AEROSPACETESTINGINTERNATIONAL.COMAPRIL 2015 |^99
Products & services z
High-speed measurement and recording
of aerospace and defense systems under
test in an accurate and timely manner is not
a simple engineering task. Management and
data security of large files, along with sharing
and reporting the results quickly, are only
a few challenges engineers are facing as
channel requirements increase.
In the 1980s, Müller-BBM connected an
IBM PC to a smart instrument to acquire and
transfer data, store and load setups and create
plots of desired analyses. Since then, the
instruments gradually became less intelligent
devices as the engineer’s interface
transformed into a software-based solution. In
the light of progress in the programming of
user interfaces, the rise of PC’s processing
power and the decrease of cost utilizing it, the
measurement hardware – “frontend” – was
stripped of its capabilities. In parallel, the
demand for higher sampling rates and more
data channels created a weakness: How do we
transfer and store real time data continuously
without loss?
When a multimillion-dollar product is ready
for vibration or acoustic testing, any delay can
have great consequences. Optimization of the
measurement, analysis and data management
processes to quickly provide and share results
drives new system requirements.
Working with hundreds of high-speed
channels is demanding. Transducer and channel
management, accurate signal conditioning,
phase synchronization, reporting speed and
lab integration are all engineering challenges
that can affect downtime.
Data security is paramount; loss of any test
results is not acceptable. In the design and
delivery of two 528 channel PAK systems to
Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale,
California, high-speed data acquisition and
secure recording was the highest priority. The
value this lab provides and the product it
delivers is quality data.SYSTEMS INTO OPERATION
To cure the security problem, technology
needed to repeat itself. The measurement
hardware required intelligence. Eleven PAK
MKII measurement systems, each precisely
synchronized with Müller-BBM’s SyncLink and
connected to the test operation and analysis
workstations, a 28TB NAS for shared storage
and an automated tape back-up library – two
528 channel systems with a total of 1,056
channels – were successfully integrated,
tested and put into operation.
Contained within two standard racks,
each system provides 528 24-bit channels,
each sampled at 204.8kHz in parallel while
maintaining precise phase response across
the entire configuration. An embedded
controller providing intelligence and local
storage to each PAK MKII guarantees data
security in the event of communication or
power loss.
A circular buffer records continuously to
assure every event is measured prior to and
during the test. Integrated signal conditioningproviding a high-powered ICP current for
long cable runs, voltage and accurate DC
measurements are supported and augmented
by buffered analog outputs. An optimized
network with transfer rates to 400MB/s
supports the automated reporting and data
export executed at test completion.THE USER BENEFITS
Customers benefit from industry-first data
management to guarantee measurement
security and integrity for both immediate
and later analysis in various formats. Data
administration from multiple, synchronized
mainframes is transparent to the operator.
The industry standard, modular and
scalable hardware simultaneously supports a
wide range of measurement parameters with
precise channel-to-channel synchronization.
Voltage, charge, ICP, strain, microphone,
temperature and pressure sensors can be
combined and sampled at different rates
during a single test. The beauty lies in
simplicity as the aerospace application-
specific software simplifies the operation and
provides formatted graphics, reports and
quick data availability for review and export.
Simplicity does not have to equal loss
of capabilities. The solution seamlessly
integrates into existing test environments,
cabling, signal conditioning, monitoring
and control equipment. A wide range of
signal input-output interfaces, buffered
outputs and battery back-up has any system
configuration producing results quickly.
System expandability and reconfiguration
are effortless. Multiple mainframe
configurations are easily separated into
smaller, portable systems or combined for
larger test requirements. Again, data
administration and synchronization is
invisible to the operator. zHIGH-SPEED DATA RECORDING
If quality measurement, fast reporting and data sharing are
accepted norms, why are you worrying about losing critical data?
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RIGHT: Measurement
test setup
FAR RIGHT: PAK MKII
acquisition units in the
used 19in racks