A Multi-Microcomputer Based Distributed Front End Communications Subsystem for a Power Control Center

As a Power Control Center matures the loading on its main CPU may eventually reach a critical level. A method used at one control center to solve this problem is to add on a front end communications processor to the existing system. A design using standard, off-the-shelf microcomputers is described. The front end system consists of a single sixteen bit microcomputer and multiple eight bit microcomputers used as slave processors. The front end processor is interfaced to the PCC main CPU via a 38.4k baud serial data link. The functions which were offloaded from the main CPU are described along with the development process used to integrate the overall system operation. The results of tests on the new configuration are evaluated to show the actual performance levels.