Railster: real-time monitoring and edge computing for Rail
Cutting edge remote condition monitoring equipment
The Railster is a powerful and flexible remote monitoring and edge computing device that enables you to access and process data from any rolling stock and its sub-components in real time. Send the data to your IT cloud for (predictive) analysis and turn it into decisions and actions.
The updatable software on the Railster allows you to configure and update the Railster to your data needs: connect to any subsystem, and compute your own rules to receive custom fault codes and alerts.
Built for railway
Safety
The Railster has been thoroughly tested for a railway environment by independent safety assessors. The Railster complies with railway standards such as EN50155, EN45545, EN50121-3-2, EN60950-1. Railnova also provides the necessary documentation for the CSM risk analysis and accompanies you throughout the entire process.
Passive design
The data acquisition by the Railster is passive by design and adapts to any type of component (such as MVB, Profibus, CAN etc). As the Railster is isolated from e.g. the MVB network there’s no re-homologation required. The modification has been submitted to the EBA and approved as non significant.
Out-of-the-box rolling stock interfaces
Out-of-the-box rolling stock component interfaces
✓ MVB bus
✓ CAN bus
✓ Profibus
✓ FIP bus
✓ DCPU diag
✓ Agate diag
✓ SIBAS diag
✓ Voith diag
✓ JRU
✓ ERTMS
✓ Battery
✓ Doors
✓ HVAC
✓ EMD engine card
✓ CAT engine card
✓ MTU engine card
✓ Ethernet
✓ RS485
✓ RS232
✓ J1939
✓ J1708
✓ Oil sensors
✓ Temperature sensors
✓ Fuel sensors
✓ etc.
✓ MVB bus
✓ CAN bus
✓ Profibus
✓ FIP bus
✓ DCPU diag
✓ Agate diag
✓ SIBAS diag
✓ Voith diag
✓ JRU
✓ ERTMS
✓ Battery
✓ Doors
✓ HVAC
✓ EMD engine card
✓ CAT engine card
✓ MTU engine card
✓ Ethernet
✓ RS485
✓ RS232
✓ J1939
✓ J1708
✓ Oil sensors
✓ Temperature sensors
✓ Fuel sensors
✓ etc.
Step by step approach to remote monitoring with the Railster
1. Connect
The Railster enables you to connect to any data source from your railway assets with one single device: from the main vehicle network to subcomponent diagnostic ports and analog or digital sensors already installed on the vehicle. As there’s no modification to vehicle network architecture, no re-homologation is needed.
2. Configure
Railster ports are software configurable and can be managed remotely. The Railster platform automatically sets the correct voltage input level and applies the correct FPGA bitstream for decoding. The embedded logic of the Railster is updated over the air, making it easy to set up time series and alarms and/or configure Railsters to detect changes in signals.
3. Interface
Integrate the data that is sent by the Railster into your own existing IT infrastructure via the API, the Kafka output, through AMQP or other custom protocols on request.
4. Automate
Automate vehicle supervision on real-time data with the Railster and Railgenius: input rules to select the events you want to monitor with the Railster and review data and alarms in a live dashboard on Railgenius.
Railster Development Kit
Not sure yet what kind of data you can get from your assets? Or, do you want to test the Railster on one of your assets to see if it fits your data acquisition and remote monitoring needs?
With the Railster development kit, your engineering teams can experiment on their test bench or on the vehicle. The kit helps you to save time on connectivity projects by providing immediate proof that the solution works and that it is able to get you the data you need.
Railnova provides a case with a CAN connection kit, MVB connection kit, Railster, antenna, analog signals, etc… and the necessary training and assistance to configure and perform live data acquisition for your fleet. In current times, the kit can easily be used for testing or POC installations with remote training and assistance from the Railnova team.
Built for flexibility
Railster Hardware
The Railster consists of the Railster remote monitoring device, a GPS and a custom cabling kit. The Railster is a rugged, embedded computer with both analog channels and configurable ports to connect to different sub-components.
The custom cabling kit makes it easy to install and connect the Railster to any data source. The GPS is easily installed behind the driver’s window and doesn’t require any drilling.
Railster embedded software
The embedded software enables remote configurations, updates and edge processing. This means that you are able to remotely configure the Railster, choose which data sources you want to access, and update the type of parameters you want to monitor.
As the Railster also has its own operating system there’s no need to purchase or build your own OS on top of the Railster.
Universal Interface Ports
Railnova’s Universal Interface Ports (UIPs) are software configurable IO ports that support 3 electrical modes (RS485, RS232 and CAN). The built-in FPGA makes interfacing any kind of data bus (such as FIP or MVB) only a matter of software configuration and over-the-air updates.
The combination of the UIPs and the FPGA ensures that there’s no need for extension cards or expensive hardware updates to access new data sources or to monitor additional parameters. This makes the Railster an extremely flexible and easy-to-customize remote monitoring device for Rail.
Edge Computing
Edge computing with the Railster makes it possible to process data as close to the data source as possible, to deploy algorithms on millisecond data and therefore avoid missing significant events because of downsampling.
The embedded rule engine on the Railster enables you to deploy your own algorithms in just a few clicks and only send the relevant data to the cloud. This allows you to reduce cloud storage, processing costs and data noise.
Data control and data ownership
Railnova’s products are OEM-independent and provide a safe way to access and process any rolling stock data, while you maintain full data ownership.
With Railnova you also have full data control: you choose which data the Railster should send, compute your own algorithms or counters, and iterate fast on new ideas and projects. You no longer need specialist engineers or OEM involvement to access new data or new parameters: this takes only a couple of minutes with Railnova.
Fast and easy integration
Railnova provides operators with a plug-and-play IoT platform, and guides them through the entire integration process: Railnova accompanies the operators through the CSM risk analysis process, and our professional services team prepares custom cabling kits for a fast installation, supplies detailed installation guides and provides assistance throughout the entire process.
Combine the Railster with the other Railnova products, and/or integrate it within your existing processes and infrastructures.
Railgenius
Use the Railster in combination with Railgenius to perform real-time monitoring and predictive diagnostics in order to offer live support to your helpdesk and drivers in complex diagnostics situations. Railgenius enables operators to crystallise their engineering experience into new business rules and meaningful alerts.
Railfleet
Connnect the Railster to Railfleet to view all your trains in one place and to communicate about fleet condition, availability and location with your stakeholders. Railfleet also enables automatic preventive and corrective maintenance scheduling based on diagnostics, telematic counters, time limits and tolerance.
Consulting
Not sure what data acquisition business case you should tackle or how? Or you don’t have an inhouse data expert to turn your data into actionable insights? Railnova or one of the Railnova partners can help with that!
Railster technical specifications
How is the Railster powered? How does it communicate and store data? Is it fully railway compliant? Discover the answers to these questions, and all other technical specifications by downloading the following document:
The technical specifications file contains an overview of the Railster’s
- Dimensions
- In- and outputs
- Data streaming and software updates
- Architecture
- Power supply
- Railway compliance
More about the Railster, remote monitoring and edge computing
How edge computing revolutionises railway operations
Centralised diagnostics aids transition to predictive maintenance
