TYR Tactical

Archive for the ‘Power’ Category

Lincad Takes Further BPMS Orders to Power Leonardo’s LINAPS

Sunday, September 10th, 2017

Lincad, a UK-based leader in the design and manufacture of bespoke batteries, chargers and power management systems, is delighted to announce that it is taking further orders from Leonardo for its battery power management systems (BPMS) to power its Laser Inertial Artillery Pointing System (LINAPS).

Lincad’s BPMS is a ruggedised UPS system that provides a regulated 24 V DC power supply to a host system. It is engineered to the highest mechanical and environmental specifications and provides a robust and reliable power source for mobile and stationary placement systems. Leonardo’s LINAPS is a self-contained gun mounted navigation, pointing and weapon management system for all artillery and mortar platforms. It is currently in service in the UK, Canada, UAE, Oman, South Africa, Malaysia and Thailand.

As a result of this contract, Lincad will be playing a role in the supply chain for the M777 series howitzers ordered by the Indian Army. Manufactured by BAE Systems, the Indian M777 will be fitted with LINAPS.

Peter Slade, Lincad’s Joint Managing Director, commented:
“We have a long and successful record of developing advanced power management solutions for the military. We have worked closely with Leonardo over a number of years and are delighted to continue that relationship with further orders for our BPMS. It also provides evidence that SMEs, like Lincad, can demonstrate world-class, industry-leading excellence.”

Lincad will be exhibiting its latest batteries, chargers and power management systems at DSEI which is being held at ExCel London from the 12th to 15th September.

www.lincad.co.uk

Never Run Out of Power in Austere Conditions

Thursday, August 17th, 2017

Protonex is demonstrating the impressive capabilities of their PTX series of power management solutions for response and recovery teams and individuals alongside more than 15 others at the 4th biennial ‘Strike Challenge’ event at Camp Rilea this week.

Protonex has also donated a special one-of-a-kind custom Geissele 13″ S Mod MLOK Rail w/ PTX logo valued at $485 dollars for the event’s silent auction to benefit the ‘Racing for Heroes’ charity. To learn more about Racing for Heroes, visit: www.racingforheroes.org

To learn more about the PTX series of power management solutions, visit: www.PTXnomad.com

BioLite SolarHome 620

Monday, August 7th, 2017

At the recent Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, BioLite gave everyone a sneak peek of their new SolarHome 620 system. It consists of control box, 6w solar panel, motion sensor security light and two ceiling mounted lights. Designed to produce household power for off-the-grid dwelllings in India and West Africa, it will work just as well for those who have hunting cabins, DIY van campers and have to set up regularly in austere areas.

The heart if this system is this control box which not only gives real-time feedback on power, but also serves as an light, MP3 player and terrestrial radio.

They’ve already deployed thousands of these systems in emerging markets, and they plan to launch it here in the Spring. However, a limited run of 500 will be offered in November. Based on the existing deployments of the SolarHome 620, the World Bank has issued this spec sheet which gives some realistic performance data.

www.bioliteenergy.com

ORSM 17 – Goal Zero Venture 70

Thursday, July 27th, 2017

I’ve been using the Goal Zero Venture 30 as a backup power supply for my phone and iPad since it came out. At OR, I got my first look at the new Venture 70. At 66.9 Wh, this 17,700mAh Power Pack not only offers more than double the power of my Venture 30, but it’s also waterproof to IPX67 standards. Additionally, the Venture 70 features a light bar charge indicator as well as two USB ports capable of 2.4A at the same time.

www.goalzero.com

Protonex – SPM-622 Special Forces Roll Kit

Friday, June 30th, 2017

Today’s Special Operations Forces often operate beyond the reach of established supply lines, and often cannot build fixed infrastructure due to the nature or length of their deployment. The PTX SPM-622 Special Forces Roll Kit was developed by Protonex specifically to provide a solution to this challenge and it has been proven in multiple deployments with US and International SOF units.

The PTX Special Forces Roll Kit combines an SPM-622 Squad Power Manager with cables and accessories for electronic equipment commonly used by US and Allied Special Operations Forces. Each kit includes an SPM-622, a lightweight solar blanket, connectors for civilian and military batteries and vehicles power outlets; as well as smart cables for NATO military radios, satellite communication systems, smart phones, tablets and laptop computers.

The SPM-622 Squad Power Manager enables the operator to maintain constant operability of critical systems by “scavenging” power from any available source and automatically converting that power as required by the connected device or battery. Thanks to its intelligent power management system, the SPM-622 can also simultaneously charge military and COTS batteries. It operates efficiently at temperatures ranging from -20° to +60° C, and will even function when totally submerged.

The SPM-622 Special Forces Roll Kit enables units to maintain constant operational effectiveness, while greatly reducing their battery burden – even the most undeveloped and austere environments.

The kit can be purchased on the Class IX NSN schedule, under GSA contract, from authorized Distributors and Systems Integrators; and directly from Protonex Technology Corporation.

The SPM-622 Special Forces Roll Kit will be on display at next month’s Warrior East.

NSN 6150-01-625-1021

For further product and application information visit www.PTXnomad.com

CANSEC 2017 – Protonex Adaptive Battery Charger ABC- 812

Thursday, June 1st, 2017

The ABC-812 Adaptive Battery Charger works with a wide variety of batteries. What I find interesting about it is that when a new battery is introduced, Protonex creates a new adapter, called a battery cup, to allow the ABC-812 to work with it. The ABC-812 currently supports all standard US and NATO military battery types, Snap-On and DeWalt tool batteries, the Aeryon Labs “Skyranger” UAV battery, and has 4 USB ports for recharging phones, tablets, laptops, etc.

Additionally, it will charge different types of batteries at the same time and the device automatically evaluates the power source (AC wall socket, vehicle or aircraft DC plug, vehicle battery, field generator, solar blanket, wind turbine, etc.) and adjusts charge rates to maximize power and minimize charge times. For instance, the fullest battery gets charged first via pulse, allowing it to be put back in use the quickest whike the others are trickle charged. In addition to four battery bays per charger, there are also four USB ports.

The charger also monitors the lifecycle of each battery, providing the user with data on how many times each battery has been charged and discharged.

Finally, the cost per battery is cheaper than anything else on the market (ABC cost divided by number of batteries it can charge at once – less than $400 per battery vs. $1000 or more for competitor products).

www.ptxnomad.com

Protonex Delivers Panther Power

Monday, May 15th, 2017

USSOCOM has begun to field the Panther2 man-packable satellite communications system from L3 GCS with certain USASOC units to replace the existing Panther Gen5 systems. The Panther 2 system is being fielded with USASOC units in all capacities (contingency, combat, JCET, PDP, and other military operations).

IMG_1609

A need was identified to power the Panther2 SOF Deployable Node (SDN) system from organic Conformal Wearable Batteries – rather than AC power of BB-2590 batteries. As the SPM-622 Squad Power Manager from Protonex has been proving its value as a universal power scavenger / manager in the field with SOCOM elements, it seemed an ideal basis from upon to address the problem.

A call was made to Protonex and an R&D contract was signed. Within approximately 90 days from start to finish, the operational power requirements were addressed, and hardware was developed to successfully power the system from 2 CWBs in series. The photo below shows the complete system in use at an end-user location.

To learn more about what the PTX line of power management solutions can help you never run out of power when you need it, drop by to talk to the Protonex team at SOFIC – booth #2232.

#NeverRunOut

www.ptxnomad.com

Protonex Presents – Remote Power Management for Prolonged Field Care

Saturday, April 29th, 2017

Over the last two decades, the demands for proficient power management systems have made dramatic changes. Increased medical capability and automation of laboratory, documentation and monitoring equipment has changed how patients are managed in the field.

Additionally, decreased size and power consumption has led to the deployment of equipment and capability that originally would have been reserved for first world hospitals in the most remote and inhospitable places on the globe.

During this time, Special Operations Medicine went from the most basic urgent care, to rivaling rural emergency rooms from 20 years ago.

One area that consistently poses a challenge in power management is power supply for medical devices. Fortunately for special operations medicine, they’re not alone; as power management has been a struggle for all specialties of combat operation. As the technologies evolve and deployment of new devices happens, the solutions are fielded by non-medical unit personnel. This fielding oftentimes inhibits the proper use of the devices and critical integration requirements, forcing medical personnel to deliver less than their full capability available to units on the battlefield; a perfect example of this is the Squad Power Management Kits by army infantry and special operations units.

The Squad Power Management kit is comprised of a power management unit with a set of cables for harvesting power from a variety of sources, and another set of specialized cables to deliver power to the equipment organic to the unit. Currently, Protonex has deployed over 5,000 SPM kits to both the US and international militaries. The US Army alone has supplied over 3000 SPM kits to their infantry units and another 1100 kits to Army Special Operations.

This modernization program has increased capability to our deployed troops, results in long term cost savings to the military and a decrease in the combat load for our troops. Unfortunately, none of these deployed equipment sets include medical cables.

USSOF elements have a unique mission requirement to provide extended field medical care to patients in remote AORs. 1st Special Forces Command (A) and 75th Ranger Regiment have fielded SPM 622 kits through the Nett Warrior Program. These units could purchase additional cables at a low cost to upgrade their existing SPM kits to Medical Kits, allowing medical personnel the ability to provide care for patients for an extended period. In acquisition terms this is the equivalent of adding a SOF MOD kit to share funding for SOF equipment with the parent service. This provides an opportunity to increase capability with little additional cost by leveraging existing P2 funded equipment. Further, by broadening the utility of the issued equipment, the unit maximizes its investment. Essentially, the additional capability provided will allow medics to sustain patients for if they have access to other military and civilian batteries, vehicles, and aircraft.

US military medical personnel have the ability to procure SPM 622’s and/or add medical cables to existing kits to give them the ability to provide extended field medical care in remote AOR or on extended patrols. This equipment which is already organic to Army Infantry units, Special Forces ODA Teams and Ranger Regiment can be leveraged by unit medical personnel when needed to manage the challenges of power consumption in remote locations. As the USSOCOM mission set transitions to a more decentralized area of operations, these issues will become more pronounced. It is important that units know the capability of their organic systems and the deficiencies their currently issued equipment has concerning medical equipment.

The following medical equipment cables are available for purchase as accessories to the currently issued kits. Additional cables can be developed as needed for minimal cost to suit special equipment that may be organic to a unit but not common to the rest of the enterprise.

For more information on the SPM-622 Squad Power Manager and its capabilities, please contact Protonex at 508-490-9960 or team.room@protonex.com. For further discussion on the utility of the kit in operational use, please comment below.

About Kyle:
Retired Special Forces Medic and Medical Research and Development Sergeant Major in the USASOC Combat Development Directorate. Served as one of of USSOCOM’s leading experts in development and fielding of special operations medical equipment and tactics, techniques and procedures. Served on the Department of Defense’s Joint Program Committee for Combat Care, as well as the subcommittees for Forward Surgical, Intensive, and Critical Care and Hemorrhage Control and Fluid Resuscitation. Currently a Product Development Consultant for SAM Medical and Board member of BlackBox Biometrics Inc. Bachelor’s Degree in Management Studies from University of Maryland University College.