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.
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 maintain special purpose spacecraft simulation
equipment. This unit contains the flight computers that are
used on the weather satellite as well as boards that model the
other systems on the weather satellite. A models computer
and user interface allow software engineers to develop changes to
the flight software on the spacecraft as necessary. Some
spacecraft have been in operation 20 years and as different
systems fail, the software must be changed to work without these
systems to keep the spacecraft oriented correctly.
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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