Touchscreen Remote

The Challenge

This consumer product is a touch screen remote that controls a home theater system. The complex sound component of this particular system is built into a reclining chair.

The case is held together with thread-forming screws to allow easy assembly and rework, if necessary, or to change the rechargeable battery once end-of-life is reached.

The remote has several inputs, RF, and IR capability. The remote is powered by Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries. It also has a stylus dock on the right side.

The Solution

Pongratz Engineering was responsible for designing this product from concept to production. The industrial design was generated using a partner consultant. Once the shape was approved, Pongratz Engineering laid out the internal components and designed the PCB outline. The remote has seven molded plastic parts, one which is the translucent IR window molded with a special light-filtering plastic. The case is held together with thread-forming screws to allow easy assembly and rework, if necessary, or to change the rechargeable battery once end-of-life is reached.

Pongratz Engineering provided full product documentation and bill of materials (BOM). The device was prototyped using Pongratz Engineering's in-house FDM rapid prototype machine and then went to P20 steel production molds. Pongratz Engineering coordinated the vendor search and assembled quotes to help the customer decide which molder to choose. The injection molds were machined in China, with tooling needing one round of tweaks to tune in the gating and adjust fits. The tooling was production-ready once second shots were approved.