Beck IPC Offers New Very Powerful Embedded Platforms for Realtime Applications

Beck IPC (Wetzlas/Germany) is very successful in offering embedded platforms for many applications - including IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5-104, DNP3, ...
In order to offer a very powerful platform Beck IPC has developed two new SoM (System on Module): IPC@CHIP® SC1x5 and SC1x8 SoM

Some features:




Due to the compatible API, applications available for the SC143: IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5-101, (soon: DNP3), ... and many other applications, can easily be ported to the new powerful platform!

Click HERE for a two page brochure.
Click HERE for the latest documentation - search, e.g., for SC145

IEC 61850 at the Hannover Messe 2015

Products and Services regarding IEC 61850, IEC 60870-5-104 and other standards can be seen in action, e.g., at these booths:

SystemCorp, Perth, Australia
Booth C35/4 in Hall 13

Click HERE for details and a free entrance Ticket.

Beck IPC, Wetzlar, Germany
Booth C35/5 in Hall 13

Click HERE  for details and a free entrance ticket.

HMS Industrial Networks, Halmstad, Sweden
Booth D35 in Hall 8

Clicke HERE for details and a free entrance ticket.

Another Infrastructure: Are Traffic Lights Secure?

Several experts from the University of Michigan have analyzed the safety critical nature of traffic infrastructures. Their findings are summarized in a paper presented in August 2014:

“Green Lights Forever: Analyzing the Security of Traffic Infrastructure”

Abstract: “The safety critical nature of traffic infrastructure requires that it be secure against computer-based attacks, but this is not always the case. We investigate a networked traffic signal system currently deployed in the United States
and discover a number of security flaws that exist due to systemic failures by the designers. We leverage these flaws to create attacks which gain control of the system, and we successfully demonstrate them on the deployment in coordination with authorities. Our attacks show that an adversary can control traffic infrastructure to cause disruption, degrade safety, or gain an unfair advantage.
We make recommendations on how to improve existing systems and discuss the lessons learned for embedded systems security in general.”

It would be nice to read one day down the street:

“Power Flows Forever” ;-)

Click HERE for the paper.

These findings are to some extend applicable to any application domain with similar topologies. The lessons learned could be applied for power delivery infrastructures, too! Or?

Next time you experience a long waiting queue at an intersection or a power black out: It may have been caused by a security flaw.

Note also: No Power no traffic lights!

Brief Report from the Hannover Messe (after second day)

This is the fifth Hannover Fair for Beck IPC demonstrating IEC 61850 solutions. In 2010 Beck presented the first “IEC 61850 @ Chip”. Now – four years later – the market is looking for easy to use and reasonable priced IEC 60870-5-104, DNP3, IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, … solutions!

The booth at the Hannover Messe in 2014 is quite small – but visited by many experts from experts users and manufacturers of many application domains from all over: Power transmission, distribution, renewable power, virtual power systems, building automation, asset management, …

… Beck IPC is partner of the Smart Grid Forum:

… the booth was visited by almost 100 experts during the first two days:

The key products are the com.tom devices that could be used to collect the process data, process them and communicate the results through IEC 60870-5-104, IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25, cloud portal, … Gateways between these protocols.

In case you want to see the most simple IEC 60870-5-104, IEC 61850, … in action, please visit the above booth C35/7 in Hall 13.

I look forward to meeting you at the above booth.

ABB: “Smart Planning” by “Consultancy Light”

Many advanced technologies for managing electric power delivery systems are implemented for high voltage transmission systems operated by big utilities. The smaller utilities (mainly distribution system operators) usually just follow the “rules” set by the big utilities. To this end: the power and the technology are “flowing top-down”.

The power is now flowing “top-down” and “bottom-up”. The technology needed in the future power system automation requires more than just “copying” the technologies from the big utilities. May requirements are very unique to the power delivery automation – the tools and approaches to keep the power reliably flowing at distribution level are under high pressure.

ABB has started a new group in Germany to offer a three step “Smart Planning” to meet the new challenges in distribution networks:

1. Classification of a distribution network
2. If the load limits are almost reached, the network monitoring phase starts
3. Voltage control and other technologies (e.g., smart Transformers) are considered

This prevents to start with expensive and detailed network calculations as applied in high voltage transmission systems.

Click HERE for the ABB press release on “Smart Planning” [PDF, German, 12 KB].

This “Smart Planning” requires a huge amount of new process measurements (3 phase voltage and current, temperature, power quality measurements, etc) and calculated values. IEC 61850 has the right “smart” international solution that backs this new planning approach.

Get all your data engineered,configured and communicated with IEC 61850. Start now with the basic information shared between the process and the applications to feed control, protection and optimization software with “smart” information. Prevent exchanging tons of data – look for useful and crucial information and not for data. Prevent flooding your control center with useless data flowing “bottom-up” – distributed control will extend the centralized systems of today. It is a combination of centralized and de-centralized monitoring and control that will keep the system stable.

Cooperate with “smart people” to get “smart”" power distribution systems”.

Click on the following links if you want to learn how to get there:

TÜV SÜD Seminars [DE], NettedAutomation hands-on Training [EN], Beck IPC Workshop [EN, DE]

The future of power distribution networks needs Teamwork – to make the Dream work … the dream of a sustainable power system. This team is more than just the experts of a huge manufacturer. Utility experts and consultants need to work together with the vendors’ experts.

SystemCorp Embedded Technology offers Support for IEC 61850 Edition 1 and Edition 2

This is a real good Christmas present: Version 2 of the IEC 61850 Protocol Integration Stack (PIS-10) from SystemCorp is now available!

Version 2 offers support for IEC 61850 Edition 1 and Edition 2 of the core documents (parts 6, 7-1, 7-2, 7-3, 7-4, 7-410, 8-1, …). The solution supports users to integrate Server and Client as well as publisher and subscriber functionality into their own applications easily.

Click HERE for more details.

A new ICD Designer is available as well - new Features are:

• Add customized logical nodes
• Edition 1 and Edition 2 Support
• Export/Import DAID templates
• GOOSE Subscription - compatible with Siemens DIGSI 
• Multiple Access Point
• Unicode Support
• Client CID File Designer
• Quick Validate* function for design

Click HERE for more details of the new ICD Designer.

NettedAutomation is preparing updated and enhanced demonstration examples for the PIS-10 DLL and for the Beck IPC@Chip platform by mid of January 2014.

Stay tuned to this blog to get the latest information also in 2014.

Workshop IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25 und IEC 60870-5-104 am 30. Januar 2014

IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25 und IEC 60870-5-104 in Aktion:

Beck IPC lädt zu einem Workshop “com.tom-Anwendungen für Überwachungs- und Steuerungsaufgaben“ am 30.01.2014 ein

Beck IPC bietet auf der Basis der Beck IPC com.tom-Geräte einen short-time-to-market Schnelleinstieg in die Normenreihen IEC 61850, IEC 61400-25 und IEC 60870-5-104. Wenn Sie die geballte Kombination von bewährten Technologien wie embedded controller sowie genormtem und sicherem Informationsaustausch für den einfachsten, schnellsten und kostengünstigsten Einstieg in diese und andere Normen kennenlernen möchten, dann besuchen Sie am 30. Januar 2014 diesen Workshop.

Die Lösungen sind geeignet für alle Anwendungen, in denen sowohl separate Protokolle benötigt werden als auch für Gateways zwischen den verschiedenen Protokollen.

Die Teilnahme ist kostenlos.

Der Workshop wird von Beck IPC in Zusammenarbeit mit NettedAutomation GmbH durchgeführt.

Ort: Wetzlar | Zeit: 10:00 Uhr – 16:00 Uhr

Klicken Sie hier für das Programm und die Anmeldeinformation

IEC 61850 as a kind of template for Modbus based SunSpec Standard

The standard IEC 61850 has influenced other groups defining domain specific standards like IETF EMAN (Energy Management) and SunSpec Alliance. I have reported on the IETF EMAN group in March 2012. The SunSpec Alliance is new to me. So I browsed a bit their website and figured out that they have “copied” parts of the IEC 61850 information models, remodeled them and mapped them to Modbus registers.

Example: The electrical measurements from logical node MMXU (right) have been used by SunSpec (smdx_00101.xml) to some extent:

Unfortunately the names are slightly different! “PPV.phsAB” in IEC 61850 and “PPVphAB” in sunspec … I would have expected that the names (that carry the semantic) are the same! This would make the mapping between the two worlds much simpler --> reducing the costs …

Path could map to the following Modbus address (as an element inside the value … using the SystemCorp IEC 61850 stack/API):

The mapping of the IEC 61850 model to Modbus could be easily specified in the corresponding SCL file as Private Elements!! This could even be done automatically if the models (the names and semantic) in both standards would be equivalent!! Then a gateway device could offer both protocols (IEC 61850 and Modbus) running at the same time using a SINGLE specification file!

IMHO this is putting some soft pressure on IEC 61850 community! Why? Because why are the vendors implementing SunSpec not using IEC 61850 (the mother of SunSpec … to some extend)? One reason seems to be that it is not easy (and not for free) to get the models for PV applications. Another issue is that the implementations of IEC 61850 stacks/APIs are in some cases too expensive for these vendors.

Fortunately there is a solution available that provides a full set of services and support of any model specified in SCL notation: The SystemCorp Stack/API. There is a free of charge IEC 61850 DLL (for server and clients) available that runs for six months … enough time to evaluate the solution.

With the approach shown above we have implemented a device that is configured by SCL and that runs an IEC 61850 server AND an IEC 60870-5-104 slave at the same time (running on Beck IPC com.tom)!

Please come by at the booth 45/1 in Hall 13 at the Hannover Messe next week.

IEC 61850/61400-25 for QNX available

Please note that the SystemCorp IEC 61850/61400-25 Stack/API has been ported to QNX 6.5 and PREEMPT_RT Linux. You are invited to visit the SystemCorp booth to discuss further details.

Invitation to Hanover Fair 2013 from 8th to 12th April | E-Energy, Smart Grids

Dear All,
We invite you to visit the booth of SystemCorp (Hall 13, booth C45/1).

SystemCORP offers their IEC 61850 (IEC 61400-25) Stack/API for Substations, Decentraliced Energy Resources , Distribution Automation, Hydro Power Plants, and Wind Turbines, to name few.

The communication stack with integrated APIs has been developed by SystemCorp and most efficiently ported to QNX 6.5 and PREEMPT_RT Linux. Both APIs are also supported by the advanced SoftPLC DACHSview++ with realtime targets under QNX 6.x or PREEMPT_RT Linux..

At the booth you will see an overview about the possibilities, how to apply Embedded Controllers to realize most powerful and cost efficient implementations of standards for Protection Relays, Automation Devices, SCADA, Gateways and Systems.

Best Regards,
Your Team from SystemCorp and STEINHOFF Automation

Mr Karlheinz Schwarz, NettedAutomation will be available at the booth to answer your questions related to the standards.

http://systemcorp.com.au
http://www.steinhoff-automation.com

See you there.

Smart Grids at Hannover Messe 2013

An exclusive area “Smart Grids” is dedicated to themed presentations and products spanning all aspects of smart grid technology.

HANNOVER MESSE is more than just an international meeting place for smart grids stakeholders. Thanks to its interdisciplinary and fully integrated format, the event exposes exhibitors and trade visitors to all the key technologies needed for today’s and tomorrow’s intelligent energy supply systems.

Exhibitors at the themed presentations in Hall 13, Stand C45 are:

Advantech Europe B. V.
Beck IPC (C45/1*)
E-Energy Begleitforschung
EuroSkyPark
Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI)
Landis + Gyr GmbH
Magtech
mdex GmbH
Nexans Deutschland GmbH
Operation Technology Inc. (ETAP)
PcVue GmbH
Robotron Datenbank-Software GmbH
SAG
SSV Software Systems GmbH
SystemCORP (C45/1*)
TQ-Systems GmbH (C45/1*)
VDE

Some 40 presentations and discussions are planned for the five days.

Download complete program and list of exhibitors [EN/DE, pdf, 1.5 MB]

* These three companies show their excellence in smart communication systems according to IEC 60870-5-104/DNP3, IEC 61850 and IEC 61400-25: Hardware, Software, Applications, … Gateways.

Workshop IEC 61850 mit dem Beck IEC61850@CHIP

IEC 61850/IEC 61400-25 für die Energie-Versorgungssysteme der Zukunft

Beck IPC GmbH und NettedAutomation bieten einen Workshop zum Thema IEC 61850 und IPC@CHIP^® an.

Termin :
3. Juli 2012, 9:30 - 17:00 Uhr (in Deutsch)

Veranstaltungsort:
Beck IPC GmbH
35415 Pohlheim,
Grüninger Weg 24

Die Schulung vermittelt die wichtigsten Schritte zur schnellen und kostengünstigen Implementierung von IEC 61850 und IEC 61400-25 konformen Geräten und Systemen.

Die Veranstaltung richtet sich an alle, die sich mit der Einführung genormter Kommunikations- und Informationstechnik in der Energieversorgung und anderen Anwendungsgebieten wie der Automatisierungstechnik beschäftigen. Angesprochen werden Entscheider, Anwendungsprogrammierer, Systemverantwortliche und Service-Techniker. Für die derzeitigen Nutzer des IPC@CHIP^® wird aufgezeigt, wie durch eine einfache Ergänzung der Plattform (Stack-API für IEC 61850 von SystemCorp) der Einsatzbereich der Lösungen drastisch erweitert werden kann.

Weitere Details zum IEC 61850 Workshop finden Sie hier.

etz-Veröffentlichung über den Chip [deutsch].

Solvimus bietet IEC 61850 für den Niederspannungsbereich

Die solvimus GmbH (Ilmenau) bietet mit Ihren Steuerungen der auvis-Reihe und dem
Gerät MUC.easy für Smart Metering verschiedene Produkte, welche diese Norm
unterstützen. IEC 61850 wird somit auch in der Niederspannungsebene
verfügbar.

Pressemitteilung zu IEC 61850 in solvimus-Produkten.

IEC TR 61850-7-510 ed1.0 has been published

The new part IEC 61850-7-510 has been officially published:

Communication networks and systems for power utility automation -
Part 7-510:
Basic communication structure - Hydroelectric power plants - Modelling concepts and guidelines

Download the Preview of IEC 61850-7-510

IEC/TR 61850-7-510:2012 provides explanations on how to use the Logical Nodes defined in IEC 61850-7-410 as well as other documents in the IEC 61850 series to model complex control functions in power plants, including variable speed pumped storage power plants. This publication is to be used in conjunction with IEC 61850-7-410 which introduced the general modelling concepts of IEC 61850 to hydroelectric power plants.

This document lays a ground for control devices like PLCs to implement the information interface. One simple implementation could be to integrate an IEC 61850 gateway into a PLC. The gateway could, for example, be implemented with an powerful embedded controller.

The controller would implement the information model and the services like GOOSE for operational status, Setting limits or Reporting of status or measured values:

A gateway could be easily build with available embedded controllers that provide an easy API for IEC 61850 clients, servers, publishers and subscribers.

IEC Standards for the Integration of Wind Energy and Photovoltaic

Dr. Kai Strübbe, Head of Embedded Systems, TÜV SÜD AG, presented some crucial aspects of the Integration of renewable power into the Smart Grids at the Hanover Fair 2012:

The Integration of Wind Energy and Photovoltaic into a Smart Grid
Hannover Messe, 24 April 2012

According to the figures shown in the presentation there are more than 1,000,000 low voltage substations in Germany – most of them are not yet controllable! It’s a huge market.

He said that “IEC 61850 Will Be the Esparanto of the Smart Grid” – Right. IEC 61850 (IEC 61400-25) is a language that is already spoken in the medium and high voltage networks – the huge low voltage domain is next!

There is a huge interest in learning this language and easy to use IEC 61850 hardware and software shown during the fair in Hanover. The crucial questions were on how to implement the standards in a short time to market. SystemCorp and TQ had the right answer.

Download the presentation from Dr Stübbe [pdf, en, 1 MB]

By the way, there are still seats available for the next 3 day public IEC 61850 training in Frankfurt (Germany) from 09–11 May 2012.

 

If you are interested in the training and FREE IEC 61850 development kit DK61 contact us please.

Famous Visitors at the TQ/SystemCorp Booth at Hanover Fair 2012

Reinhard Bütikofer (Member of the EU Parliament) and Ludwig Karg (E-Energy) visited the TQ/SystemCorp booth C45 in Hall 13 on Wednesday (2012-04-25). They discussed the future of Smart Grids (under the headline of IEC 61850 and IEC 61850 embedded controllers from TQ):

Detlef Raddatz and Pritam Munot (both from SystemCorp, Perth Western Australia) have explained the benefits of IEC 61850 stack and API integrated on TQ embedded controllers (ARM 9 and ARM 11) – these products help to “Get Smart Quick”:

Hanover Fair – NettedAutomation Brochure for Download

There is an overwhelming interest in IEC 61850 we are facing at the Hanover Fair 2012. The 47 page brochure from NettedAutomation on IEC 61850 and IEC 61400-25 distributed run already out at the third day!

The brochure is now available for download:

Download the 47 page brochure on IEC 68150 distributed at the Hanover Fair 2012 [pdf, 5.8 MB].

TQ IEC 61850 Embedded Controllers at the Hanover Fair

The following embedded controller are on display at the Hanover Fair; the interest in getting a package of a hardware piece with an integrated IEC 61850 API for servers and clients is huge:

 

Download technical specification for TQMa28 with IEC 61850.

Download technical specification for TQMa35 with IEC 61850.

IEC 61850 at the Hanover Fair

TQ, SystemCorp and NettedAutomation present IEC 61850 on embedded ARM platforms at the Hanover Fair, from Monday to Friday (23.-27. April 2012) - (Hall 13 Stand C45):

The interest in IEC 61850/IEC 61400-25 on powerful embedded controllers is huge! Visitors from all over visited the booth for information or asked for offerings for small and large quantities during the first two days.

SystemCorp, TQ and NettedAutomation at Hanover Fair 2012

IEC 61850 software, hardware and peopleware are crucial topics at the Hanover Fair 2012. SystemCorp, TQ and NettedAutomation provide all three:

• SystemCorp has the right software to get started in hours or days
• TQ has powerful embedded controller that run the IEC 61850 API and
• NettedAutomation provides the education to get Smart People for smart grids

IEC 61850 - Get there first with SystemCorp, TQ and NettedAutomation as competent partners!

IEC 61850 - Mit SystemCorp, TQ und NettedAutomation als kompetente Partner zuerst am Ziel!

Easy, Affordable and Fast Integration of IEC 61850 in Small Devices

High financial and time expenditures for the implementation of IEC 61850 in control systems and other devices prevented so far a broad market penetration of the standard in the lower voltage levels and in distributed power generation. A reasonable and cost effective solution is now available with the Beck IPC@CHIP. The development of IEC 61850 conformant interfaces in power delivery systems – particularly renewable and decentralized power producers and consumers – can now be realized within very short time to market.

The stack and API used on many platforms has been developed by SystemCorp (Bentley, Western Australia), e.g., on the Beck IPC Chip.

A new paper has been written about the benefits of using ready-to-go solutions. The paper discusses embedded controller with IEC 61850 stack and API, DLL and other libraries with IEC 61850 stack and API, … You will find also a brief discussion of the information models for PV inverters (IEC 61850-90-7).

Download the discussion about benefits using ready-to-go solutions with IEC 61850 and PV Inverter models [pdf, 2.3 MB, 18 pages]