MIL-STD-1553 has a maximum bus length of 100 meters. Increasingly, we see applications in which the Bus Controller of a system is located several kilometers from a Remote Terminal being controlled. Since these situations are invariable ground based, the technical violation of the specification can be overlooked as long as the system functions in an acceptable manner.
The Excalibur Long Range 1553 Extender is designed for exactly this scenario. It is comprised of two 1553/Ethernet adaptors based on the MACC 1553 Ethernet adaptor, one is attached to the Bus Controller and the other is attached to the Remote Terminal. The two adaptors are themselves connected via Ethernet.
When the Bus Controller issues a command the MACC RT responds within the response time dictated by the MIL STD 1553 specification, at the same time, the MACC RT send an Ethernet packet to the MACC BC which mimics the original command to the remote terminal. Both the Bus controller and the remote terminal are unaware that they are not directly connected to each other.
There are some limitations to this system. For example, there will be latency between the time the Bus Controller send a message to the time the RT receives it. In addition, RT to BC commands will lag by one message. That is when the BC requests data from the RT, the MACC RT must respond immediately – before it has a chance to pass the command and get the response from the real Remote Terminal. This problem can be ameliorated in one of several ways depending on the needs of the system.
Please contact us to discuss the best approach for your needs.