Clearbox Systems

Due to their continual growth, Clearbox Systems have taken on a new Sales Representative to help manage and control their ever increasing customer base and workload.

Chris Wargren – Sales Representative:

Chris joins Clearbox Systems with 4 years of sales and business development experience.  The newest face at Clearbox Systems will focus on helping to plan and direct the sales and marketing activities of the business.

Chris’ appointment will help to further strengthen Clearbox System’s customer relations and sales ability.

Look forward to hearing from Chris shortly!

Following on from the completion of the nControl Squared is the design of the first device in a range of peripherals designed to complement the nControl Squared. The peripheral devices are the same form factor as the nControl Squared module and are designed to be stackable. For example you could stack An Ethernet Switch module, GPIO Module, and Serial module and the main nControl Squared CPU module to form a small cube measuring 80mmx80mmx80mm all DIN Rail mountable.

This first peripheral off the line is a General Purpose IO module (GPIO) featuring 8 x digital inputs, 6 x relay outputs and an on board temperature sensor. The idea of this product is that an nControl Squared may be deployed to a remote site shelter where there are some environmental and general site alarms that need to be monitored. With this low cost add-on you can monitor the shelter temperature to detect an air-conditioner failure, and you have the capability of wiring up door, fire,  and genset alarms without the need of a third party IO module. The same module could be used as a low cost base ball switch driver for driving remote polarisation switches on small satellite uplink facilities.

Over the next few weeks we will be working on our next peripheral which will be a low cost 7 port Ethernet switch add-on. This will provide a cheap complete solution for sites that need to interconnect with Ethernet based devices for SNMP or custom TCP/IP cased Remote Monitoring & Control. Be sure to also check out Newpoint Technologies who develop the software that runs on our nControl products.

The nControl squared design is now complete and the boards have been sent off for manufacture! The nControl squared product is a great addition to the Remote site Monitoring & Control hardware offerings by Clearbox Systems.

The preliminary specifications for the nControl Squared product are as follows:

• Power: 8-52VDC wide input range @ 25W (max load when all USB ports powered)
• 600MHz ARM CPU with 256MB RAM
• 8 x USB ports allowing for peripherals such as GPIO module, Serial Ports, LAN Switch board, GSM module,  GPS, Webcam etc.
• HDMI port for HD video output
• 10/100 Ethernet Port
• Physical size: 80mm x 80mm x 25mm
• Operating System: Ubuntu Linux

The first nControl squared’s will be arriving at the end of this year (2009) and we expect testing and certification to take approximately 2-3 months. This means that we are on track for an April launch of the new product line.

Following on from the nControl squared, will be a range of USB powered peripheral devices. The current devices on the road map include:

• 8 DI – 6 Relay Output IO module with temperature sensor
• RS232, 422, and 485 serial modules
• 7 port LAN switch

Further to this we plan to certify drivers for specific third party USB devices such as a range of USB 3G modems, and USB Webcams.

This product is also designed to be used as a general purpose embedded computer. So if you have an application that requires a specific peripheral to be included, then please contact paul@clearboxsystems.com.au with your design requests.

Sydney, Australia – 17th November 2009

Clearbox Systems is excited to announce a new project win requiring Clearbox to work with one of Australia’s largest defence contractors, BAE Systems Australia.  The project, being the Ground Station Management System (GSMS) component of the JP 2008 Phase 3F program, enhances and extends the Australian Defence Force Satellite Communications Capability (ADSCC) through the design and construct of a new satellite ground station and the introduction of a new agile network management system. The new satellite ground station will interface deployed forces accessing the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) system with the Defence Wide Area Network, and Australian Defence.

Clearbox will be contracted through Newpoint Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Systems, Inc. The project is due to be operational by 2013.  The win, worth in excess of AUD $1 million, underpins Clearbox’s expertise in ground station management systems and its ability to deliver cutting-edge software systems.

When BAE Systems Australia invited US-based Newpoint Technologies (www.newpointtech.com) to bid for the complex monitoring and control system, Newpoint Technologies recommended Clearbox Systems, its local Australian partner, for delivery of the project.  Wally Martland, President of Newpoint Technologies Inc. stated, “We have a long history with Clearbox and they have more than proven their ability to deliver world-class systems.  Their local presence and technical capabilities made this an easy decision for us.”

Clearbox will build upon Newpoint Technologies’ Compass platform and the Monics® system, provided by SAT Corporation, also a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Systems, Inc.  “Compass provides a mature and flexible platform upon which we can build some very sophisticated systems” said Paul Solomon, Managing Director of Clearbox Systems.  “It provides all the core functionality out of the box and allows us to focus on the key areas of customization and innovation without needing to re-invent the wheel.  One of its key strengths is its extensive open API which allows us to hook into any aspect of the system”.

The GSMS will provide the capability of automated service level management of satellite traffic, easing operator workload and providing failsafe uplink services. Securing this win moves Clearbox Systems one step closer to its goal of being the preeminent Australian Monitoring and Control solutions provider.

About Clearbox Systems

Clearbox Systems Pty Ltd is an Australian firm proudly delivering world class Monitoring & Control solutions utilizing the Newpoint Compass platform. We provide the complete M&C solution from design, custom development and turnkey system deployment, through to full 24/7 support for the life of the system. Clearbox Systems furthers the industry through a strong focus on developing market leading technologies, including hardware such as the nControl remote site manager, and Profile Manager the Compass add-on for automated service level control. For more information, visit www.clearboxsystems.com.au

About Integral Systems

Integral Systems, Inc., headquartered in Columbia, MD, applies more than 25 years experience to provide integrated technology solutions for SATCOM-interfaced networks. Customers have relied on the Integral Systems family of companies (Integral Systems, Inc., Integral Systems Europe, Lumistar, Inc., Newpoint Technologies, Inc., RT Logic, and SAT Corporation) to deliver on time and on budget for more than 250 satellite missions. Our dedication to customer service has solidified long-term relationships with the U.S. Air Force, NASA, NOAA, and nearly every satellite operator in the world. Integral Systems is listed in Forbes’ Top 200 Small Companies in America for 2008. For more information, visit www.integ.com.

Clearbox Systems is pleased to release a new software tool for nControl – Clearbox Systems’ modular Monitoring and Control solution.

The Network Configuration Tool provides a means of discovering any nControl units attached to a particular network – despite the user’s and the unit’s network settings.

Network Configuration Tool Main Window

Discovered nControl units are identified by their serial number. The unit’s network settings can be configured allowing for easy integration into new or existing systems.

Network Configuration Window

Click here to download the installer (JRE required).

Click here to download the User Manual.

To accomodate a growing employee base, Clearbox Systems has relocated its centre of operations.

Please note our new address:

Unit F11, 16 Mars Road
Lane Cove
NSW, 2066
Australia

Clearbox System’s new facilities include a larger office space, state of the art boardroom facilities, improved laboratory facilities and a new central location to improve contact with customers.

Clearbox Systems continues to grow in size and has employed skilled individuals in key areas.

Norm Knowles – Programme Manager:

Norm joins Clearbox Systems with  more than 35 years experience in the telecommunications industry.

Norm holds a wealth of experience in the installation, operation and support of:

• Monitoring and Control Systems and operational support systems;
• Satellite voice and data transmission systems including VSAT systems;
• LAN/WAN Networks;
• Digital TV broadcast platforms.

Norm’s appointment further strengthens Clearbox System’s credibility and expertise in developing and delivering monitoring and control solutions.

Daniel Arena – Senior Software Developer:

With a background in Eletrical Engineering, Daniel joins Clearbox Systems with 12 years experience in software development.

Daniel holds a wealth of experience in Enterprise Application Development, Automation, Robotics and Embedded Systems.

Daniel’s appointment strengthens Clearbox System’s ability to architect and develop complex but user friendly monitoring and control software solutions.

We have finished the design of the casing for the new nControl Squared product. The aim was to make it as small as possible whilst keeping within the same stylings of its predecessor, the nControl.

The finished product will be in the same soft white acetyl finish and keep its curvy design however the overall dimensions have been reduced to 80mm x 80mm x 25mm. This is basically the same width as the base nControl but the length has been squashed up until it is square.

As shown , we had a 3D print done of the casings to get the feel for the final product size. Although we are very happy with the final size, the next challenge will be to ensure that we can fit all of the required circuitry into this small form factor.

Currently we are exploring the peripherals that we will be providing such as the industrial isolated RS422/485 serial interfaces. The plan is to have these in small cases that are 80×40x25 and design the cases such that they can clip or screw to the back of the nControl. This way if you have say 4 peripherals and an nControl, the whole package would come together to form a small cube. There will be a final universal backing plate for the modules that will allow the whole assembly to be fastened to DIN Rail, or to a wall as was done with the previous release.

As always, if anyone has any feedback, suggestions, or potential applications for the new nControl please let me know. You can add comments to the post or email me at paul@clearboxsystems.com.au

~Paul

We have started the initial PCB layout today for the nControl^2 product. This run at the layout is more to get a feel for the required overall dimensions of the finished product. At this stage it is looking like the product will fit into a 75mmx75mmx20mm case which is pretty close to the size that we were hoping for. There will be 8 USB ports stacked vertically down one side, and then the Power, Ethernet, HDMI, and a Console port on the opposite side.

Rough PCB layout for the nControl Squared product

With this PCB rough layout done, we are now able to focus on the case design to suit the PCB. It is a bit of a balancing act to get the case and the PCB designs to match up however we are hoping that the new versions of the Altium PCB tools that we are using will allow to verify the fit.

Today saw the design of the USB circuits for the nControl^2. The goal of the design is to provide 8 USB 2.0 Host ports all capable of providing 500mA power to peripheral devices. To maxamize the bandwidth available to the end devices, I am using 2 High Speed interfaces on the OMAP processor and then using a 4 port USB Hub chip to provide the four powered ports from each of the OMAPs host ports.