Automatic load shedder
Rack-mounted device (based on specification by Terna / ENEL and certifieded at TUV lab) for automatic load disconnection when the electric grid is operating under critical conditions (e.g. when the electricity demand exceeds its generation.)
The CPU board is based on a 32-bit ColdFire microprocessor by Freescale (toolchain: GNU) that interfaces via bus with all the other boards in the rack (MMI, I/O, Digital-to-Analog Converters, etc.) as well as with various peripherals (Analog-to-Digital Converter, Real-Time Clock, EEPROM, Ethernet converter, etc.)
The application firmware (upgradeable in the field) uses the RTEMS real-time operating system and handles data acquisition from the field (e.g. electrical signals), signal filtering and processing (computation of RMS values by means of the Fourier transform, calculation of frequency, etc.), protection logics, event and the disturbance recording, MMI interface (push-buttons, LED's and LCD display), communication with a PC (Windows application for configuring the device, reading measurements, etc.)