The EME/MEB Project

Instem Computer Systems,Walton Industrial Park, Stone, Staffordshire, UK

This was really two projects but the software development aspects were so similar that they shared a number of development resources. The project involved the updating of electricity substation remote monitoring and control systems for the East Midlands Electricity Board, UK and the Midlands Electricity Board, UK.

I lead a two man team in the development of two software modules for the Harris D20; a Motorola 68020 based SCADA subsystem. The first module allowed a single D20 to emulate multiple Ferranti Mk2 SCADA subsystem and involved a four month placement at Harris Controls in Calgary, Canada for Duncan Reade and myself. The second module allowed a D20 to emulate multiple Ferranti Mk3 SCADA subsystem. Both modules were written in C.

The weekends Calgary gave Duncan and myself a chance to drive into the Rocky Mountains and go skiing, both downhill and cross-country. My favourite location for downhill was Lake Louise but several nearer places were excellent too.

A favourite stop on the way home after a long day skiing was the hot sulphur springs at Banff. Lounging in naturally heated 40 degree water in an outside pool with the outside temperature at minus ten degrees or lower was an amazing experience; with your toes tingling from the heat while small icicles are forming in your hair.

Food? There was just too much. For half the price of an equivalent English meal the portion was at least twice the size. Favourites included, Smugglers Inn and Cheesecake Cafe. Add to that the large book of vouchers we invested in that contained hundreds of 2 for 1 main course deals or other offers for restaurants and cafes throughout the city, and we ate far too much. Thankfully the skiing, especially the cross-country variety, kept the pounds off.

Working at EME

For my last three months at Instem I was shipped off to Nottingham to the headquarters of East Midland Electricity. There I was meant to help configure, install and test the Westronic D20 based systems being put in EME's substations. I was also given the task of training two of the EME engineers in the maintenance of the Westronic D20 software. I experienced for the first and only time so far working somewhere with a superb subsidized canteen and a genuine tea lady coming around mid-morning with a trolley of tea, coffee and pastries. 

We also spent considerable time out at a large electricity substation just above Chesterfield testing the installation there. The site at the time was shared by the National Grid Company and East Midlands Electricity. NGC were also installing a new system from a rival company. The good natured banter between the two groups of engineers was alot of fun and the nearby fish and chip shop was superb.

Staying in a country pub just outside Nottingham I used to return to Stoke for the weekends. I had a Vauxhaull (Opel) Astra at my disposal; it was a pleasure not having to worry about the reliability of the car unlike my own much older Vauxhaull Cavalier that had seen better days (although itself a vast improvement over my first car, a Mark2 Ford Escort called Elizabeth that had fallen apart over the previous two years).