Synchro Simulation and Beyond

Synchros and resolvers remain deeply embedded in military and aerospace systems, particularly in fire control, radar positioning, stabilized platforms, and guidance systems. While these sensors are valued for their robustness and long-term stability, the systems that consume their signals must be developed, integrated, tested, and maintained in environments where the real sensors are not always available, practical, or even desirable to use.

This is where signal simulation becomes a critical system capability rather than a convenience. The ability to precisely reproduce synchro and resolver signals allows engineers to develop and verify electronics, software, and complete subsystems long before the mechanical hardware is ready. It also enables repeatable, controlled testing that would be difficult or impossible to achieve using real sensors attached to real mechanisms.

Historically, synchro simulation has often been implemented using dedicated, purpose-built test boxes or custom laboratory setups. These solutions typically solve an immediate problem but tend to be difficult to scale, hard to automate, and expensive to maintain over the life of a program. As systems become more software-driven and more tightly integrated, this ad hoc approach becomes increasingly limiting.

Digital Commander was designed to address this problem in a more systematic and extensible way. At its core, it provides high-fidelity generation of synchro, resolver, and related position sensor signals under precise digital control. From the perspective of the unit under test, these signals are indistinguishable from those produced by real sensors connected to real mechanisms.

This capability immediately enables a wide range of development and integration activities. Control electronics can be exercised across their full operating range without moving a single mechanical part. Software teams can test algorithms, fault handling, and edge cases using precisely defined, repeatable motion profiles. System integrators can verify interfaces and interactions long before a full mechanical assembly exists.

The real power of a platform-based simulator such as Digital Commander, however, is that it does not stop at simple signal generation. Because the system is software-controlled and network-connected, simulated motion profiles can be driven by models, scripts, or real-time external systems. This allows the simulator to become part of a larger hardware-in-the-loop or software-in-the-loop environment.

In a hardware-in-the-loop configuration, Digital Commander can act as the boundary between a real control system and a simulated mechanical world. The control system believes it is driving a real actuator and receiving real sensor feedback, while in reality it is interacting with a closed-loop simulation. This enables aggressive testing of control laws, failure modes, and corner cases without risk to expensive or dangerous hardware.

In software-in-the-loop environments, the same signal generation capabilities can be used to validate processing chains, user interfaces, and supervisory control software before any target hardware is available. The same simulation assets can often be reused across development phases, reducing duplication of effort and improving continuity between teams.

Beyond development and integration, high-fidelity synchro simulation plays a critical role in test, calibration, and maintenance. At depot or intermediate-level maintenance facilities, it is often impractical to connect complete mechanical assemblies just to verify electronics or troubleshoot faults. A programmable simulator allows technicians to inject known-good signals, sweep through operating ranges, and isolate problems quickly and repeatably.

Another important advantage of a digital simulation platform is repeatability. Real mechanical systems inevitably exhibit friction, backlash, vibration, and wear. While these effects are important to understand, they can make it difficult to perform controlled, apples-to-apples comparisons between test runs. A simulated signal source can reproduce exactly the same conditions every time, which is invaluable for regression testing and long-term support.

As systems become more complex and more software-driven, the boundary between “simulation” and “operation” continues to blur. Increasingly, the same infrastructure used for development and test is also used for training, system verification, and even mission rehearsal. In this context, a tool like Digital Commander is not just a piece of test equipment. It is part of the overall system engineering environment.

It is also worth noting that synchro and resolver simulation is rarely the end of the story. Once a platform exists that can generate and control these signals with high fidelity, it naturally expands to include other sensor types, other interfaces, and more complex scenarios. Position simulation becomes just one aspect of a broader capability to create a synthetic but highly realistic operating environment.

In this sense, synchro simulation is not a niche requirement. It is an entry point into a much larger and more powerful approach to system development, integration, test, and sustainment. Systems like Digital Commander make it possible to treat simulation not as a special activity performed in a lab, but as a normal and continuous part of the system lifecycle.

As platforms continue to evolve and as development cycles continue to compress, this kind of integrated, high-fidelity simulation capability will only become more important. The ability to develop, test, and validate complex systems without waiting for full mechanical assemblies is no longer a luxury. It is a practical necessity.