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Parallel operation with Multi-Master

Sometimes more than a single active filter is needed to compensate the distortion created by a load. The modular approach used by Comsys offers the possibility to combine up to 6 modules (PPM) in one control-computer (SCC2). But what to do if even more power is needed?

For this, Comsys offers a Multi-Master setup to combine up to 15 control-computer together.

Multi-Master brings therefore the possibility to combine up to 90 power modules into one big ADF.

Communication

The backbone of the Multi-Master is the CAN communication used to transfer setpoints between the control-computer. A communication bus is constructed here where one of the ADFs will take over the roll of the master and all other ADFs will take the roll of a follower. The follower only does whatever the master tells them to do over the CAN interface.

Setup

The setup is very easy, by only giving each system an identification number, the communication can be established within seconds.

Compensation settings will then also be transferred from the master node to all the follower nodes.

Operation

The operation of each ADF is, even during Multi-Master, completely independent. Starting, stopping and errors are not connected to the Multi-Master operation. The transferred information is how many systems are running at each moment and what the compensation setpoint is. Based on that each running ADF is generating the needed compensation current. If one ADF stops, then the information is distributed to all other systems and they will take over the workload of the stopped system immediately.

If for some reason the master stops, a new master will be identified directly, and it will take over the master role. This happens on the fly.

Redundancy

With Multi-Master it is possible to design a redundancy scheme on every level. N+1, N+2, 2N …

With the basic operations of the multi-master you directly get a basic redundancy already with 2 systems in the loop.