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Precision components

From a Manual Test Stand to a Touchscreen Test Station

An automated replacement for an obsolete, fully manual test stand, running break-in, steady-state, and transient tests on a speed governor before it goes into the final assembly.

Motor drivespeed, accelerationAir supplyregulated pressurePart sensorspressure, flow, speedLive plotswatch for oscillationTest recordsdata and snapshotsBadge loginrole-based accessTest stationtouchscreen, 4 modes

The problem

A manufacturer of precision control components tested a speed governor on a test stand that was completely manual. During a test, a motor spins the governor while regulated air goes in, and the output air pressure shows whether the governor is behaving. Every reading and adjustment depended on an operator, and the old stand was prone to errors.

They needed an automated replacement that could set each governor’s set points and run its final acceptance tests before it went into the larger assembly.

What we built

Four tests, one station. The software runs on a touchscreen panel computer with compact data acquisition hardware:

  • Break-in cycles: repeated rapid accelerations that seat the governor’s internal parts, with configurable rate, speed, hold time, and number of cycles.
  • Steady state: brings the governor to a set speed and air pressure, then records output pressure, air flow, and speed, with live plots so the operator can spot oscillation.
  • Transient acceleration: ramps the speed quickly and watches the output pressure for fluctuations.
  • Manual control: lets the operator adjust motor speed and air pressure live while everything is plotted and recorded.

Accurate speed, not just commanded speed. The motor’s built-in controller tends to settle slightly off the commanded speed, so the software continuously corrects it to hold the exact speed each test calls for.

Settings for each model. A configuration file lists every governor model, and choosing one loads its own test settings, which can still be adjusted before a run.

Nothing lost. Data is sampled at ten times the fastest expected signal and streamed to disk in the format the plant already used, with timestamped file names and an organized folder structure. The display keeps up with only a slight lag, and never at the expense of the recorded data.

Snapshots mid-test. A snapshot button captures the screen at any moment without interrupting the test, and the operator can keep or discard it.

The right access for each person. Operators sign in with their badge ID. Each person’s role (operator, calibration, or administrator) decides which functions they can use.

We also delivered a full user manual and thoroughly documented source code.

The result

An error-prone manual procedure became a repeatable, automated acceptance test, with a complete, timestamped record of every governor tested.