Customer: MDDSystems
Brief: Design a prototype data logging system that transfers sensor data from one end of an aircraft to the other end.
Challenges: Show if data can be transmitted through a complex aircraft structure over wireless.
Solution:
I selected a small single board computer (ESP32).
I designed software to generate a sawtooth waveform that would quickly show if data was missing; you can see missing data very quicky looking at a sawtooth.
I designed software to relay the data wirelessly from one end of a chain of loggers through to the other end and then back to the original logger which sent the data wirelessly to a laptop.
I took a chain of 5 devices to an aircraft museum where I had been given approval to test the design on several aircraft including medium sized passenger aircraft, military aircraft and helicopters.
Unique challenges:
Sending wireless data around a dense aircraft structure was an unknown risk.
Outcome: The tests showed that the prototype design worked flawlessly on all of the aircraft.