Embedded software suits smart grid synchronisation

Maamoun Seido, Vice President and Business Unit Manager, Timing Products, Microsemi, commented: "Our new power profile leverages Microsemi's leadership position in IEEE 1588 and responds to our customers' demand for solutions that bridge traditional communication networks and substations requiring the power profile. This enhanced software from Microsemi allows both communications and power customers to address the most stringent timing requirements in power system applications."

The evolved solution from Microsemi leverages the company's ZLS30390 IEEE 1588-2008 protocol engine. The software interfaces to Microsemi's time synchronisation algorithm and software programmable system synchroniser, such as the ZL3034x and ZL3036x product families.

Microsemi's solution uniquely combines key elements required for smart grid power substations: timing solutions to achieve better than 1μs performance with holdover, PLL system synchronisers and precise clock synthesisers. The IEEE 1588 profiles and synchronisation algorithms run on a variety of host processor architectures, including Microsemi's SmartFusion2 SoC FPGA which can also be used to perform metering and critical security functions in a synchrophasor. Microsemi's Ethernet PHYs and switches complete the solution by offering highly accurate timestamping, which is essential for high performance synchronisation.

With this comprehensive portfolio, customers can implement Microsemi's power profile-compliant solution for smart grid applications and in addition, use the default profile or telecomms profile for frequency. This allows customers to support both telecomms and power deployments concurrently.

Microsemi's power profile solution is available to order now.