Developed a BLE and Wi-Fi Enabled Smart Fireplace Control Platform with Multi-Gas Valve Integration for a Technology Provider
Overview
The client is a global technology provider for the white goods industry, focused on delivering advanced connected appliance platforms. They wanted to develop a smart fireplace controller system with seamless flame control, connectivity, and OEM adaptability. ACL Digital designed and developed a BLE and Wi-Fi enabled fireplace platform integrated with multiple gas valves, mobile connectivity, cloud integration, and real-time control capabilities to support diverse OEM requirements.
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Challenges
Platform Customization Gap
Lack of a flexible fireplace control platform adaptable to OEM requirements
Real-Time Control Complexity
Reliable ignition and flame control across multiple gas valve configurations.
Connected Platform Limitation
Lack of integrated mobile, cloud, provisioning, and OTA capabilities.
Solution
- Designed FreeRTOS-based firmware on Nuvoton MCU to control flame & gas valves in real-time
- Implemented sparking algorithm for gas ignition and interfaced stepper motor for flame control
- Extended fire flame controller connectivity to mobile and cloud using Rainmaker enabled Espressif controller
- Integrated a mobile app & user dashboard with Rainmaker AWS cloud
- Developed a factory provisioning tool to bind the device with OEM
- Performed OTA updates for all controllers connected with Espressif for main controlling & watchdog functionality
- Electrical design validation testing & hardware board bring up
- Developed a simulator test box for algorithm tuning and product-level testing without having an actual fire flame
Outcomes
- Streamlined execution through a single vendor, leveraging end-to-end product engineering capabilities, resulted in the rapid development of the platform within a 4-month timeframe
- Delivered a versatile platform that enabled the client to effortlessly build multiple solutions according to their OEMs' specific requirements
