By John McHale
GOLETA, Calif. - Officials in the Canadian military went to engineers at Hughes Delco Systems Operations in Goleta, Calif., to develop an electric drive for a quieter and more accurate turret for their new Light Armored Vehicle (LAV).
"The advances in both power and low- level semiconductors, and advances in brushless motors allows hydraulic power systems to be replaced by electric power drives," says Hughes Delco engineer Scott Walker.
Hydraulic systems have a somewhat lower initial price, but cost more to maintain than electric drives, which consume much less power than hydraulic drives are better for users who run the turret with the engine off.
Under the turret-stabilization system the gun stays still and does not drift, unlike hydraulic turrets. The electronics adjust to terrain and keep the gun steady.
Spinning-mass gyros sense the gun and turret rotation, and feed the information to a digital signal processor that calculates commands to power electronics. These power electronics use high-power FETs and planar magnetic technology.
