The majority of the approximately 50 DSI employees work in Palmdale, where they also prepare for and take part in new research flights. If a fault or even an irregularity is detected on the telescope, the team immediately takes action. In the past, if the telescope’s electronics had been affected, the team would have had to consult printed schematics stored in a whole wall of files. “Developing the individual telescope systems some 20 years ago involved many specialist companies using different ECAD systems. Keeping track when troubleshooting was always a challenge,” reveals Beckmann.

The envisaged new basic concept, he says, was to build a DSI-specific ECAD system comprising three equally important tools. Based on Eplan Electric P8, the system was therefore anything but an off-the-shelf solution. The software was extensively adapted to the specific application. TPO Engineering Services GmbH in Crailsheim, Germany, was tasked with implementing the project. This involved not only converting heterogeneous engineering data into standard Eplan documentation, but also incorporating general and special requirements.