Embedded Specialist Syslogic to Supply EN50155 Certified Railway Computer to Stadler

Waldshut-Tiengen January 28, 2015

The embedded specialist Syslogic has won an important contract with Stadler Rail, one of the leading manufacturers of rail vehicles. Syslogic has been an embedded computer supplier for the railway industry for more than ten years. The company has recently been systematically expanding its portfolio of railway-suitable embedded computers.

Certified railway computer for use with rolling stock

Stadler Rail is utilizing the EN50155 certified railway computer from Syslogic as its RCU (Rail Communication Unit). The RCU is the basis for Stadler''s proprietary remote analysis system (Rail Data Services). RDS allows Stadler to be informed at all times about the condition of its trains which enables it to support its customers in maintenance.

Stadler runs the RDS throughout the entire warranty period of its trains, and then, afterwards, offers RDS to customers as a Managed Service. Currently, about 600 Stadler vehicles are equipped with RDS.

The standards of the railway industry are high

The RCU (Rail Control Unit) must meet railway standard EN50155 TX class. To do this, Stadler chose a unit from the European embedded specialist, Syslogic, that was specifically developed for railway applications. The Syslogic computers feature a galvanized, separate storage input and threaded M12 plugs. They also are set up for an infeed voltage of 16.8 to 45 volts and can keep up with electrical feed fluctuations typical for trains. For position determination and data transfer, the railway computer is equipped with GPS and GSM/UMTS functions. With versatile interfaces such as RS232, RS422/RS485, CAN and Ethernet, a flexible system connection is also possible.

An important criterion in the evaluation of the railway computer was the extended temperature range of –40 to +75 degrees. Andreas Büchi, RDS product manager at Stadler, says: "Our trains are used around the world, so extreme temperatures are usual occurrences." According to Büchi, a few KISS compositions have just been delivered to Russia where cold starts at very low temperatures occurred. To be certain that the computers also functioned perfectly under Russian conditions, the Syslogic tests were performed according to the Russian GOST norm which includes cold starts at -50 degrees Celsius.

The railway standard defines not only the temperature range but the ability to withstand shock and vibration as well. Syslogic guarantees high functioning safety at constant vibrations in its railway computers. This is achieved through a smart design, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, ingenious test algorithms.

Long-term availability was the clincher

The clincher for Stadler Rail in selecting Syslogic as its supplier was ultimately the long-term availability of the Syslogic computers, according to Andreas Büchi. Büchi explained that this is particularly important because trains usually have a service life of 30 years or more.

At Syslogic, extended availability for products is already taken into account in the development phase. The company only uses components which will be available long-term. For example, only processor platforms are used which are listed in an embedded roadmap guaranteeing availability for ten years or more. Another reason why the product life cycle at Syslogic is longer than with other suppliers is because it has in-house fabrication and, above all, because of its vertical range of manufacture. Syslogic is one of the few European companies in the embedded sector which assembles its CPU boards itself. The company has its own SMD assembly. Thanks to this in-house manufacturing, Syslogic can make reliable prognoses regarding availability in contrast to other suppliers who, for example, finish a board made in Asia with their own housing. Syslogic sales manager Florian Egger says: "If requested, we can provide form, fit and function for 20 years."