Patent ID: 8050053

Claim:
An electronic circuit arrangement, comprising: a high or medium voltage process device, a process interface circuitry, and a processing circuitry, wherein the process interface circuitry is configured to receive process signals from the process device, convert the process signals into converted signals and/or digital data, and transmit the converted signals and/or digital data to the processing circuitry, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to process the converted signals and/or digital data, and output the processed signals and/or digital data to the process interface circuitry, wherein the process interface circuitry is configured to convert the processed signals and/or digital data into control signals, and transmit the control signals to the process device, wherein the process interface circuitry is arranged on at least one first printed circuit board assembly, the processing circuitry is arranged on at least one second printed circuit board assembly physically distinct and separate from the at least one first printed circuit board assembly, the at least one first printed circuit board assembly comprises at least one first-type component mounted thereon that has a first innovation cycle, and the at least one second board assembly comprises at least one second-type component mounted thereon that has a second innovation cycle faster than the first innovation cycle, wherein an innovation cycle of a component is an inverse of an amount of time since the component with a given specification and footprint was introduced, said at least one second-type component is mounted exclusively on the at least one second printed circuit board assembly, the at least one second printed circuit board assembly is physically separable from the at least one first printed circuit board assembly such that the at least one second-type component mounted exclusively on the at least one second printed circuit board assembly is removable from the electronic circuit independent of the at least one first printed circuit board assembly, each electrical connection from the processing circuitry of the at least one second printed circuit board assembly to components outside the at least one second printed circuit board assembly is connected solely to the process interface circuitry of the at least one printed circuit board assembly, the at least one second-type component of the at least one second printed circuit board assembly comprises a processor chip.