CASE STUDIES

Electronics Testing & Development
Syrma SGS Creates Test Equipment for Tank Viewfinders

Mar 02, 2022

During the Cold War, India bought a lot of military equipment from Russia such as tanks with viewfinders, some of which are still in use. Many years after being purchased, many tanks experienced issues targeting because the viewfinders were no longer calibrated to work properly with the digital range finder. The Indian government required new test equipment to recalibrate the viewfinders because the original tests and equipment were too old, and Russia no longer made replacements. Syrma SGS tasked our engineers with designing and manufacturing a complete test setup that could be used to test and calibrate the viewfinders. These viewfinders were essential to the operation of the tank, as they were needed to aim accurately. By recalibrating the viewfinders, the Indian government would be able to use the tanks again. To achieve this, viewfinders used by the crew had to be calibrated for the digital range finder, which was used by the tank’s computer for aiming.

Solutions

Our engineers often use older equipment to return to full functionality with the right test equipment. A little time spent calibrating can save money that would otherwise need to be spent on new equipment. Once the viewfinders had been removed from the tanks, our engineers were able to examine them and design a test setup to check the parameters that indicated whether the viewfinders would agree with the digital range finder or not. The accuracy and stability of the gyro and the supply voltage of the control console were found to be critical for maintaining accuracy, and a testbed was set up to check them. The complete test setup included all the electronic control boards needed to test the viewfinder, simply requiring that the user plug the viewfinder in and turn it on. The viewfinders were successfully tested and recalibrated to allow the Indian government to return the tanks to full working order. By re-aligning the viewfinders and ensuring they worked properly in conjunction with the tank’s digital range finder, the accuracy of the tanks was improved considerably, and targeting was greatly enhanced. In a combat situation, such an improvement would likely lead to lives being saved.

Syrma SGS offers a full range of services to meet your aftermarket manufacturing needs. Our services eliminate the need for clients to spend time or money on designing a replacement part or even doing a complete product redesign. We rework, repair, refurbish, and modify electronic products. We provide comprehensive electronic failure analysis of multiple assemblies and components for printed circuit boards (PCBs), printed wiring boards (PWBs), integrated circuits, memory chips, etc. Our certified technicians can analyze devices, components, and assemblies for specific defects, such as corrosion, thermal fatigue, and connector failures. Our engineers have extensive experience analyzing and correcting troublesome electrical problems. We specialize in detecting specific electronics defects, such as generalized corrosion, plated through-hole failures, microstructural characterization, and electrical contact problems.

We provide a complete electronics refurbishment service to meet the growing demand for devices refurbished, such as viewfinders, comparably to their original out-of-the-box factory state. We’ll go the extra mile by assessing cosmetics and exchange outer parts and casings as needed, including complete touchscreens when required. Syrma SGS’s electronic refurbishment capabilities include a full wipe of hard drive content and restoration of original software and factory settings, essential to safeguard providers from dangerous consumer legal liabilities. We take all necessary steps to refresh the unit internally and externally for resale or reissue. We also offer additional services, such as: applying labels containing the part number, adding new serial numbers and regulatory information, polishing and wiping clean the unit and LCM to protect the film, and repackaging the device and accessories.

Overview

We contribute our 40 years of design and manufacturing expertise spanning multiple diverse markets. We look forward to discussing how we can deliver world-class products for OEMs across the globe. We understand our home Indian market, familiar with its vast regulatory and selling environments. We foster growth opportunities within India through our strong technology incubation ecosystem. We also assist global OEMs in entering the Indian market by leveraging the local supply chain and favorable operating environments for cost reductions.

Our flagship Chennai location opened in 2006 and lies within a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for electronics manufacturing, offering economic incentives for imports and exports. This primary facility is within 90 minutes of the Chennai seaport and 20 minutes to the international airport. Additional road and rail connectivity links to the rest of India and beyond and infrastructure advantages with faster import and export clearances. We also have labor force flexibility, both technical and manual, to scale to demand rapidly.

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