Redesign of the RT-5 DMU for RT-5 JS+

The Rotortuner Dash 5 was introduced into an expectant marketplace in 1984. The success of the product since that time is demonstrated by the fact that Helitune were still selling it over 20 years later, but supporting a product for this length of time in the fast moving digital world of today has not been without its challenges. The suppliers of many of the key components had ceased their production and engineering out obsolescence was no longer economical. A radical solution was required and the concept of the JS+ was born.

The goals of this project were

  • to produce a successor to the Rotortuner 5 product

  • maintaining the same operator interface and system functionality

  • whilst at the same time leveraging modern signal processing technologies and production techniques.

The project was very ambitious, driven by the UK MOD to deliver from a conceptual design to a final product in a timescale of only nine months. To achieve this we assembled a multi-disciplinary team of engineers. We utilised the talents of our engineering team to the full and were also able to leverage the experience of key members of the original Rotortuner 5 design team.

One of the key aims of the project was to include feedback from the operators in the design process. The operator became the focus of the system and the ergonomics were rethought. The card interface and printer, housed in the DMU of the original RT-5 system, were relocated to the console so that they would form a key part of the operator interface. This allowed the design team of the DMU to focus on the task of data collection and processing. Cutting edge analogue to digital conversion technology and state of the art digital signal processing were employed.

The enhanced FFT processing allows improved diagnostic capabilities and the ability to perform truly parallel harmonic acquisition resulted in a reduction in data collection time and therefore reduces the cost of flight trials, whilst at the same time improving data accuracy. By careful design and thought being given to thermal management we were able to extend the operating temperature range of the system whilst maintaining a sealed system; without the need for forced air cooling from an external air flow. This allows it to be used in environments ranging from -25°C to +55°C. EMC compliance was designed in, with the total kit being compatible with the UK Defence standard 59-41, ensuring compatibility with current and future aircraft systems.

Technological developments made in the years since the original RT-5 was designed have allowed tighter integration of the various hardware elements, reducing the component count and improving reliability whilst at the same time offering a significant reduction in the size and weight of the DMU. This has meant that whilst in the RT-5 product, the DMU occupied the whole of the green case, the JS+ DMU is significantly smaller. This in turn has allowed us to utilise the extra space to include the junction box and even the transducer case within the same enclosure, providing easy access for the operator to the sensor connections and a convenient storage location for the transducers.

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