Embedded Software Development

We start from the behaviour the unit must show on the platform: which bus it talks on, which messages it must answer and how fast, what it must do when a sensor, a supply or a communication link fails, and how it must behave during a long mission without a restart. These points are written down as a software requirement set and agreed with you before coding begins.

Control software is developed on the target hardware. Control loops, such as the field-oriented control in our motor drives, are tuned on the real motor and later on the platform's own dynamics. Protection logic, fault detection and the built-in test functions are exercised against injected faults rather than only nominal cases. Communication over CAN-Bus, RS-485 and Ethernet is verified with the counterpart equipment where you can provide it. Long-duration operation tests close each release, and every build is tagged so that the version running on a delivered unit can be traced back to its source.

You receive the firmware images for the unit and, where the product has one, the operator software: the desktop GUI, the browser-based interface served by the unit's own web server, or the HMI on the front panel. The communication interface is documented so that your mission computer or fire-control system can integrate the unit: message lists, data fields, fault codes and the identification data the unit reports, such as serial number and device ID.

The software release notes record what changed between versions and which hardware revisions a version supports. Test software and the test records used to verify a release are part of the package, together with the user and maintenance manual sections that cover configuration, logging and fault handling. Where a protocol is fixed at ordering time, as with units offered in RS-485 and CAN-Bus variants, this is stated in the documentation so that field expectations stay aligned with what was produced.

Our software runs on the communication infrastructures used on defence platforms: CAN-Bus to ISO 11898 and SAE J1939 on vehicle buses, RS-485 and Modbus for serial links, RS-422 and Ethernet for monitoring and remote control. The electromagnetic and environmental behaviour of the hardware the software runs on is designed to MIL-STD-461 and MIL-STD-810, and the software is validated on that hardware, not on a desktop substitute.

The product families show the range. The Mil-Drive-55 motor drive runs field-oriented control with resolver and encoder feedback, dual-channel Safe Torque Off and remote access to status, fault codes and limit switches over RS-485 and CAN-Bus. The PDU-RT5002 and the PowerGuard converters offer Ethernet monitoring with real-time voltage, current and frequency data, output switching and fault logs. The TPS-28 power management unit measures every converter and output from an MCU-based control board. SENTRA-16 reports seat and belt status to the mission computer over CAN-Bus, and the T-Light warning unit is programmed over CAN-Bus or RS-485 with customisable scenarios.