UTILITIES: Some of the equipment & hardware that may have suspect Y2k-compliant embedded systems:
* access and security systems
* attendance recording systems
* auxiliary equipment, e.g. battery chargers
* budget meters , including keys and vending machines
* building facilities, e.g. lifts
* cameras and projection equipment
* credit meters
* date stamps
* disturbance analysers
* environment control systems, e.g. heating, air conditioning and lighting
* equipment in sub-stations
* fault recorders
* fire alarms
* garage equipment
* generators
* hand-held metering devices
* helicopter systems
* LAN and WAN services
* meter test station equipment
* mobile plant
* networks and support services
* NGC metering
* pole mounted reclosers
* relays and other protection devices
* SCADA and associated services
* telephony and PMR services
* televisions and video recorders
* test equipment
* trunk network services
* vehicle engine management systems
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PROBLEMS WITH GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM & UTILITIES
MAY START AUGUST '99
As an integral part of any electrical operations system, timing is the technology on which many of its functions are based. Generation and power transfers are planned in advance. Utilities coordinate with each other by making adjustments on a GPS timed schedule.
Outages for maintenance are scheduled to ensure that they do not interrupt reliable power delivery. Disturbance records are aligned with recorded GPS time tags for analysis and comparison with related information.
Price varies with demand, so even billing is based on time. Advanced applications like locating power line faults (short circuits) and real-time phase measurement require continuous timing with high precision. And bad timing can throw a monkey wrench into all these operations.
"GPS System Time will roll over at midnight 21-22 August 1999, 132 days before the Year 2000. On 22 August 1999, unless repaired, many GPS receivers will claim that it is 6 January 1980, 23 August will become 7 January, and so on. Accuracy of navigation may also be severely affected. Although it appears that GPS broadcasts do contain sufficient data to ensure that navigation need not be affected by rollover in 1999, it is not proven that the firmware in all receivers will handle the rollovers in stride; some receivers may claim wrong locations in addition to incorrect dates."
Some manufacturers have already solved the problem, but some have not.
The firmware in all affected (mostly older) receivers will have to be replaced. This will involve replacement of PROMs; some are socketed, some are soldered. As a technical matter, the solution is quite simple. It's the logistics that will take some effort.
Without a GPS Simulator, there is no way for users to test a GPS receiver for this problem. Users are encouraged to contact their receiver manufacturer to determine if their receiver will be affected. |
