system software Archives | �ۿ۴�ý

System software for data cleansing – MRO maintenance as the airlines see it

�ۿ۴�ý — Thu, 26 May 2011 10:43:43 +0000

Modern airline fleets have long product lifecycles. However, the system software supporting MRO maintenance must be thoroughly up-to-date – people’s lives depend on it. The complexities of modern passenger and freight travel mean MRO has to be ruthlessly efficient. Specialized MRO maintenance software covers everything from automating servicing schedules to tracking and controlling components for new system designs. Timing is everything, and if outdated embedded firmware is being replaced, the last thing you want is for the project to drift off schedule. If that happens, you want to take corrective action as soon as possible. Linking airline management to component suppliers and maintenance repair shops is one way MRO data cleansing software tools are tackling this problem for carriers. The problem for many airlines – especially smaller ones – is that they feel overwhelmed with the complex MRO maintenance software they are expected to use. It takes a high degree of IT savvy to implement and manage an MRO data cleansing program for even a small freight handling company. For this reason, many operators are turning to companies offering specialised data cleansing services, such as us at �ۿ۴�ý Technologies. Far from increasing operating costs, outsourcing MRO maintenance slashes them, as the carrier no longer has to rely on an in-house IT department. We can also help with another problem – technical documentation. MRO tasks need to be performed quickly and accurately, yet aircraft mechanics spend up to 40% of their time looking up work instructions and flicking through manuals. Along with MRO data cleansing, we also offer a comprehensive range of technical documentation services, covering most industry sectors.

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Problems of CAD Migration in Modern Design

�ۿ۴�ý — Wed, 18 May 2011 09:59:56 +0000

Electronic and are familiar with the problems manufacturers have with interoperability – that is, the smooth integration of various systems and system software applications. Effective data migration and CAD translation is at the root of smooth productivity.

Supply chains are often linked by a multitude of mechanical CAD systems, software applications and file formats. System software providers are all, however, looking for the same thing – an elusive Universal File Format, or UFF, supporting all data systems. Some will say such a thing already exists, with the IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) and STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data) systems. Both are neutral data formats which allow digital exchange of CAD design files across platforms. However, their usefulness as are marred by their shortcomings.

The development of STEP in 1994 led to a loss of interest in improving and developing the IGES system, which STEP was intended to replace. Whereas IGES was developed solely for CAD migration, STEP was formatted to support the product throughout its entire life cycle. However, STEP has so far failed to live up to its expectations, and IGES is still the most common system in use.

However, engineers suffer many frustrations with CAD migration using IGES, with missing surfaces and corrupted files which take hours, sometimes days to put right. 3D CAD translation and file compatibility is an increasingly complex issue, not helped by the IT literacy required to cope with new file formats.

For this reason, many companies turn to us at �ۿ۴�ý Technologies. We provide an extensive range of CAD CAM services, including 3D modeling, CAD migration, CAD translation and 2D to 3D conversion of legacy files.

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Long term MRO Data Cleansing – Necessity or Outdated Legacy?

�ۿ۴�ý — Thu, 12 May 2011 09:14:52 +0000

In engineering, a legacy system is outdated but continues to be used. Common in aviation, aerospace and military establishments, it covers system software as well as mechanical designs and embedded firmware. The MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) of older systems can be time-consuming, costly and counter-productive. Yet it is quite often the only option. You can’t simply replace or update expensive military hardware the way you can a mobile phone or DVD player. Domestic aircraft and cruise vessels are designed to have long product lifecycles – and are often sold on. Factory machinery, once installed, is unlikely to be replaced any time soon; ditto drilling platforms and petrochemical equipment. Legacy engineering is all about maintenance. Not just MRO maintenance, but part obsolescence management and environmental compliance management too. As systems get older, so MRO maintenance gets more unpredictable and involved, with many different areas of authority, both internal and external. It’s all very well tracking down obsolete conductors, but do they obey the latest directives on the WEEE compliance scheme? More importantly, is your MRO data cleansing software as outdated as the hardware it’s supporting? Where external partners are involved, it’s vital your IT system is compatible with theirs. Accuracy is vital in MRO. Data cleansing and conversion of existing files may be onerous, particularly where large fleets are concerned, but it is essential to maintain reliability and ensure public and corporate safety. We at �ۿ۴�ý Technologies offer a comprehensive range of component engineering and data cleansing services. Our MRO maintenance solutions ensure your equipment will run like clockwork, no matter what its age.

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Instruction Manual Design – Know Your Target Audience

�ۿ۴�ý — Tue, 10 May 2011 09:14:46 +0000

Whether it’s work instructions for a new manufacturing system or a user manual for system software you’ve created, technical documentation should always be pitched at a level the non-technical user can understand. This is as true for specialist industrial hardware as it is for consumer products. Whenever you design a new product it should have a full suite of technical documentation. Whether you release it in traditional print form or as a CD-ROM, it should include data sheets, installation guide, release notes and a system administration guide. Underlying all this should be a simple user guide with easy-to-understand work instructions, with links back to the full instruction manual. Design engineers often begin by mapping out a documentation plan, defining the scope, size, required resources and delivery format of the technical documentation they are preparing. Technical desktop publishing software is available to make this job easier, although as with VHDL design, the layout is only half the battle. You need to ensure the written content and graphics are clearly presented and understandable, with short sentences in plain English, and an easily consulted index. When someone is beating their head in despair because the software doesn’t make sense, the instruction manual should enable them to find a useful solution quickly and easily. Whether it’s an online document or published in traditional print form, your technical documentation should be easy to read. Use a Plain English approach, with short paragraphs separated by spaces, and a font size that’s easy on the eye. We at �ۿ۴�ý Technologies offer a full range of technical documentation services, from simple work instructions to user guides incorporating CAD animation.

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Reverse Engineering of System Software

�ۿ۴�ý — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 09:40:44 +0000

Reverse engineering isn’t limited to mechanical engineering and system hardware. Today, it covers system software and even databases. We at �ۿ۴�ý Technologies offer reverse engineering services as part of our application development package. Reverse engineering is highly important to system software designers. Why? Well, programs are written in a language understandable by other programmers, for example Java. However, before it can be used on a computer, the language must first be translated into binary code (called machine code) by another program, called a compiler. All those ones and zeroes are incomprehensible to the average system software programmer. However, machine code can be translated back to a more readable format using decompiler software tools. People think of system software re-engineering in terms of criminal activity. However, reverse engineering does not mean direct copying (which is illegal); rather, it is used as an analytical tool, which the programmer can use as a template to build their own unique design, in the same way PCB designer would. It has many uses: as a learning aid; to create cheaper products; to make software programs more compatible with each other; to bridge divides between different databases or operating systems, and to reveal features of commercial software products which, for whatever reason, have not been included in the technical documentation. Reverse engineering of software is nothing new. In the 1980s, Phoenix Technologies reverse engineering services made world headlines when they used a clean-room approach to reverse-engineer a unique version of IBM’s BIOS (a program stored in embedded firmware, which runs each time the PC is started up.) This led to the first IBM- compatible computers coming on the market.

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Scots use 3D CAD to Save Mount Rushmore

�ۿ۴�ý — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 12:28:52 +0000

A Scottish heritage group has used an advanced new laser scanning technique combining high-speed data capture and advanced 3D CAD visualization technology to digitally document ten endangered heritage sites, including Mount Rushmore. The highly detailed CAD design data obtained from the Scottish Ten project has made Scotland the world leader in historical visualization and documentation. Eventually, 500 sites will be covered over 10 years, with, no doubt, a few system software and hardware upgrades along the way. The Mount Rushmore Monument shoot was conducted with the help of the National Park Service, who were only too happy to supply the ropes and climbing gear. The results mean erosion can be monitored, conservation efforts planned, the park promoted to a wider audience, and pesky tourists discouraged from paying personal visits to Abraham Lincoln. The images achieved by cutting-edge laser technology and 3D CAD visualization software allowed a level of detail never before achieved, though it was not without its hairy moments. Performing close-up scans of the face of a mountain in a tangle of ropes, being buffeted by high winds, is a bit different to your average PCB layout gig. But the results were worth it: point cloud data capture more than 50,000 points per second, data resolution of up to 4 mm, and scanning distances of 0.5 to 300m supplied enough data to keep National Geographic busy for years. We at �ۿ۴�ý Technologies offer CAD animation and 3D visualization services for the most complex of 3D objects, though we’ve yet to meet any Presidents while doing it.

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Advances in Laser Scanning and 3D CAD Visualization

�ۿ۴�ý — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:01:17 +0000

We at �ۿ۴�ý Technologies offer a range of CAD CAM CAE services, using the latest cutting-edge technology. An ambitious heritage project in Scotland is undertaking a 10 year project to digitally scan 500 UNESCO world heritage sites. Using the latest 3D CAD visualization techniques and system hardware has created the most detailed historical data files ever recorded. Laser scanning is the fastest and most precise method there is for capturing complex 3D images. Urban landscapes, geological features and heritage sites are just some of the applications. Scanning from 0.5 to 300 metres, with a data capture speed of 50,000 points per second is possible, at extremely high levels of resolution. The system software allows point clouds to be integrated into other data sets such as photographs, thermal images etc, and even 2D to 3D conversion of archive images. The hardware design for a portable laser scanner needs to be robust, light and compact, and able to survive field exercises without damaging the embedded firmware. In the field, the beam is ‘tuned in’ to the object being scanned, usually from a static position on the ground, or an aircraft (when it’s called LiDAR, short for Light Detection And Ranging). As the surface is scanned, the laser light being returned is analyzed by the system software, which calculates the distance of the beam to the surface of each point. The millions of points are then computed into a point cloud. Complex 3D objects must be scanned from several angles to ensure as much detail as possible is included. CAD visualization by laser has many applications, from reverse engineering to making National Geographic documentaries.

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Environmental Compliance and EMC Emissions

�ۿ۴�ý — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 11:37:11 +0000

Environmental compliance is not confined to the and International Material Data System. As well as the materials used in manufacturing, there is the environmental impact of the system design itself to consider, such as EM (electromagnetic) emissions.

EM compliance is a major issue for any electrical/electronic hardware designer, whether their product produces EM intentionally (as in some digital signal processing applications) or unintentionally, as in computer design. Electromagnetic emissions are released from any system which has a current running through it, either as a series of pulses or a continual stream. If not kept to a safe level they can be a danger to health, causing nausea, headaches, depression, sensory hallucinations and even cancer. However, the risks can be minimized by effective system design and screening.

As with many areas of , the EU has a stringent EMC directive, which all OEMs exporting products to Europe must adhere to. US directives are more limited. The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) ruling covers digital signal processing in broadcasting and telecommunications, while the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) has a protocol in line with the EU automotive EMC directive, which became law in 2006.

All electrical systems must undergo stringent testing to ensure they meet EM environmental compliance regulations. However, around 50% of prototypes fail the first test. New Pre-test EMC system software, similar to that used in computational fluid dynamics, is helping to minimize this.

We at �ۿ۴�ý Technologies offer an extensive range of engineering services for those affected by EMC legislation, from part obsolescence management to DSP programming.

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