Wide-Band Multi-Channel Transient Monitor System

The premature reset of a flight programmer followed by the destruction of a multi-million dollar space vehicle could easily result from a single spurious transient. Because of these potentially catastrophic effects, methods of detecting and analyzing electrical transients have generated vivid interest within the aerospace industry. Even assuming that an effective transient monitor system was available, a basic problem still exists¿the acquisition of sufficient paper/ pen recording channels to conduct an effective transient investigation. Since paper/pen recording devices are usually at a premium, especially during the integrated systems testing of a complex vehicle, transient investigations are usually compromised if not altogether deleted. To cope with the problem, the authors have developed a Wide-Band Multi-Channel Transient Monitor System. The system has the capability of storing transient information from many test points on a single channel of magnetic tape. Upon playback of the tape, the information can be displayed, in real time, with no loss of highfrequency information, and all the data are easily correlated with system test time.