RS has launched its embedded software application – making it one of the first distributors in the industry to offer a fully digital and automated software service globally.
Responding to the market need for digital distribution and the ongoing challenge of customers needing to purchase hardware and licenses through different vendors, the innovation will enable customers to buy corresponding software online, delivering downloadable license keys via email in seconds.
This is compared to the typical lead time of 2-11 weeks when bought physically, reducing the time to market and minimising the environmental impact of buying physical software in the form of CD-ROMs and USBs.
’Our customers expect a digital service comparable to the consumer world where digital products are available at the click of a button,” says RS’ Phill Smith, “we listened and we specifically innovated to ensure that the software needed for hardware to run is delivered instantly after checkout, enabling engineers to gain greater value from the many hardware products we have available, while purchasing more sustainably.”
Suppliers Matrix and SEGGER are the first to partner with RS Group on the integrated approach to purchasing. When purchasing the Matrix products, engineers can now access the corresponding Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Matrix Flowcode programme to develop electrical, electronic and electromechanical systems, in a matter of moments.
FlowCode is a visual IDE designed for creating and deploying Internet of Things (IoT) applications. It allows users to develop IoT solutions using a flow chart programming paradigm, where nodes represent various functionalities and are connected to define the logic of the application. This means developers can rapidly prototype and deploy embedded applications without needing extensive coding knowledge, leveraging a graphical interface for intuitive development.
With Embedded Studio, SEGGER offers a multi-platform IDE for managing, building, testing, and deploying embedded applications. SEGGER’s SystemView serves as a real-time recording and visualisation tool for embedded systems. It reveals the true runtime behaviour of an application, going far deeper than the system insights provided by debuggers. This is particularly effective for engineers working with complex embedded systems comprising multiple threads and interrupts.
RS is now a one-stop-shop for organisations buying boards, without them having to approach purchasing departments to set up multiple new vendors.
“The license keys are available globally, with a smooth checkout process that accepts a wide range of payment methods tailored specifically to a certain region,” says Smith.
More at: the company’s software website.
