Training on a Friday afternoon....

Every so often at Camp Sarsen, we decide it’s time to refresh our knowledge and tap into our manufacturer’s vast resources with a little bit of training.

This week UEI are sharing their secrets about the UEISIM. It's a great bit of kit, and it's one that has seen growing interest over the last few months. So we decided to swot up to make sure we're ready to answer all your questions about the hardware and how it works.

The UEISIM is available on PPC Cube, GigE Cube and RACKtangle platforms

In basic terms, the UEISIM turns a PowerDNx Ethernet data acquisition module into a target on which you can run Simulink models and read/write physical I/O. It offers Simulink users a flexible I/O target for real time applications like simulation model verification, rapid prototyping, and hardware-in-the-loop testing. You can use it to experiment with control system design, signal processing, data acquisition and similar tasks directly from the Simulink environment, without the need to use any additional tools.

We will be delving into UEISIM nitty-gritty this afternoon, looking at the software, I/O capabilities, deployment scenarios, ruggedisation, chassis design and connectivity ports and interfaces.

If our brains are still intact after all then give us a call to:
a) test us, or
b) discuss your Simulink application!

T - +44 1672 511166
E - info@sarsen.net

Have a great weekend!

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance". Confucius

Sarsen Wishes Debbie Simpson Best of Luck at the Start of the Marathon des Sables

Following our blog post from last summer, the time has finally arrived for Debbie Simpson to make her way to the start line of the Marathon des Sables.

Debbie leaves for Morocco tomorrow, reaching the Sahara by Friday. She will have some time to prepare in camp on Saturday, completing her admin and medical checks, and then the race begins Sunday 7th April, finishing Saturday 12th... 156 miles in total!

The MdS began in 1986, after Frenchman Patrick Bauer, at the age of 28, set off alone across an uninhabited section of the Sahara carrying a pack weighing 35kg containing all his food and water. He travelled on foot for 12 days and covered 350km. From this experience sprang his idea to set up the challenge which became known as the Marathon des Sables.

“After a year of training in which I've run, jogged, trotted, shuffled, stumbled and trudged 1500-2000 miles I am relieved to be contemplating the start line injury-free ... not so delighted with my starting pack of around 10kg - trying to run with the equivalent of 10 bags of sugar is not fun but I'll look forward to my pack getting lighter as the miles tick by ...”.

Debbie's kit weighs around 10kg at the start of the race

Debbie is raising money for Facing Africa, a charity that funds life-saving surgery for children affected by Noma. Noma is a gangrenous infection of the face, which leads to tissue destruction and ulceration. The progression of the disease can be halted with the use of antibiotics and improved nutrition; however, its physical effects are permanent and require reconstructive plastic surgery to repair. This is why charities like Facing Africa are so important.

“A huge thank you to everyone for your amazingly generous sponsorship - my total is now over £11,000, including the £5000 from Sarsen Technology. This is enough to fund surgery for more than 15 children afflicted with Noma. Heartfelt thanks to everyone for the wonderful support over the past year, so many people in numerous ways have encouraged, advised, teased, questioned, fed and hugged me .. How could I possibly not succeed? ”

We will catch up with Debbie when she returns to the UK to find out how she got on in the equivalent of six regular marathons!

Debbie, the Sarsen Team wish you the best of luck!!

Military Simulator Technology from UEI

When someone says “Simulator” most people immediately think “Flight Simulator”.

However, simulators are now also used to train ‘drivers’ on fire trucks, tanks, military ground vehicles and even conventional and nuclear power plants. Military trainers in particular are basing much of their driver training on very complex and realistic simulators.

The simulator can provide a realistic experience of driving a tank, personnel carrier, or MRAP in a convoy at night while under attack. These are very real conditions that are very difficult to train for in actual vehicles. The combination of small footprint and real-time update speed make the United Electronic Industries (UEI) RACKtangle an ideal ground vehicle simulator solution.

Interestingly, UEI’s wide selection of I/O capabilities is often more critical in ground simulators than flight. In addition to the standard analog and digital I/O, most military ground simulators also require a combination of serial, CAN, ARINC-429 and/or MIL-STD-1553. UEI offer support for all these functions through their range of boards and chassis.

The UEI RACKtangle I/O chassis has been selected by FlightSafety International as the computer-based I/O hardware for future flight simulators. The UEI system provides the interface between the controlling computers and the simulator’s various systems including Avionics Instrument Control (AIC), Control Loading and Motion (CLM) and Flight Deck I/O (FDK). In PowerDNA mode the system can be almost arbitrarily large - UEI have been used on military aircraft flight simulators requiring greater than 7000 I/O points!!

For more information on how UEI can work in your simulator application, please give us a call on +44 1672 511166, or drop us an email with your requirements.