PXI Newsletter

Newsletter: PXI and Electric Transportation			5/26/2010
IN THIS ISSUE
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From Bob Stasonis, PXISA Marketing Committee member:

PXI System Alliance Links

Welcome to the May 2010 edition of the PXI Newsletter. Our intent is to educate and inform you about how the PXI standard is being used in automated test systems for a wide variety of industries.

PXISA Charter: The PXI Systems Alliance was formed in 1998 to develop and promote the PXI standard. The specific charter of the PXI Systems Alliance consists of three main thrusts to guide alliance activities and focus its efforts.

Promote PXI as an open standard and encourage multivendor support. This includes promotion of PXI-compliant products from multiple vendors as the mainstream components for open systems in measurement and automation.
Ensure multivendor interoperability of PXI products at the mechanical, electrical, and software levels. Maximize interoperability with products and systems built to the core CompactPCI specification.
Maintain the PXI specification, making revisions when necessary. Moreover, maintain 100 percent backward compatibility with products built for earlier revisions of the PXI specification.

Our two main articles in this issue come to you from Pickering Interfaces. In the main article, PXI and Electric Transportation, we investigate the flexibility and power of PXI in testing battery management systems for electric vehicles. Our second article, Testing for the Unexpected Using PXI, explains the need for fault insertion testing during the design and validation of engine control units (ECUs), and how a switching solution enhances test capability in this domain.

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Main Article

PXI and Electric Transportation

As we start the second decade of the 21st century, it is clear that the transportation scene for most people in the world is changing and may change drastically. With depleting petroleum stocks and leaks in the Gulf, the next big “thing“ in personal transportation will likely be electric vehicles, be they a shuttle cart at a resort, warehouse forklifts/order pickers, hybrid vehicle systems, or a full electric vehicle – even the subway trains are electric! JD Powers predicts that hybrid vehicle production for the US market will exceed 1.4 Million vehicles by 2015. Add to that the electric vehicles on resorts, in distribution centers, and under the city as well as devices like the Segway™ and you’re talking a lot of batteries to charge and move us!

This paradigm shift in transportation technology calls for advances in power systems and the ATE systems that make sure it all works before you step on the accelerator. Fortunately for the Test Engineering community, PXI is up to the task.

Thanks to all our readers.
Bob Helsel, Editor
www.pxisa.org

Application Article

Testing for the Unexpected Using PXI

An Automated Method of Injecting Faults for Engine Management Development

What will happen if a fault occurs in an automotive vehicle’s electrical system? Similarly, and potentially on a more catastrophic scale, what will happen if this kind of fault were to occur in a military or commercial aircraft? Key questions, requiring straightforward answers. Fault simulation during the design and validation of Engine Control Units (ECUs) is one method of establishing solid predictions, ultimately ensuring the safety of driver/pilot and passengers. This article explains the need for fault insertion testing and how a switching solution is enhancing test capability in this domain.

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