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What does ‘microprocessor control’ for a locomotive mean?

June 20, 2019, 1:32 PM
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‘Microprocessor control’ can mean a few different things. A few of the newer electric locomotive models such as the WAP-5 or WAG-9 with complex 3-phase AC drives have circuitry and equipment controlled by microprocessors. In these, the microprocessor or computerized control is an integral part of the locomotives’ design. Some of the newer diesel locos such as the WDG-4, WDP-4, WDM-3D, etc., also use a fair bit of microprocessor control for their onboard systems. These advanced locomotives can be truly described as being computer-controlled or microprocessor-controlled.

ये भी पढ़े – अफगानिस्‍तान में कमजोर पड़ता तालिबानी दुर्ग, जानें- इसका क्‍या है भारत-पाक फैक्‍टर

However, the term ‘microprocessor control’ is also widely applied to certain models of WAP-4 and other locos that have been retrofitted with a monitoring system that uses computerized circuitry to replace some of the electromechanical relays and switches that were part of the original design of these locos. Systems monitored by the microprocessor circuits include the DJ, silicon rectifier, battery chargers, etc. The advantage of this is that the status of the monitored equipment is displayed on an LCD panel in front of the driver and he does not have to look around and inspect the state of each relay or switch behind him manually. In such cases the microprocessor does not actually control anything.

Typical relays replaced by the monitoring circuits are QV60, QV61, QV61, QV63, QV64, QV65, QVLSOL, etc. Among the WAP-4 locos, ‘Yugantar’, #22591, was the first one to get such a microprocessor-based monitoring system (all later locomotives in the series seem to have been produced or retrofitted with this). Many sheds (Kanpur, Vadodara, etc.) display the annotation ‘microprocessor controlled’ very prominently on the loco itself. A few older locos (e.g., #22547) have also been retrofitted with the microprocessor monitoring. Apart from WAP-4 locos, some WAG-7 locos (Jhansi, Kanpur) have also been retrofitted with such systems.

Source – IFRCA.org

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