The RTDS Simulator is designed specifically to simulate electrical power systems and to test physical equipment such as control and protection devices. Numerous analogue and digital input and output channels, with optical isolation and high accuracy, provide for flexible interconnections with the simulator. The modular design enables simulation hardware to be customized for specific study needs and yet give the flexibility for future expansion. Modularity also combines with Ethernet access to provide the capability for different people to run several simultaneous simulations or for one person to run one large simulation using all available hardware.
The custom parallel processing hardware architecture is assembled in units called racks. Each rack contains several slot mounted cards. The specific composition of an RTDS Simulator depends on the processing and I/O requirements of the intended application. A common communication backplane links all slot mounted cards within a rack to facilitate the exchange of information. Direct card to card communication is also possible through fiber optic links. In a multi-rack simulator, the backplanes function independently and in parallel, thereby reducing communication bottlenecks. The communication among racks is realized through special inter-rack communication links.
Various I/O cards are typically mounted on DIN rails within the simulator cubicle and connected directly to individual processor cards via optical fibres. Alternatively, the I/O cards can be located remotely and connected using fibre lengths in the range of 50m.