New PC-based vibration control system boosts performance, lowers costs, leverages Internet

Citation

(1999), "New PC-based vibration control system boosts performance, lowers costs, leverages Internet", Sensor Review, Vol. 19 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.1999.08719dad.009

New PC-based vibration control system boosts performance, lowers costs, leverages Internet

New PC-based vibration control system boosts performance, lowers costs, leverages Internet

Keyword: Vibration

In a move designed to shake up price-performance structures, Spectral Dynamics (SD) today announced a new PC-based vibration control system called Puma (Plate 9). The innovative system breaks new ground in two ways. As an affordable PC-based platform, it incorporates the patented test algorithms and high-end analog circuitry designs used in SD's UNIX-based, workstation-class controllers. Puma is also built around the computer aided test suite (CATS) architecture that offers unique capabilities for running tests "live" on the Internet.

Plate 9Puma vibration control system

Puma is a modular, scalable system designed for real-time processing and control applications. A fully configured unit offers 16 channels of 20kHz input. Each channel uses multiple 60MHz, 32-bit floating-point DSPs for high-speed parallel processing and increased test accuracy. Each input channel also has a dedicated analog filter for full alias protection. This high-performance hardware results in 90dB dynamic range over the entire control loop, a range which no other PC-based controller can rival.

The software for Puma offers two sets of advantages. First, the system inherits the functionality of the UNIX-class applications, which SD has refined through nine generations of vibration controllers. It combines this functionality with the familiarity and broad-based software compatibility of the Windows OS. The Pentium-based Puma is a complete solution for environmental test with comprehensive capabilities for random, sine, resonance dwell, classical shock and shock response spectrum (SRS) testing. In terms of graphic displays, user customization, multi-tasking, test set-up and automation, Puma rivals much more costly systems.

In terms of communication, Puma is without rivals. It is the first in the series of data analysis systems which SD plans to build around its CATS architecture. Based on industry standards such as Windows and object linking and embedding (OLE) technology, CATS resolves the interface, communication and connectivity issues involved in putting a structural or acoustic test online. Authorized users of CATS need only a modem, a networked computer or an Internet connection to virtually participate in a test as Puma conducts it. Puma makes the unedited data stream and test conditions available so that each authorized user can examine, process, store and report data as he/she sees fit.

"Our customers have been asking for a vibration control system that really helps them reduce the length of product development cycles while maintaining, or enhancing quality", says Todd Davis, director of sales and marketing at Spectral Dynamics. "Puma meets their needs because it not only acquires and processes data as efficiently as any high-end control system, but also offers unique capabilities for communication, data sharing and concurrent engineering. For the first time, all the departments involved in the development of a new product can share all relevant test data in real time, without the cost or complexity of dedicated networks."

Puma comes as a fully integrated system ready to run tests right out of the box. It meets all requirements for random, sine and shock testing up to 10kHz. The base system comes with four input channels, one output channel and a Pentium CPU. Puma systems are available now. Pricing varies according to configuration, but starts at $19,000.

For additional information, please contact: Ute Bummel, Spectral Dynamics Inc., 1983 Concourse Drive, San Jose, CA 95131. Tel: 00 (408) 474 1719; e-mail: bummel@sd-star.com