Problem:

A manufacturer of optical emission spectrometers used for monitoring the condition of machines based on oil and fuel analysis needed help upgrading their flagship machine to reduce costs and remain competitive in their industry. The instruments are used in the industrial and military markets to monitor a variety of machines including aircraft turbine engines and marine propulsion systems. The optical sensor electronics/signal processing front-end needed to be replaced along with substantial rework of the machine control and analytical software. The new system had to be backward compatible with the existing sensor electronics for field upgrades and also as a fall-back solution.

Solution:

To meet these requirements, Bytes By Design helped integrate the new CCD-based spectrometer and developed substantial infrastructure, graphical utilities and updates to the analytical software components. Successful completion of the CCD upgrade was crucial to maintaining the company's standing with customers, continued profitability and market share. The instrument continues to play a key role in the early prediction of critical engine problems that can handled routinely on the ground rather than as potential in-air emergencies.