For Vestas in Spain/Portugal, Spica Technology has designed and developed a new simulator for software upload. The Upload Simulator is developed to work as training equipment for service technicians, towards a correct upload of new controller software on local turbines.

 

The main function of the Upload Simulator is to simulate the PLC of a Vestas turbine with the exact same main controller and sub-components, as the turbines where the new software is to be installed in the field. The simulator hereby helps the service technician to ensure, that he/she has the correct software as well as connection settings towards the specific turbine’s main controller, before going out in the field. Hereby saving service technicians from unnecessary and time consumable field visits, in case of an unsuccessful upload.

Testing environments made for turbines, to replicate certain scenarios is not new to the wind industry. However, testing environments that include hardware (or what we call “Hardware-in-the-loop”) often take up a lot of space and include actual turbine generator components within the loop. With the Upload Simulator it is possible to create a small and easily accessible testing environment, solely based on the PLC components from the turbine. We could therefore design, develop and FAT test the Upload Simulators at our own facility, and help install the new software, before they were shipped in their transportable suitcases, directly to the customer’s own training facility.

With solutions such as the Upload Simulator, we at Spica Technology highly prioritize to not simply deliver requested hardware test-solutions based on delivered specs. But also to go one step further, by quality controlling the solution and ensure that our customer achieves the value, that was expected for the solution to begin with.

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