Portable combustion analysis system for UAV engines

The Plex PCA-2000Plus is a powerful and versatile combustion analysis system that allows UAV developers and engine manufacturers to gather critical high-fidelity data either in flight or in the lab. Supporting 4, 8, or 16 high-speed analog input channels, it is compatible with all piezoelectric and optical pressure sensors as well as virtually any other engine or chassis sensor.Weighing just 250 grams with a highly compact form factor, the unit can be easily integrated into any setup. Designed with a rugged IP67-rated enclosure, it offers robust performance in the face of harsh operating conditions such as dust, moisture and vibration.

The system provides real-time measurement and calculation of a wide variety of crucial parameters, including:

• Peak cylinder pressure (Pmax) & crank angle (CA) position
• Maximum rate of pressure rise (dPmax) & crank angle position
• Crank angle range between start and end of combustion
• Key combustion phase angles
• Volumetric efficiency
• Pre-ignition & misfire
• Torque & power
• Knock intensity & max pressure
• Heat release as a function of engine position
• Gross, net & pumping IMEP
• Mass fraction burned

In addition to its combustion measurement, the PCA-2000Plus also provides a comprehensive range of additional functionality, including:

• A built-in multi-constellation GNSS receiver that enables engineers to synchronize combustion parameters with speed, acceleration, and location
• A high-performance IMU that provides acceleration, angular velocity, and orientation data, allowing correlation of engine data with platform dynamics
• A barometric sensor that provides atmospheric pressure measurements for precise correction of calculated engine torque and power based on real-time atmospheric conditions
• Two CANBus 2.0B interfaces with fully configurable receive and transmit functionality
• 1Gbit Ethernet port for seamless real-time data streaming to a PC
• Ultra-fast expandable Flash memory (1GB as standard)