update of all programmable components of the unit adopted from the concept study has proven effective. After the release of a new version by ZF, the data are provided to the end-customers worldwide. If the unit finds these data on a connected USB flash drive or FTP directory, the update is carried out automatically.

Thanks to the long-term cooperation with the customer, the close cooperation during the project and the excellent know-how of IXXAT, the project was successfully completed with the first series delivery within a short time after start-up.