Expertise
Below are listed some areas of NSS's expertise. If you can't find what you're looking for, please contact us with your requirements.
Embedded Systems
We design and implement hardware and software for embedded applications. From DC motor controllers based on C programmed low-cost microcontroller hardware to networked security camera systems running Linux on digital media system-on-chips, most of the work we undertake would fall into the 'embedded' category.
Our skill set allows us to take advantage of the ever faster, more functional and versatile micros that are continuously becoming available to achieve smaller and more highly integrated designs.
Control & data acquisition (SCADA)
We specialize in networked remote and local control and data acquisition systems with expertise in timing accuracy and resolution.
With past projects ranging from cutting edge sub-sea exploration instrumentation to industrial motor control systems, our extensive experience in this area runs from building fully bespoke systems to integrating off the shelf components and covers a multitude of technologies.
From the sensors and actuators to the logging and user interface software, operating remotely over a dedicated fibre link, across an existing network or locally attached, we are able to offer solutions to meet most data acquisition and control requirements.
Communications & Networking
Our knowledge of datacomms systems covers a broad range of technologies and protocols. An essential part of many systems is the ability to reliably communicate information between components of a distributed system.
From long distance high throughput fibre links to low volume local copper comms we have experience in synchronous & asynchronous serial peer-to-peer and multidrop systems, ethernet, IP and other network technologies.
We design USB-attached devices for high speed and ease of connection. Investment in a USB vendor ID allows us to produce such devices without fear of conflicts with other equipment.
Precision timing: remote & networked temporal alignment
Data acquisition and control requirements crop up all over. Many systems that cater for these needs are not designed to schedule or record the time that events occur with any accuracy.
Remote systems suffer from unknown and potentially large latencies between data entering one end of the link and appearing at the other, particularly when the link is being used for other traffic, as is the case on IP networks for instance. Logging machines running general purpose operating systems suffer at the hands of the OS's scheduling latencies in timestamping incoming data.
We understand the critical need for high temporal accuracy and resolution in many applications and have the experience and know-how to achieve this in the most challenging of circumstances.
Marine & Sub-sea instrumentation
We have much experience in designing complex systems for marine and sub-sea applications. Our expertise in remote data acquisition and control, fibre comms and remote temporal alignment / timestamping allows us to provide state of the art solutions to the problems associated with deep-water sub-sea instrumentation.
Technology designed by us appears in some cutting edge instrumentation when, for instance, at 4000m beneath the sea, sheduling and recording of events accurate to within microseconds is necessary for survey data validity.
We also have experience in marine vessel control and instrumentation systems with a NSS produced dynamic positioning system operating on a small coastal survey vessel, allowing it to automatically hold its position and heading under GPS guidance.
Industrial Process Control
Part of our control and data acquisition system experience is in industrial process control. We can provide PLC & HMI software design services, electrical hardware and switchgear design and design and production of HMI console / control and display panels.
We have particular experience with linear motor based motion control systems, KEB's range of controllers and inverters and 3S software's CoDeSys developoment suite.