SPOTLIGHT
Components
Orbital Sciences chooses Boeing amplifiers to sharpen satellite communications signals
Satellite systems designers at Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Va., needed electronic amplifiers that enhance the transmission of very low-level radio frequency signals from orbiting satellites back to Earth. They found their solution from Boeing Electron Dynamic Devices (EDD), in Torrance, Calif.
Orbital awarded Boeing EDD a $10 million order for linearized traveling wave tube amplifiers (LTWTAs), which help satellites send clear communications signals. EDD, part of he Boeing Space and Communications business unit, builds power and propulsion components for space applications.
Orbital Sciences builds low-orbit, geostationary, and planetary spacecraft for communications, scientific, and remote sensing for commercial, civil government, and military applications.
Boeing EDD builds microwave traveling wave-tube amplifiers, passive microwave devices, and ion thrusters.
For more information contact Boeing EDD by phone at 310-517-5400, by fax at 310-517-6451, by post at 3100 West Lomita Blvd., P.O. Box 2999, Torrance, Calif. 90509-2999, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.twtas.com/.
Test and measurement
Teradyne delivers optical inspection equipment to Beijing switching company
Engineers at the Beijing International Switching System Corp. Ltd. (BISC), a division of Siemens JV, in Beijing, needed test and measurement equipment for post-reflow automated optical inspection (AOI). The Optima 7300 inspection system from the Teradyne Assembly Test Division in North Reading, Mass., met their needs.
BISC will take delivery of two Teradyne Optima 7300 systems, which Teradyne officials say is the first of its kind to be used in China.
"We have taken one month to do on site evaluations for the post reflow AOI," says Jia Zhi Yun, department manager for industrial engineering at Beijing International Switching Systems, who was responsible for evaluation and selection of the Teradyne equipment. "The significant factors in our selection of Teradyne was the better performance of the machine and the stronger local support provided over other vendors."
The Optima 7000-Series, based on advanced lighting, camera, software, and mechanics, is a repeatable optical inspection system that can operate at line speed for in-line production.
The equipment features a high-speed x-y positioning gantry and image detection and acquisition architecture that completes the scan, diagnosis, and board handling cycle at greater than twice the speed or more of competing alternatives, company officials say.
The system is designed for high-volume manufacturers who have extreme manufacturing cycle requirements, delivering PCB inspection rates of 7 square inches per second while providing 100 percent coverage for solder and component defects.
Beijing International Switching System Corp. is a joint venture enterprise between Siemens AG and four Chinese enterprises. The company focuses on the manufacturing and marketing of EWSD switching systems and data network solutions, including switching products, access products, network management products, Surpass system for convergence of voice and data services, and system integration solutions for Chinese telecommunications applications.
For more information contact Teradyne Inc. by phone at 978-589-7000, by post at 7/9 Technology Park Drive, Westford, Mass. 01886, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.teradyne.com/.
Board products
ICS boards used in acoustic trials for Virginia-class submarines
Officials at the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), a unit of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) in Arlington, Va., are using Sensorcom Inc. of Annapolis, Md., to supply integrated subsystems, using single-board computers from Interactive Circuits and Systems Ltd. (ICS) in Ottawa, Ontario, for the Acoustic Trials Measurement System (ATOMS).
ATOMS is a submarine self-monitoring system that acquires and processes noise data in real time, ICS officials say. The deployment goal for ATOMS is a loop-feedback system for noise generated at the structural level and from the propulsion system.
At the structural level ATOMS will provide early warning of loose fittings resulting in greater security and reduced maintenance costs, ICS officials say. The propulsion system monitor will provide feedback to the propulsion system's developers for product enhancement, company officials say.
Sensorcom and ICS engineers have already delivered four 6U systems for the ATOMS program. When complete, ATOMS will result in deployment of an acoustic measurement system initially on all Virginia-class new attack submarines. Each ATOMS system uses eight ICS-610 (PCI) analog-to-digital conversion boards.
"Sensorcom is our largest systems integration partner," says Dr. Dipak Roy, the ICS president. "Clearly, the ATOMS program will enable us to continue to build upon the momentum already established between the two companies."
For more information contact Interactive Circuits and Systems by phone at 613-749-9241, by fax at 613-749-9461, by post at 5430 Canotek Road, Gloucester, Ontario, Canada K1J 9G2, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.ics-ltd.com/.
Board products
Northrop Grumman uses Themis single-board computers for AN/TYQ-23 upgrades
Officials at Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems division are using VMEbus single-board computers from Themis Computer in Fremont, Calif., for use in upgrading the portable Tactical Air Operations Command and Control System (AN/TYQ-23) units.
The AN/TYQ-23 is a transportable, modularized, automated command and control system capable of controlling and coordinating the activities of air defense weapons — interceptors and surface-to-air missiles — in a range of air operations, Themis officials say. The units are transported in planes, helicopters, and by land over rough terrain. Northrop Grumman engineers are leading the work to develop, test, and implement the AN/TYQ-23 systems upgrades.
Engineers chose the Themis USPIIi-3V board to upgrade the shelter's command and control systems. The USPIIi-3V combines the UltraSPARC IIi, an advanced 64-bit SPARC V.9 superscalar processor from Sun Microsystems, with as many as three PMC expansion slots, in a high-speed VME64 architecture. The USPIIi-3V was chosen because of its high performance, reliability, and Themis' responsive support organization, Themis officials claim.
Themis Computer's VME single-board computers are being integrated into new systems and are also used to retrofit existing shelters, Themis officials say. The range of Themis's single-board computers include the new USPIIe, the USPIIi-3V, and the USPIIi-1V, a rugged, single-slot UltraSPARC IIi VME engine with expandable I/O architecture. Themis's single board computers have been performance tested to MIL-S-901D, class A standards, with equipment shock loads of 40 G's, company officials say.
For more information on single-board computers from Themis contact the company by phone at 510-252-0870, by fax at 510-490-5529, by e-mail at info@themis. com, by post at 3185 Laurelview Court, Fremont, Calif. 94538, or on the World Wide Web at http://www.ics-ltd.com.
Design & development tools
Pemco Aeroplex uses Avexus software for aircraft repair
Aircraft maintenance engineers at Pemco Aeroplex in Birmingham, Ala., needed software to help them manage maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operations for the U.S. Air Force KC-135, C-130, and other midair refueling aircraft. The Impresa software from Avexus Inc. in San Diego, met their needs.
Built on Oracle technology, Impresa helps to procure specific and hard-to-find parts, to schedule tools, inventory, and manpower required to maintain, repair, and overhaul aircraft, and to avoid or, when necessary, anticipate and manage downtime. Impresa contains specific off-the-shelf functionality for MRO, company officials say.
Pemco selected Impresa to manage its basic heavy shop repair and overhaul, and to support military-standard requisitioning and issue procedures (MILSTRIP) and FED LOG updating at its large operations in Birmingham, Ala., where the company can house as many 50 planes at one time.
MILSTRIP ensures military standards consistency from contracted civilian businesses, and FED LOG is a CD-ROM-based program for the armed services' logistics and supply parts and their reference numbers.
"From legacy integration and conversion, to parts and ordering management, Impresa had everything we needed. Other products we researched had pick-and-choose modules, but Impresa had the whole MRO package," sys Steve Miller, vice president of information services at Pemco Aviation Group Inc., the parent company of Pemco Aeroplex. "Our former legacy systems did not talk to each other. Impresa had the flexibility and capability to tie everything together."
For more information contact Avexus 858-352-3300, by e-mail at [email protected], or on the World Wide Web at http://www.avexus.com/.
