Test Equipment
For Essential Support
Many clients need one or more sets of test equipment to support their project during initial hardware buildup and checkout and during interface checks with other subsystems and systems, end-to-end system testing and sometimes field or mission operations.
For these purposes and more, Ecliptic often provides test equipment providing digital avionics or RF/telecom functions, or both. For each project, our systems-oriented staff ensures that each test-equipment solution matches well with the overall system design and desired suite of operational scenarios.
Two examples are summarized below. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.
Mars Exploration Rover A (Spirit) and Rover B (Opportunity)
Robotic Arm Electrical Test Equipment
For Phase 1 of this effort, Ecliptic defined the requirements and baseline design for the complex electrical test equipment needed by robotic arm prime contractor Alliance Spacesystems Inc. (ASI) for testing the robotic arms for NASA's 2003 MER missions, which they were building for JPL. This equipment had to serve as an emulator of sorts for the MER avionics well before ASI's arms were ever mated to the rovers at JPL, providing flight-like hardware interfaces, software functionality, fault protection and command/telemetry functions. Ecliptic also designed test equipment for a movable lens cover for the imaging system on the robotic arm. For Phase 2, Ecliptic fabricated and delivered four sets of test equipment, including an extensive user's manual and set of engineering documentation.
QinetiQ-1 High-Altitude Balloon
S-Band Receiving System
To support broadcasting live, color video to the BBC of this world-record-breaking flight attempt, Ecliptic provided seven RocketCamTM onboard video cameras to the QinetiQ-1 high-altitude human balloon project, plus a special onboard video-signal switchbox and S-band downlink transmitter/antenna system. Ecliptic also designed and delivered a special set of RF test equipment — a complete S-band receiving system — to receive the live video signal on the ground over 100,000 feet below and to support pre-flight testing.
