FUSE Demonstration Document

Application Experiment Number 25114

Marine Propeller Shaft Power

Meter
Microcontroller Technology Reduces Cost and Improves Performance

TTN: UGCS Ltd

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Application Experiment Abstract

Sea Technik Ltd is an independent UK based company specialising in the design,

manufacture, installation and support of bespoke measurement, instrumentation and control
systems for installation into ships. Sea Technik Ltd markets its products world-wide, and
these markets include Europe, the USA, and increasingly Japan and Korea. The company’s
customers are ship builders and major shipping fleet operators. The company employs 11
employees and has sales of 0.6 M Euro.

The company’s products include a precision ship’s draft monitoring system, ship trim meter,
a ship fuel optimiser and the Shaft Power Meter equipment.

The Shaft Power Meter product is installed on ships’ propeller shafts to allow the output
propeller power to be monitored as part of the overall ship’s fuel usage optimisation control
system. The Shaft Power Meter is a high value system incorporated into 40% of medium to
large sized ships during construction. The current product uses a PC and ‘bought in’ data
acquisition system components to perform this function.

Sales of Shaft Power Meter equipment is reliant upon cost competitiveness as the majority of
sales are to ship builders operating on fixed price build contracts. The objective of the
application experiment was to significantly improve the cost competitiveness of the
company’s product, and to introduce features that reduced the set up, calibration and
maintenance time and costs incurred by Sea Technik in these sales. The introduction of
microcontroller component technology was undertaken so as to realise reduce the complexity
of the overall system design and simplify the precision mechanical assembly of parts of the
system, leading to reduced cost and time required for the manufacturing process. In addition
simplified setting up and calibration processes to reduce commissioning costs, and improved
diagnostic facilities to reduce maintenance costs were delivered.

The improved functionality of the improved Shaft Power Meter product includes.
• Replacing the PC and ‘bought in’ data acquisition system components
• Simplifying the product’s calibration and set-up procedures.
• Providing self checking and diagnostic facilities.
• Reducing the circuit board size and therefore, achieving significant cost reductions
in mounting cost.
• Improving product reliability by the incorporation of additional measurement
• redundancy.
• Improving the flexibility of the product thereby allowing the company to tailor the Shaft
Power Meter system to meet specific customer requirements, and thus improving the
product’s sales potential.

The application experiment was completed on schedule in the planned duration of 10 months.

Through the utilisation of embedded micro-controller technology, substantial benefits have

been realised through a simplified design, reduced costs, improved reliability and improved
system performance. These benefits will enable Sea Technik Ltd to extend market
penetration, building on a solid reputation in the Power Measurement market. In addition, the
company has developed improved knowledge and capabilities in implementing micro-
controller technologies, and the potential to use the technology to develop a wider range of
products targeted at their market sector with the consequential improvement in sales and
employment prospects for the company.
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The total cost of development to the prototype stage was 48 K Euro. The industrialisation
costs were an additional 15K Euro. Based on projected sales improvements the payback
period for the prototype development will be 13 months. The Return On Investment (ROI) for
the improved product is estimated to be 410% over the product’s 4-year lifecycle.

The company’s experiences in utilising the flexibility of micro-controller devices to complete

the project on schedule will be of particular interest to those companies who trade in similar
market places, and will include ship yards, ship operators, marine research establishments
and associated equipment manufacturers. The targeted industrial sectors include general
mechanical engineering (Prodcom Code 2852), general purpose machinery (Prodcom Code
2924), building and repairing of ships (Prodcom Code 3511), and electrical equipment for
engines and ships (Prodcom Code 3161).

Keywords and AE Signature:

Keywords:
Shaft power meter metering
Fuel Saving
Torque measurement
Propeller Shaft
Marine applications
Monitoring equipment
Speed measurement
Marine equipment
Turbine power measurements
Microcontroller

Signature: 2 0192 550 0410 1 3320 1 33 UK

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1 Company name and address

Sea Technik Ltd

15 Glynne Way
Hawarden
Flintshire
CH5 3NS
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 1244 535787

Fax: +44 (0) 1244 538908

2 Company size

The number of personnel employed by Sea Technik Ltd Systems is 11. The company’s
employees are involved in the following disciplines :

Manufacturing 2
Sales / Marketing 2
Development: 3
Administrative 1
Accounts 1
Technical data preparation 2

The company turnover is approximately 0.6 MECU.

The company’s microelectronics experience was related to the development of basic,

discrete analogue and simple digital interface circuitry only. One engineer and two
engineering technicians were involved in this role.

3 Company business description

Sea Technik Ltd Systems provides systems design solutions for the marine and allied
market, and as such has extensive experience in this field. The company has extensive
market knowledge gained over many years, and a strong background in marine engineering.

The company’s products include:

1. Shaft Torque and Power Meters, for the range 0 - 75 MW
2. Precision Draft Meters, for accurate determination of the draft drawn by a vessel.
3. Ship Performance Monitoring Equipment, generally for logging parameters relevant to
optimising fuel use, offering savings measured in tons.
4. Emergency Shut Down equipment, a fibre optic link between Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
tankers and the shore for the safe off loading of cargo.

Besides undertaking the design and marketing of its products, the company undertakes the
in-house assembly, installation, commissioning and maintenance activities required for its

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products. Large mechanical assemblies and bare printed circuit boards are procured from
external suppliers to the company’s drawings. The company also undertakes the
development of comprehensive support manuals for its products.

Sea Technik Ltd markets its products world-wide, and these markets include Europe, the
USA, and increasingly Japan and Korea. The company’s customers are ship builders and
major shipping fleet operators.

Industry code: Prodcom 3320 - Instruments and appliances for measuring, testing and
checking.

4 Company markets and competitive position at the start of the AE

Sea Technik Ltd operates in the marine and allied industries market places, manufacturing,
installing and maintaining a number of products used to optimise fuel consumption and ship
performance within that market sector. The company also supplies specialist measurement
and consultancy services for the marine industry in these areas. It provides both standard
products as well as bespoke products designed exclusively to meet customers needs.

The company’s products include Ship Performance Optimisers, Draught and Tank Measuring
systems, Shaft Power Meters, Trim Meters, Loading Stability computers, Fuel Management
Systems and Port Freight Systems. All of these products are based on the use of a PC and
dedicated analogue plug in card system design architecture.

Sea Technik is well placed in the market with a strong reputation for providing innovative
solution to customer’s problems. It has a world wide market base exporting to Europe, the Far
East ( Korea and Japan) and the North American continent.

Currently the company has 8% of the world wide market share for its products. The main
competitors to Sea Technik Ltd in this market area include Hoppe (Germany), Shoyo
Electrical Co (Japan), McNab (USA) and WDC (USA).

The company’s Shaft Power Meter is a high value system incorporated into 40% of medium
to large sized ships during construction, for the monitoring of the power to the ship’s propeller
so as to maximise fuel efficiency. The Shaft Power Meter is one of the company’s main
products. Sea Technik Ltd has marketed its Shaft Power Meter since the product’s launch in
1989, as both a stand-alone instrument for integration into customer specific fuel
consumption control systems, and as part of the company’s Fuel Economiser system.

Sea Technik Ltd has one main competitor for the supply of shaft power meters in the world-
wide ship building market . This company has approximately 60% of the market share, with
Sea Technik Ltd having approximately 30% market share.

The technological solution employed by the company’s competitor involves the use of two
separated shaft encoders to measure the torsion in the propeller shaft, and to use this
information to estimate power output. The solution uses low cost analogue processing
technology.

Competition in this market is based largely on product price. The price includes the service
contract that is associated with the setting to work in dockyard, initial sea trials and
maintenance support costs. . Typically prices of up to $20k would be charged for the product.

The reduction of product costs would therefore, provide Sea Technik with a large increase in
competitiveness, and a major opportunity to gain additional market share. The cost reduction

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would also assist the company in overcoming variations in price competitiveness due to
exchange rate variations.

Sea Technik Ltd’s shaft meter product uses a different non-contact method of measuring
shaft power. This system is also based on the use of discrete technology, but is inherently
more accurate, has better stability characteristics, and no wearing parts with a consequent
better long term reliability.

Cost competitiveness is difficult to evaluate precisely, because each order is subject to a

specific bidding and contract negotiation process. In addition, each order may involve the
supply of associated services or equipment. However, it is evident that the price obtained by
Sea Technik Ltd’s main competitor for its products establishes the price differential that Sea
Technik Ltd can obtain for its system and therefore, the market is very cost competitive. This
limits company growth.

The major objective of the application experiment was to reduce product cost and improve
system functionality features so as to improve the company’s cost competitiveness. In
particular, the objective was to improve the product’s accuracy, simplify setting up and
calibration procedures, reduce servicing costs, and to simplify the precision mechanical
assembly of parts of the rotor section hence reducing costs and speeding the manufacture
process for this assembly.

Sales (units)
Sales (units relative to

120
115
1996) - %

110
105 Sales (units)
100
95
90
1996 1997 1998

Chart 1: Sales Trend Over The Past Three Years

5 Product to be improved

The existing Shaft Power Meter instrument enables the computation of propeller output power
by the measurement of shaft torque and shaft rotational speed. Torque in the propeller shaft
is determined by measuring the surface strain in that shaft using strain gauges fitted to the
shaft. This surface strain is caused by the twisting of the shaft due to the torque forces within
it and is directly proportional to that torque. Rotational speed is measured via a magnetic
pickup and a toothed ring fitted around the shaft which generates a pulse train whose
frequency is proportional to the rotational speed of the shaft.

The Shaft Power Meter is composed of four main elements: the Rotor Unit, the Stator Unit,
the Data Signal Processing Unit, and the Display Unit. A diagram of the Shaft Power Meter is
illustrated in Figure 1.

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“Dual Ring”
Rotor Assembly

Propeller
Shaft
Stator
Unit

Figure 1: Diagram of existing Shaft Power Meter equipment

The Rotor Unit :- Torque is measured using strain gauges bonded to the propeller shaft. The
signal from the stain gauge is amplified and converted to a frequency signal by a voltage to
frequency converter. The span and offset ranges of this signal are adjusted using multi-turn
potentiometers. This signal is then used to amplitude modulate a radio frequency (RF) carrier
signal which is fed to a loop aerial. The existing design uses discrete analogue components
on a plated through hole ( PTH ) printed circuit board ( PCB ). This PCB is mounted in a large
mechanical housing attached to the rotor unit. Power for the rotor unit is derived from a rotary
transformer with the secondary wound on the rotor unit.

The Stator Unit :- The primary coil and the power drives for the rotary transformer are
provided by the stator unit, which also houses the electronics circuitry for demodulating the
torque signal. Shaft speed is measured via a magnetic sensor mounted on the stator unit
which is activated by a ring of teeth cut into the metal of the rotor unit supporting assembly.
The speed and torque signals are then fed to the data signal processing unit.

The Data Signal Processing Unit :- This unit is comprised of a purchased, commercial
data acquisition card and a PC. The data acquisition card converts the input analogue signals
to a digital format, and transfers this data via an RS232 compatible interface to the 486 PC for
the computation of propeller shaft torque and output power. This data is then fed via another
RS 232 port to the display unit.

The Local Display Unit :- This display unit uses a high brightness vacuum fluorescent
display which accepts data via a RS 232/RS485 interface.

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Photograph 1: Existing Product In Situ in Ships Engine Room

The weaknesses in the design of the existing Shaft Power Meter occur in the following areas:-

1) Rotor board size: The use of discrete analogue circuitry and plated through hole
component technology results in a large circuit board which requires a substantial, dual ring
mounting structure for attaching and supporting the circuit board to the propeller shaft. The
costs incurred by this mechanical assembly represent 38% of the total product costs.
2) Set-up and calibration: With the existing system, set-up and calibration is performed on
site by adjusting the rotor board’s span and offset potentiometers. This has to be undertaken
when the shaft is stationary and the protective PCB cover removed. A dummy bridge is used
to adjust the span control. The zero offset setting has to be adjusted to take into account the
residual strains that remain in the propeller shaft due to bearing friction. The calibration
procedure requires the rotation of the propeller shaft forward one revolution using the ship’s
turning gear and the measurement of the zero reading, and then repeating the procedure by
rotating the shaft backwards. The zero point is then assumed to be mid way between these
readings and the potentiometer adjusted accordingly. The need to access the rotor circuit
board potentiometers prevents calibration data being acquired during sea trials using remote
programming techniques, and adds to the commissioning delays required in the ship build
procedure.
3) Fault diagnostics: Fault diagnostics require the use of standard test instruments and a
process of stepwise testing of the circuit elements. This is a lengthy process.
4) Reliability: Reliability is ultimately governed by the strain gauge which is susceptible to drift
in service and damage in the harsh environment encountered in the ship’s engine room. The
usual practice is to bond two sets of strain gauges to the shaft so that if one set fails the other
set can be connected to the interface circuitry. This however, requires the attendance on site
of a company engineer or agent to connect and to repeat the set up and calibration
procedures for these new gauges.
The introduction of microcontroller technology will also offer the company the additional
benefit of removing the need to source components that are moving towards obsolescence,
and are becoming increasingly expensive and difficult to locate.

6 Description of Technical Improvements

The existing design of the Shaft Power Meter has several disadvantages with regards to
reliability, flexibility, manufacturing costs and ease of calibration. The objective of this
Application Experiment was to address these disadvantages and to produce an enhanced

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system design by using an embedded microcontroller. The redesigned system design is

illustrated in the block diagram of Figure 2. The microcontroller incorporated in the rotor unit
now performs several of the system’s functional requirements using its integrated
peripherals, and this together with the use of Surface Mount Technology (SMT) components
has reduced the size of the board mounted on the propeller shaft significantly.

The functions now performed by the Rotor Unit in the redesigned system include:

1. The ability to incorporate a dual strain gauge interface to measure torque and to provide
sensor redundancy in the case of strain gauge failure.
2. In situ re-programmability so that span and offset calibration can be achieved by remote
software parameter adjustment. To prevent accidental corruption or interference with the
normal operation of the system these reprogramming features have been implemented as
a separate mode of operation (calibration mode). This mode can only be invoked by
inputting a series of ‘hidden key’ strokes into the local display.
3. The measurement of rotor speed via a magnetic sensor mounted on the rotor board.
4. Communications from the rotor unit using a serial port on a microcontroller and a
frequency modulated (FM) telemetry system with data failure feature monitored by the
stator unit.
5. Data processing of strain and speed sensor data to compute the required output
parameters, to generate the display data and to monitor system operation.
6. Transfer of the processed result data via the FM modulator to the stator board.
7. Storage memory for the microcontroller’s program, and calibration data.
8. System watchdog timer functions to provide automatic recovery procedures after power
failure.
9. Monitoring of the main power supply level, the bridge output voltage and other parameters
to increase accuracy and allow in system diagnostics.
Improved voltage regulation of the supply received via the rotary transformer, and added
features including brown out protection.

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 POWER SUPPLY ROTARY PRIMARY
RECTIFICATION AIR GAP AC
REGULATION TRANSFORMER POWER
MODULE

CONFIGURATION
DATA /MEMORY
MICROCONTROLLER
STATOR UNIT

SPEED BRIDGE PC
SENSOR EXCITATION & FM AERIAL & INTERFACE
INTERFACE AMPLIFIER MODULATOR FM to RS232 PROGRAMMING
& AERIAL CONVERTER PORT

SPEED STRAIN DISPLAY

SENSOR GAUGES UNIT

ROTOR UNIT

Figure 2: Block Diagram of the Improved Shaft Power Meter

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The integration of most of the system’s functions into the Rotor Unit has reduced the
complexity of the Stator Unit, so that the functions performed by this unit now consists of only:

1) Power supply generation and power transfer interface to the rotary transformer.
2) FM to RS 485/RS232 conversion to allow a PC or other equipment to communicate with
the Rotor Unit for calibration and diagnostic purposes.

The redesigned system will now be able to interface directly with the existing display unit, as
the display data input is now generated directly by the micro-controller. This has removed the
requirement for the PC. It has also enhanced the system by the provision of additional
features including:

• software calibration
• automatic detection of strain gauge failure and switching to the alternate gauge
• improved fault diagnostic as a result of localised processing using the embedded micro-
controller on the rotor unit.

Photographs 2 and 3: Prototype of the Improved Shaft Power Meter

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7 Choice and Rationale for the Selected Technologies, Tools and

Methodology

Evaluations of the alternative solutions possible for improvement of the Shaft Power Meter
were undertaken with considerations given to the following criteria :- capability to produce the
desired system enhancements, the capacity to reduce rotor circuit board size and cost, the
required design flexibility to enable specific ship manufacturers requirements to be
addressed, the risk associated with the acquisition of new skills by the company, and the
adaptability of the new technology to other products existing within the company. The design
alternatives examined are classified into the following areas.

1. Use of the existing discrete component design to generate improvements in

performance and reduced size by using SMT component technology.

Inspection of the existing systems design indicated that the only method of reducing system
calibration times and of improving system reliability was to increase the functionality of the
rotor board. The technical improvements achieved by the incorporation of more discrete
analogue or digital devices on this board were limited to the introduction of higher performing
amplifiers with better drift and stability specifications, improvements in the RF
communications and power supply link, and the use of additional programmable gain
amplifiers and associated digital control circuitry to provide a programmable calibration
facility. However, this design solution would have required several additional discrete device
packages fitted on to the rotor circuit board. The use of SMT device technology would have
provided some gains in size reduction for the circuit board as well as the benefit of introducing
this new technique to the company, but the estimated size reduction for the enhanced
functionality board was only down to 60% of its original size. This size reduction would not
have allowed the company to remove the use of the dual ring supporting structure currently
employed to support the rotor circuit board. The use of an external PC to process the sensor
data would also have still been required. Therefore, no major improvement in reducing
manufacturing costs would have been achieved by the use of discrete device, SMT package
technology. The ability to introduce customer specific additional product features was also
limited when compared to the microcontroller technology option.

2. FPGA /PLD device technology.

The major application area of digital FPGA or PLD components in the restructured Shaft
Power Meter system was in the counting of the speed sensor pulses, and the control of any
programmable analogue components on the rotor board. The use of an FPGA device to
perform the data processing algorithms and display data generation currently performed by
the 486 PC was not technically viable. As the existing rotor unit circuit board uses mainly
discrete analogue devices and the FPGA device offered no advantages in interfacing to these
devices, the use of FPGA technology would not have significantly reduced the size of the rotor
board. This solution therefore still required the use of the costly dual ring supporting
mechanical assembly and the use of the 486 PC for data processing.

3. Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs)

The Shaft Power Meter is a high value product sold in small quantities. The low volumes of
ASICs required made this technology option an uneconomic solution in terms of the
development, NRE and ASIC unit costs. In addition, this solution does not address the
flexibility criteria listed above.

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4. Microprocessor/ Microcontrollers.

The requirement for a high level of device integration to reduce the size of the rotor circuit
board led to the rejection of microprocessor devices because of the number of additional
integrated circuits required for their external memory, peripheral and interface circuitry.

Microcontroller devices with their higher level of peripheral integration offered greater benefits
in terms of circuit board size reduction and were therefore preferred to the microprocessor
option.

The use of low cost 8 bit embedded microcontrollers allowed the removal of the PC. The
higher level of integration realised a much smaller circuit board requiring only a smaller single
ring mounting arrangement. This factor reduced the costs of the redesigned system
dramatically.

The ability to reprogram the microcontroller also reduced design risks by the use of software
revisions, and provided Sea Technik Ltd with the expansion capability to meet future
customer demands for the product.

The company, assisted by the subcontractor, evaluated the relative merits of using a high-
level language such as ‘C’, compared to a lower-level approach using assembler. Given that
Sea Technik Ltd wanted to develop a detailed understanding of the interaction of the hardware
interfacing to the microcontroller, it was decided to opt for the assembly language
programming for this particular project. Now that Sea Technik Ltd are skilled and familiar with
interfacing and addressing a range of external hardware modules, the next development will
probably use C as the programming language.

The decision to use assembler was also helped by the availability of low cost microcontroller
development tools such as in-circuit emulators and software simulators. Ease of use was
also a prime requirement, and the technological step had to be one which Sea Technik Ltd
could make in a short space of time. Assembly language program development appeared to
fit the bill, and this decision was evaluated as being the correct choice .

The choice of software tool was also dictated by the need to develop ‘custom’ self-test and
installation software. Each ship installation is slightly different, and therefore a basic self test
‘kernel’ is adapted for the particular installation. Writing the self-test code in assembler
allowed for efficient code generation, as well as enabling simple changes which could be
rapidly made.

The system software operates in two modes, viz.:

Mode 1: The normal running mode in which data is gathered, processed and then
displayed.

Mode 2: Set-up, calibration and system diagnostics when data is downloaded to the
system via the local display unit.

The use of the set up and calibration mode greatly simplified the in-house production testing
process required. Whilst it was originally conceived that surface mount devices would be
used, the unavailability of critical components, for example the strain gauge pre-amplifier, in
pin in hole technology options only meant that the company continued to adopt this pin in hole
assembly method. Final design proving testing was undertaken by installing the system on
one of the company’s existing clients vessels to demonstrate the system’s performance
under ‘field’ conditions.

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The choice of microcontroller was dictated by many factors including the following :

• Memory size (ROM and RAM)

• Number and type of inputs and outputs
• Processing speed required, hence clock frequency
• Availability of OTP (one time programmable) and EPROM parts for development
• Unit cost
• Package availability (ie pin-in-hole or surface mount)

The selected choice of microcontroller contained the following attributes :

• 4k ROM for program memory; 128 bytes of RAM for data memory
• 4MHz instruction cycle time
• 8 lines of Input / Output
• Available in OTP and EPROM versions
• Target cost for the OTP part of 4.5ECU
• OTP part available in ‘through hole’ package

8 Expertise and Experience in microelectronics of the Company and the

staff allocated to the project.

Prior to the application experiment, Sea Technik Ltd’s design expertise concentrated on the
ability to configure systems to meet customer needs from a standard range of sub systems.
Typically the company’s designs were configured around the use of a standard PC chassis to
provide the processing power required to implement the required algorithms. The interfaces
to the PC were generally provided by purchased data acquisition cards, although occasionally
the company undertook the design and manufacture of low complexity analogue technology
cards to meet specialised sensor input requirements. The design of these circuits used PTH
devices only, and to support this device technology Sea Technik Ltd undertook the low
volume assembly of the PTH circuit boards.

Sea Technik Ltd’s electronic engineering expertise was limited to the design of simple
analogue interface circuits, and the production of double sided printed circuit board layouts
using a mechanical drawing PC based tool. The company did not use schematic capture and
automated circuit board layout tools. Testing of the company’s products was undertaken in
house using manual testing techniques and basic test equipment. Sea Technik Ltd does not
have an Automatic Test Equipment facility.

The company employs software engineers with high level PC based programming experience
and systems design experience. Sea Technik Ltd did not have a digital hardware design and
development capability, or any design experience in the use of micro-controller devices.

The company allocated the following staff to the application experiment:

• Technical Manager - This person had several years experience in the Royal Navy as
sonar training officer, before undertaking a Computer Sciences degree. He had two
years computing experience since qualifying. In the application experiment this
individual acted as the Project Management
• Engineer 1 - Although this person had no formal qualifications, he had acquired good
analogue design and test skills over 20 years in industry. This person was responsible
for the specification, development and testing of the embedded microcontroller
hardware system.

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• Technician - This person was qualified to technician level in basic electronics, and
had 3 years experience in testing and commissioning existing systems. The
technician assisted in the prototype testing stages.

9 PHASED WORK PLAN FOR THE APPLICATION EXPERIMENT

The programme of work involved in the application experiment is described in this section.
The programme is described in terms of the major tasks undertaken.

Task 1 Engineer Training

This task involved the formal training of the company’s engineers in the selected
microcontroller device, the techniques and methods used for interfacing both digital and
analogue signals into the microcontroller, and the processing of these signals. This training
was complemented by a short presentation to all of the company’s staff on the technology
implementation so that all aspects of concern could be identified prior to project
implementation.

The training was provided by the selected design subcontractor, and continuous training was
provided throughout the application experiment, specifically in the area of the use of CAD
tools for schematic capture and net-list generation.

The planned company engineer days allocated training were 13 person days. The design
subcontractor conducted the initial microcontroller training activity in the first month of the
application experiment. Thereafter the training progressed by considering issues as they
arose, detailed considerations of options were explained by the subcontractor to develop a
‘feel’ for the design solutions, and the knowledge on the methods to be implemented in
delivering the optimum solution was developed. The actual company engineer days allocated
to training were 13 person days.

Task 2 Design Specification

During this task the detailed functions to be performed by the improved Shaft Power Meter
were agreed and formalised, and the implementation methods to be adopted were defined in
the hardware and software design implementations. The specification process defined the
required accuracy of the measurements, the communications protocols, and the final display
format for the system. An important aspect of the specification process was the definition of
all the self test and functional test methods to be adopted in the improved Shaft Power Meter.

The specification phase proved a slightly problematic area for the company. The major issue
was that once the awareness of the ‘power’ of the microcontroller device technology became
fully apparent then options to the Shaft Meter previously requested by customers could now
be incorporated as standard features. This meant that the product specification started to
provide so many non-standard features as to make the specification a complex document.
Eventually, the number of non-standard options to be incorporated was limited to those
considered most important. The specification task was undertaken jointly by the company’s
technical Manager and engineer.

The role of the subcontractor during the task was to provide input into the evaluation of the
specification and in reviewing the documents produced for completeness and adequacy. The
value of the subcontractor’s ability to abstract from the lower level detail entered into by the
company engineers in considering the options put forward and instead to focus on the overall
‘picture’ and to interpret the requirements from this higher level perspective.

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The company planned for 17 person days company effort in this task. The actual expenditure
was 24 person days because of the wider range of options considered by the company.

Task 3 Hardware Design

The system hardware implementation adopted a modular design approach, involving a

number of small circuit boards, to provide a standard, but improved Shaft Power Meter
product.

The company’s design engineer and the subcontractor jointly partitioned the design into the
optimum circuit board level implementation, and defined the detailed interfaces between these
modules. The task involved the development of sensor interface modules, output modules,
and a display module. The partitioning of the design into various modules allowed the
company engineer to undertake the design task for selected modules under the supervision of
the sub-contractor. This not only developed the company engineer’s capability in terms of
micro-controller hardware design, but allowed the engineer to benefit from advice on design
options and configurations as well.

The company engineer conducted the schematic capture and circuit board layout tasks using
new CAD tools procured for the task. The subcontractor support in undertaking this task
meant that the development of the circuit boards was completed without major problems
being encountered.

The role of the subcontractor in undertaking the hardware design task was to advise on the
system design solution, the partitioning of this design into a set of standard modules, and in
supporting the detailed design activity. This design support activity included the provision of
technical advice at the outset of the design task so as to arrive at the correct sub-system
implementation approach, component selection advice, limited design activities, detailed
technical discussions, and the detailed review of the circuit schematics at various stages to
ensure adequacy (especially for the testability of the board). The subcontractor provided the
required inputs in a timely fashion, and the hardware design task highlighted the benefits of
the good integration between the subcontractor and the company’s engineer.

The hardware design task was scheduled to require 43 person days of company effort to
complete. The actual time taken was 57 person days. The variation was largely caused by the
additional time required to produce the layout data and interconnection data information for the
additional low cost modules incorporated in the system design solution.

Task 4 Software design

This task adopted the same basic approach as in the hardware design task; functional
partitioning to each module, module design, and the joint development of the operational code
for these modules. The task involved the development of assembly code, the simulation of
these code modules for correct operation, and the initial software and hardware integration
testing. The software also included system diagnostic tests, and the generation of diagnostic
display data for communication to the display unit.

The task was originally envisaged as being led by the subcontractor with the company
engineer supporting in a learning role. However, the company engineer was able to undertake
a more active role, and was actively involved in the design process. This has meant that the
company engineer can now undertake microcontroller program development independently.

The role of the design subcontractor in this task was to undertake the design authority for the
development process, to jointly develop the embedded microcontroller code. The
subcontractor provided design guidance and advice on embedded software development

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techniques to the company engineer, and advised on the simulation and test methods to be
adopted in demonstrating the code. An associated, and important, aspect of advice was the
methodologies to be used for documenting the code, recording this information, and in
documenting the build mechanisms.

The software design task was scheduled to require 45 person days of company effort to
complete. The actual time taken was 52 person days. The variation was caused by the
engineer’s ability to undertake a more active development role than was originally considered
possible, and a somewhat reduced involvement from the subcontractor.

Task 5 Prototype Testing

The company engineers led this task with subcontractor support when requested. The testing
process was complex, and involved the proving of all of the functional aspects of the
equipment as laid down in the technical specification. The application of the extensive self test
modes built into the improved equipment removed the need for the development of
specialised test equipment to evaluate the performance of the system, and allowed the use of
standard test equipment.

Each of the modules was tested individually, and fault finding and diagnostic activities were
performed at this level wherever possible. This meant that system functional evaluations were
less problematic because lower level faults had been eliminated. The use of standard in-
house Shaft Power testing methods enabled the system performance to be demonstrated.

The role of the sub-contractor in this task was to provide support when requested. The
support was generally in the area of system diagnostics, and design correction when
required.

The company had planned 31 person days for these tasks. The actual number of days was
42 person days. The variation was due to the unfamiliarity with debugging methods for the
microcontroller implementations, the use of two people to distribute the knowledge
development.

Task 6 Technical Management

This task involved the definition of the company’s technical objectives, management of the
project on a day to day basis, subcontract preparation and management, development of
plans for the production and testing of the improved product, and input into the selection of
appropriate CAD/CAE tools. The technical management activity ensured that project
milestones were achieved, and that monthly technical and progress reviews were conducted.

One major activity conducted under the technical management role was the collection of the
large number of data sheets, notes, drawings, and miscellaneous files. This resulted in the
creation of the 'Build File' and 'Technical File’. The first is an internal document that provides
all the information needed to manufacture a Shaft Power Meter, and the second an internal file
that provides all possible relevant information for customer and product support. This was
conducted relatively smoothly because of the advice provided by the design subcontractor in
the design phase of the application experiment.

The task was undertaken solely by the Technical Manager, and required 30 person days
effort. This was as planned.

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The knowledge development process included training supplied by the selected subcontractor
in microcontroller technology and the use of the CAD tools, the provision of design advice,
support and training in the specification and systems design tasks, and by the hands on
activity of designing the hardware and embedded software under the management of the
design subcontractor. Knowledge in testing microcontroller circuits and software was also
developed in a ‘hands on’ manner with the support of the design subcontractor.

Time Plan for Application Experiment

Task Description Project Months
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0
PLAN
Training
Specification
Hardware Design
Software Design
Functionality Testing
Design Revisions
Final Testing

ACTUAL
Training
Specification
Hardware Design
Software Design
Functionality Testing
Design Revisions
Final Testing

Figure 4: Simplified workplan Illustration.

The simplified work plan (figure 4) indicates that the plan originally produced identified a
sequential approach to the major tasks. However, as a result of the modular redesign the
application experiment was conducted as a series of module developments, and this enabled
the hardware and software development to progress in parallel to a large extent. This was
advantageous not only from a knowledge development process, but because the additional
time involved in the specification phase was recovered and because it allowed engineers to
work in parallel on the application experiment. This approach in retrospect is an improvement
over the original plan.

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The resources required to complete the application experiment are summarised in Table 2.

Task Company Company Cost of

Planned Effort Actual Effort subcontractor
(person days) (person days) (K EURO)

Training 14 13 1.6
Specification 17 24 1.8
Hardware Design 43 57 4.8
Software Design 45 52 6.0
Evaluation &Testing 31 42 1.3
Technical Management 30 30 -
Total 180 218 15.5

Table 2: Resources Used in the Prototype Microcontroller Development

The reasons for the variation in resources required from the company have been described
under each task description above.

10 Subcontractor Information

The selection criteria used to appoint a subcontractor includes the following :

• Knowledge and experience of the installation, operational, and maintenance difficulties

associated with marine ancilliary equipment.
• An appreciation of the total ‘product lifecycle’ costs when considering different approaches
to the design of electronic modules
• A working knowledge of applying strain gauge measurement to a ‘heavy’ industry such as
shipbuilding.
• Ability to critically evaluate a variety of software and hardware design approaches, and be
able to optimise the choice based on the total ‘product lifecycle’ costings.
• Experience of designing high-reliability electronic modules that are capable of operating in
a rugged environment without regular attention or maintenance.
• Experience of working with a wide range of microcontroller device families,

Sea Technik Ltd approached a number of commercial organisations and Universities, under
the guidance and support of the TTN. Sea Technik Ltd eventually settled on TI Design as a
company who most closely fitted the above list of attributes. An important consideration was
the approach and attitude of the subcontractor, as Sea Technik Ltd wanted to ensure that the
partnership would underpin the long-term success of the application experiment.

The supporting factors behind Sea Technik Ltd’s selection of TI Design included the following:
1. TI Design had several years design experience in supplying equipment for the marine and
allied industries, including the design of instrumentation and sonar equipment for this
market.
2. TI Design had produced several systems designs based on the use of embedded micro-
controllers, microprocessors and digital signal processors.
3. The selected subcontractor had previous experience of developing products based on the
selected micro-controller, and in program development using both C and assembly
programming techniques.

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4. The use of SMT devices in development projects undertaken by TI Design is a normal

activity, and this capability assisted the transfer of SMT design layout rule knowledge to
the company.
5. Sea Technik had a long relationship with the Director of the Subcontractor Company as a
result of his previous work in sonar systems design. The non-competing backgrounds of
the companies enabled the negotiation of an acceptable contractual Intellectual Property
Rights (IPR) clause.

The subcontractor operated under a formal contract to Sea Technik Ltd Systems. This
contract defined firm deliverables for the contract, and identified stage payments related to
these. There were no problems encountered in the management of this subcontract, and all
deliverables were supplied as required. The company obtained as deliverables all drawings
and code produced by the subcontractor, and under the contract’s terms the company also
obtained the ownership of the intellectual property rights for these deliverables.

The selected subcontractor TI Design was not immediately local to the company (about 1
hour away), but the company identified the previous background experiences above as crucial
for the success of the AE. During the application experiment the subcontractor was at the
company’s site for approximately 40% of the time between specification approval and final
prototype testing. At other times regular e-mail, fax and telephone communications were used
to progress design aspects.

11 Barriers Perceived by the Company in the First Use of the Application

Experiment Technology

The main perceived barriers faced by the company at the outset of the application experiment
were a lack of knowledge, concerns about supporting the technology, and concerns about the
reliability of the system.

The company had no prior knowledge of or experience in using microcontroller device

technology. The company’s knowledge base was focussed on system development using the
minimum of bespoke hardware designed items and the development of PC based software
systems. The company was therefore, not considering the implementation of software in
embedded microcontroller-based circuit boards designed by the company. The lack of
knowledge and awareness of the potential of the device technology meant the company had
not conducted any studies into the product improvement.

When a limited awareness of the benefits of considering microcontroller technology circuit

boards was achieved, the company still had major concerns in implementing such a
technology solution. These included:
• The ability to cost the development, investment and production costs for the development
programme meant that the company was faced by an uncertain economic prospect. This
was not satisfactory for a small company, and prejudiced the company towards
maintaining current technology solutions if possible.
• A concern over the impact in terms of continuing to be able to offer product support to the
client. The company has limited resources in terms of persons available to conduct such
support activities. The risk of encountering several new, unfamiliar system problems
arising in sea going vessels requiring potentially major costs in terms of transferring
engineers to the vessels at sea, additional on-board time, or extensive at-sea trials times
incurring penalty clauses. These risks, if realised, would severely impact on the
company’s profits and credibility.
• Concerns also existed as to whether the technology could realise the performance
required from the system or not. The prospect of investing engineering resources in a

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product that would have been an expensive ‘flop’ was not one that appealed to the
company.
• The existing products produced by the company could be commissioned using standard
test equipment which was familiar to the company’s technicians. The new technology
required new tools for development. The company was concerned that the system testing
would require new techniques not familiar to the company’s technicians, with a higher
prospect of system failure and incorrect set up. This was conceived as an additional risk
factor.
• The appropriateness of the technology for the marine environment was also a concern.
This is a hostile environment, and moving to a new device and system solution could
introduce unforeseen technical problems.

12 Steps taken to overcome the barriers and arrive at an improved product

The initial meetings and discussions conducted with the TTN, allowed the initial technology
awareness barriers to be overcome, and as part of the investigation work carried out prior to
preparing the application experiment proposal, Sea Technik Ltd worked closely with the TTN
to evaluate the best technological route forward. This developed the basic company
knowledge of the technology to a level where the subsequent barriers could be addresses.

By analysing the steps closely, Sea Technik Ltd could start to see that the overall risk
associated with the project, if managed effectively, was in fact very low. However, Sea
Technik Ltd were reassured by the fact that both the TTN and the design subcontractor would
be on hand to ensure that the experiment progressed according to plan. This support was
deemed vital to Sea Technik Ltd, and is one of the reasons that attracted Sea Technik Ltd to
the FUSE programme of work.

This initial consideration process also addressed the company’s concerns over costs,
support and testing methods. The technology selection process led to a view of the
investment costs required to develop the project, and to the scale of the potential economic
returns. These benefits pre-disposed the company towards investing in the microcontroller
enhancement, and the partnership proposed for the development of the product provided the
psychological comfort to move in this direction.

The concerns over testability were reduced by the prospects of being able to apply self-test
modes of operation embedded in the product. This held out the prospect of removing the
need for retraining in the use of expensive new test equipment for the company’s technician
staff. It also addressed the problem of provision of adequate customer support through the
use of simple test menus, which could be operated by the ship’s engineer if required. These
aspects of system design were outlined by the subcontractor at initial meetings. The
company’s confidence in the subcontractor’s marine electronic credentials and experience
meant that this area of concern was reduced significantly.

Sea Technik Ltd worked closely with their selected design and training subcontractor, TI
Design, throughout the application experiment. This mode of operation built confidence in the
company’s management that by closely working alongside their engineers the subcontractor
would assist the development of the required expertise into Sea Technik Ltd. This removed
the frustration faced by many small companies when attempting to introduce new products,
processes or technology because they do not have the resources in-house. The application
experiment provided the opportunity to work closely with experts in the field, thus allowing their
technical staff to transfer knowledge into the company whilst working on a specific application
experiment.

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13 Knowledge and experience acquired

This application experiment has resulted in the development of several new technical and
management capabilities in the company. The capabilities developed include:

1) Technical management skills in the area of microcontroller based product development.

The company’s Technical Manager was responsible for delivering the application experiment
on schedule, and in collating the related documentation to enable almost immediate transfer
into production. This experience, assisted by guidance from the TTN and the subcontractor,
has given the company a high degree of confidence in the use of microcontrollers.
2) System design skills based on the use of microcontrollers. The implemented system has
applied the flexibility of this technology, and the advice provided during the system
specification and system design / partitioning phase by the subcontractor has allowed Sea
Technik Ltd to acquire the ability to develop system solutions independently.
3) Product specification skills including an awareness of the factors to be defined for
microcontroller based product specifications. The lessons learned in defining a major system
specification has meant a significant advance in knowledge in this area.
4) Design skills, including appropriate interfacing methods for microcontroller based systems
and the design, specification and documentation methods for microcontroller embedded
software. The company can now undertake microcontroller design independently.
5) Fault location skills, including knowledge of alternative debugging techniques for
microcontroller systems. The company’s technician engineers have been trained in this area,
and are capable of commissioning the existing system.
6) Improved schematic capture and circuit layout techniques using modern CAD systems.

The design capabilities that the company has achieved have exceeded that originally planned.
Although all of the above issues were anticipated as knowledge development areas, the
company feels that its staff has reached a higher level of competence in each than originally
planned.

In summary, the company considers that it could now undertake the design activities required
to replicate a similar product design independently.

14 Lessons Learned

The lessons learned by the company during the application experiment were:

• The adoption of microcontroller technology led to a much wider implementation of the

device technology in the final product than was initially envisaged. The company’s original
perceptions of limited use were replaced during the application experiment by the
knowledge of the versatility of the technology, and more significantly of the benefits of its
low cost and the ability of the devices to integrate functions that would otherwise have
required several discrete devices. This aspect of the technology was unexpected, and a
significant lesson learned for future product developments.
• Originally the company’s perceptions were that the benefits of the cost saving would be
related to the elimination of mechanical assemblies, PC removal and set up time
reductions. This development however, indicated that no cost increases for the
assembled microelectronics occurred when the simplification of the test procedures was
also considered.

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• The company now appreciates the full benefits to be derived from the ability to include self
test modes into the product by the use of appropriate software programmes. This
unexpected benefit derived from the use of self test features in the product were the ability
to avoid developing new production test jigs for final product functional test, the ability to
interrogate the system whilst at sea using remote telecommunications links saving
substantial sums in travelling costs, as well as reduced commissioning time.
• The company had to adopt new design management processes for this application
experiment. The design implementation required the use of assembly programming and
new CAD system, and the procedures adopted for previous PC software developments
were no longer appropriate. The company managed this process by the use of monthly
management reviews which allowed a firm understanding of progress and low level
implementation methods to be gained on a continuing basis, and thereby to maintain
progress to schedule.
• The company has also learned of the benefits of adopting a complete systems and
production planning approach at the outset of the application experiment. The importance
of clear specifications based on these considerations was important in realising the
product design on schedule.
• The company has expanded the electronics supplier base for the new product, and now
appreciates the technical support / seminar availability etc, from this source to maintain its
skill base.

15 Resulting Product, Its Industrialisation, And Internal Replication

The improved Shaft Power meter is operational. The first unit was made available for sale in
April 1999, and already 3 units have been sold and are currently awaiting commissioning on
the targeted vessels. Additional orders are also anticipated.
The speed to market for the improved product was realised by the parallel planning of many of
the major industrialisation tasks with the application experiment. The industrialisation process
was completed one month after the completion of the application experiment. The major
activities conducted in the industrialisation of the improved product were:
• The development of a new mounting mechanism for the electronic unit. This was
developed using a plastic mounting ring design that relied on the machining of plastic
material into the correct form. This was undertaken by external machining companies
using detailed machining drawings supplied by the company. The drawings were
prepared in parallel with the application experiment, and required approximately 2 person
weeks design and draughting time to complete.
• The development of a modem link for the transfer of telemetry data to and from the on
vessel system. This unit required 3 person weeks effort to complete, and was developed
at the end of the initial prototype stage, and prior to the final transfer to production.
• The development of comprehensive handbooks to support the product. These are
required for the ships’ engineers during sea trials and to support on the vessel
diagnostics. Two person weeks effort was required to complete this document, and this
was undertaken in parallel with the final prototype testing phase.
• The display unit is mounted in a standard enclosure purchased through stockists.
However, the unit required detailed machining and assembly drawings to be produced to
house the electronic assemblies and for fixing to the ship. This required 1 weeks person
effort and was conducted in parallel with the application experiment.
• Formal EMC testing was not required (for shipborne use), but the system was evaluated
to ensure this system was satisfactory. The use of a design subcontractor used to marine
environments assisted in this regard.

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The company procures bare circuit boards, and populates these in-house. It was therefore,
not necessary to establish new production circuit board manufacturing suppliers.
The company estimates the total cost of the industrialisation process, including management
supervision time, to be 15 K EURO. The parallel planning of many of the electronic and
mechanical design tasks ensured that the systems were available for sale as soon as initial
trials were complete.
The company has now fully grasped the potential of the low cost microcontroller technology.
The company’s products are not limited to Shaft Power meters and includes precision draft
meters, ships monitoring equipment (for example, fuel use monitoring), and specialised
equipment for specific applications in the marine environment (for example, cargo transfer
monitoring systems for gas carriers). Each of these areas can potentially be improved by the
use of the technology, and such developments will be considered.

16 Economic Impact and Improvement in Competitive Position

The introduction of a microcontroller based Shaft Power Meter product by Sea Technik Ltd
Systems has enabled a much lower cost system requiring a single ring mounting system and
minimal sea trial calibration costs to be produced. This has resulted in Sea Technik Ltd
introducing an improved product at a highly competitive price, and has given the company a
significant improvement in market position.

The main factors influencing the purchase of equipment in the highly competitive ship building
market is product price, followed by reliability and performance. As the microcontroller
enhancement of the Shaft Power Meter has improved these aspects of the product it will
result in a significant increase in sales for the company.

The marine industry is essentially a bespoke market where ships are generally built to a
unique specification. The ship building market is dominated by production in the Far East, with
Korea producing 26% of the world’s Consolidated Gross Tonnes (CGS), and Japan producing
32% of the CGS. The European ship building market, and other near markets, traditionally
build specialist high technology specification ships. Within Europe, Spain and Italy are the
main suppliers of ships in this market area.

Shaft Power Meters have normally been only installed on high technology ships, but over the
last 3 years this equipment has been specified for the more general purpose ships. Both
Korean and Japanese shipyards have been using this type of equipment as a standard
feature on their ship designs. This offers a new and growing sales market for the improved
Shaft Power Meter equipment.

The nature of the market is such that product price discounting by the competing companies
is commonplace, and actual sales prices are determined by related factors such as the
potential for future orders with that customer, other equipment to be purchased as part of an
overall package, etc.

The improved performance, reduced requirements in setting to work time, and the improved
cost competitiveness of the improved product allow Sea Technik Ltd to significantly improve
its competitiveness. This will lead to a significant growth in sales of the product.

The main cost elements in Shaft Power Meter are the dual ring metal assembly and the
bought in components, which comprise the data acquisition card and the 486 PC. The
removal of the complexity of the support structure to a single ring assembly, and the removal
of the PC lead to cost savings for the overall system of approximately 20%. The profitability of
the product will remain unchanged as a result of the company cutting prices to gain an

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increase in competitiveness and because of the adverse affects of the strength of sterling in
relation to the major competitors currency values in the short term.

The use of microcontroller device technology in improving the Shaft Power Meter equipment
will therefore generate significant increases in sales and profits for Sea Technik Ltd, and will
enable the company to greatly expand its export activities in Japan and Korea.

The impact of the improved product is illustrated in Figure 3 below.

45
40
35
Sales (units)

30
25 Without Improvement
20 With Improvement
15
10
5
0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Figure 3: Sales Of The Shaft Power Meter Before And After Improvement

The development costs for the improved product were 63 K EURO. These costs included 15
K EURO industrialisation costs for the prototype unit, and the 48 K EURO EC FUSE funding.

Based on the improved sales projections for the improved product, and the expected rate of
profitability for these products the anticipated payback period is approximately 13 months. The
return on investment (ROI) on the new product over a 4 year period is approximately 410%.
The 4-year period is anticipated as the life of the product before further re-developments
become required.

17 Best Practice and Target Audience

The application experiment has demonstrated best practice in modular design approaches to
specification and system design, best practice in terms of planning the project and the
industrialisation activity so as to reduce time to market, and in the design of systems for low
operational and maintenance costs.

Sea Technik Ltd’s experience during this application experiment will be of particular interest to
those companies throughout the EU who trade in similar market place and will include ship
yards, ship operators, marine research establishments and associated equipment
manufacturers. The marine supply industry also has a large number of small companies in its
supplier base, and the company’s experience of adopting new technology to generate
significant increases in export sales is expected to also be of interest to this audience. This
Application Experiment demonstrates the application of microcontroller technology in an
extremely harsh marine environment and demonstrates how this technology increases
system reliability and performance within that environment.

The target audience for the material will be the Directors and Technical Managers of
companies involved in such activities.

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The targeted industrial sectors for the dissemination material includes the following sectors:

1. General mechanical engineering (Prodcom Code 2852),

2. General purpose machinery (Prodcom Code 2924),
3. Building and repairing of ships (Prodcom Code 3511),
4. Electrical equipment for engines and ships (Prodcom Code 3161),

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