Engineering Services
FMEA/FMECA:
Failure Modes
and Error Analysis and Failure Modes, Effects and Criticality Analysis are
two tools used in aerospace, the military and automotive industries to gauge
the robustness of a design. FMEA/FMECA are bottoms up analyses that
start with a hypothesis that one device has failed, then determines how that
failure would affect the circuits around the failure as well as its impact on
the system. This analysis is important when concerning system safety, as in
nuclear power plants, military weapons and manned space missions. It is used to
find single point failure that could cause a catastrophic event including: loss
of life, loss of mission, or another major safety violation.
The analysis may
be performed to the military standard Mil-Std-1629. In addition, the analysis
may be initiated at either the system level or the piece part level. *See: FMEA_EXAMPLE
FXO Inc. has extensive experience
in creating a functional FMEA from schematic designs. FXO Inc. consultants
have extensive experience in compiling FMEA and FMECA documents
on aerospace and avionics equipment.
FAULT TREE:
Fault Tree
Analysis
is a top-down analysis of a design. It is a graphical representation of the
components of the system and how their potential failures contribute to a
particular failure. This can be evaluated quantitatively or qualitatively. FXO uses Relex
Software in computing Reliability Prediction, FMEA and Fault Tree.
WORST CASE ANALYSIS:
This analysis is
used to prove that a design will meet all critical specifications while
operating over its required environment and lifetime. FXO Inc. can create a worst
case analysis for an existing design or perform a Design Review on
your analysis. We have used both Extreme
Value Analysis and Root Sum Squared analysis to guarantee operation of spaceborne electronics.
UNVERIFIED FAILURE ANALYSIS:
This analysis is
usually started after an anomaly has occurred in either the testing or the
operation of an instrument. FXO Inc. will create a Fault Tree
of the system that was in place in order to determine a root cause of the
failure. FXO Inc. engineers have been consulted to analyze
a spacecraft component that had failed in space. These engineers created a final report on the
most likely causes of the failure.
Example: FXO Inc.
was asked to analyze a test anomaly on a flight computer during ground
test. The failure looked like it could
have been caused by failures on any of three flight boards. In that case, it may have been prudent to
never use this high value asset and try to build a new unit. FXO found the cause of the anomaly and
tracked it down to the only possible chip on one board that was the cause. This chip was replaced and the flight unit is
in the process of re-qualification.
RELIABILITY ANALYSIS:
The latest tools
are used to solve reliability predictions, FMEA, and Fault Trees.
FXO can perform
Single Events and Effects Analysis (SEEA) on your spaceborne
hardware.
TEST
SOFTWARE:
FXO Inc. can solve test software
issues. We will reuse ATLAS Code or convert ATLAS software to software
compatible with your upgraded test system.
FXO Inc. can write specific programs to speed up the
writing and troubleshooting of your test code.
FXO Inc. has written helper programs to Renumber
and Syntax Check ATLAS code. This
aids in opening up statement numbers to allow other code to be inserted. FXO Inc. can test your ATLAS
code or hardware using Instrumentation Engineering’s IE System 390 MATS machine. Fran O’Connell has over 20 years experience in
testing hardware on this piece of test equipment as well as designing test
fixtures and add on circuits to enhance the IE System 390 MATS machine (See
http://www.ietest.com/).
FXO Inc. can perform the migration
from HP BASIC legacy systems to C-Based systems or HT BASIC systems using the
latest PC.
LabView: FXO Inc.
can develop a test using LabView to test your digital
or analog electronics. FXO Inc.
has used LabView to simulate spacecraft circuits in
order to test electronic boxes to guarantee that the new designs will meet the
spacecraft timing and voltage requirements.
(see:
http://www.ni.com/labview/)
TROUBLESHOOTING:
FXO Inc. can help solve most test
related failures. We have had 100%
success in finding the root cause of the problem and solving it.
Example: We were called in to repair a rack of
equipment that performs a simulation of the bus component of a Mars orbiting
spacecraft. Everything was going wrong
in the simulation. The simulation was
shutting down. The actual spacecraft
was being prepared to make a maneuver and the simulation could not be run. It looked like a nightmare scenario. FXO was called into troubleshoot. Within one
day, we found an open connector that was supposed to be mated to a VME/VXI I/O
board. This was easily repaired. The simulation is still running, and MGS is
still taking photos of Mars!
DESIGN:
FXO Inc. can design new hardware
and perform worst case speed analysis, FMECA, power analysis, as well as
prepare a complete data package. We
have the resources to simulate our digital designs as well as PSPICE the analog
designs. We have experience in making
upgrades and redesigns to existing systems.
FXO Inc. can design new hardware
and software to work with embedded microcontrollers. We are presently (February 2005) working on
the design using the Tern microcontroller (AMD 186 based processor) to control
a science experiment using a C program.
ANCIENT HARDWARE:
FXO Inc. will upgrade or repair
your ancient hardware.
We successfully
upgraded a piece of test equipment to test the spacecraft computer as follows:
o Troubleshoot of a test
rack of equipment that was in storage for 10 years.
o Removed of the Tecmar Computer (8086 based, S-100 Bus with CP/M operating
system)
o Integrated of a Pentium
III ruggedized personal computer running Windows XP operating system
o Upgraded from CPM Pascal
software to Microsoft C with plug and play digital I/O cards
o Made Mechanical modifications
of some of the hardware.
We completed this
design on time and within budget. We can
do that for you too!
We successfully
completed an upgrade from an HP-85 based control computer (HP-85B) to a
Pentium IV computer from ACME Portable.
The HP BASIC software has been converted to HT BASIC. An IEEE-488 card is controlling an HP3561A
Network Analyzer and HP5316A Frequency Counter to take measurements on a highly
reliable spacecraft reaction wheel. The
operator interface was modified from typing numerous commands to an easy to use
Windows graphical user interface.
HT BASIC is
designed by TransEra Corp. see: http://www.transera.com/
The Pentium
Computer is from ACME Portable Machines Inc. at: http://www.acmeportable.com
In addition, we
replaced an X-Y plotter with the same computer and A/D converter. The computer will read the X-Y plot inputs
(-10V to +10V on the Y-axis and -1V to +1V on the X-Axis). From the input voltage, the output plot will
be captured on the computer screen. When
the plot has been satisfactorily captured, the plot image is printed to an HP
ink jet printer. The software makes
allowances for the “pen” to be lifted during the measurement so to capture
multiple test images.
The A/D converter
modules are designed by Scientific Solutions.
See: http://www.scientificsolutions.com/
OTHER HARDWARE:
VME/VXI
components
ATLAS Test
systems
Mil-Std-1750A
microprocessor firmware design, upgrade
Board level
Special Test Equipment (STE)
Box level STE
HP BASIC systems
migration to HT BASIC systems
Request Quote or Rough Order of Estimate from FXO Inc. on your
design or upgrade.
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