- August 19, 2008
August 19, 2008 – It's a Hollywood staple in many Sci-Fi and action movies: the hero is scrambling to defuse an explosive device connected to a digital timer before it explodes. Two wires – one red, one blue – appear to trigger the device; cutting one wire detonates the bomb, the other defuses it. As the suspense reaches a crescendo and the final few seconds tick away, he wipes the sweat from his forehead, stands over the device with wire-cutters, and ponders the do-or-die question…should he cut the red wire, or the blue one? But what if he could stop the clock, consult a simulation of his alternatives, and actually see what happens when he cuts the red wire while in simulation mode? If the results are not good, he can re-run the simulation, and the second time around, cut the blue wire. Once he sees the results of both, and knows for certain which is the correct choice, he can re-start the clock, and immediately cut the right wire to alleviate the threat. Crisis averted.It ruins the drama. But in real-life, people responsible for operating mission-critical facilities – such as data centers, air traffic control networks, off-shore oil platforms, and nuclear power plants – want a little less drama and a lot more visibility into the state of their operations as well as the downstream "what-ifs” that could occur in a wide range of rapidly-changing, real-time circumstances.Introducing the Paladin BlackBoard power systems simulator To provide precisely such forward-looking information, EDSA today unveiled its new real-time power systems simulation product, Paladin BlackBoard, the first software product to enable the simulation and testing of real-time configuration, maintenance, repair, and other procedures before attempting them on live systems. Like a flight simulator, Paladin BlackBoard provides invaluable opportunities for facility personnel to "test-fly” procedures to ensure their safety before they are enacted. It also serves as an important training tool: using how-to methods, coupled with trainee trial-and-error, workers learn precisely what problems are likely to emerge in their power systems operations, and their resolution. This gives personnel the opportunity to realistically discover what works, and what doesn't, without jeopardizing the safety of the facility itself.Armed with the benefits of foresight, Paladin BlackBoard helps operations managers understand precisely how far they can push their existing power infrastructure, as well as understand what small changes can help extract more system capacity. They can also better prioritize the power requirements of mission-critical processes – e.g. revenue-generating and essential customer-facing activities versus non-essential internal processes – so they can be intelligently prioritized in the event of power anomalies.The model-based approach to analysis used in Paladin Live always reflects the actual conditions and equipment in the facility providing realistic and meaningful predictions. This provides automated predictive capabilities and analysis based on a decision hierarchy that is formed logically, based on the physical attributes of the facility.How it worksPaladin BlackBoard's easy-to-use graphical interface allows non-power system managers, executives and other personnel to take advantage of the identical predictive technology that skilled power system analysts use, without having to be experts themselves. By leveraging the hyper-accurate virtual power systems model created using EDSA's Paladin® DesignBase modeling package, Paladin BlackBoard enables users to create a perfectly detailed, off-line simulation of their operations, and presents this information as a web based view of a simplified, electrical one-line model. Using this model, they can conduct highly-realistic "what if” simulations to plan the next steps for their electrical infrastructure. Depending on the Paladin DesignBase modules used to create their model, operators can manipulate components in the Paladin BlackBoard model to visualize what the impact will be system on reliability, capacity or system stability. Pricing & AvailabilityPaladin BlackBoard is available immediately and included as a standard feature of all EDSA Paladin Live systems; entry-level pricing for Paladin Live is $20,000 for a Class 1, 500-channel system. Currently, Paladin Live is available only in North America."There's an old saying in carpentry, that says 'measure twice, cut once,' to make absolutely sure that any actions you take will eliminate unforeseen surprises later,” said Mark A. Ascolese, Chairman & CEO of EDSA. "The same holds true in power systems engineering; if you're in a mission-critical facility – with millions of dollars, or life-saving services hanging in the balance – you need to make absolutely sure that every step of your configuration, maintenance, or repair processes have been validated before you take them. Paladin BlackBoard is the only solution in the marketplace today to allow facilities operators to maintain complete control over the electrical infrastructure that powers their organizations.”About EDSA Micro CorporationEDSA develops software solutions for the computer-aided design, modeling, real-time analysis, energy management, and preventative maintenance of complex electrical power systems. For more than 25 years, the Company's Paladin software products have been used in thousands of commercial, industrial, governmental, and military applications worldwide, to protect more than $100 billion in customer assets, while reducing their energy consumption. Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., the Company maintains sales, distribution, and support offices around the world.