Lakehurst IDATS laboratory hosts second annual open house Published Nov. 27, 2013 By Elyse Fetherman Naval Air Systems Command Public Affairs JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- The Integrated Diagnostics and Automated Test Systems Laboratory hosted its second annual Open House at its facility Nov. 15, 2013, at the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division here. The second annual open house served as a platform for attendees to tour the lab facility, meet the lab's principal investigators, view technology demonstrations and learn about the lab's latest advancements and research efforts in support of naval avionics diagnostics. Open house attendees had the opportunity to see the IDATS Lab's research and development efforts up close and personal. The Smart Connector organizational level tester and the net-centric MX-12345/USM Diagnostics Avionics Tester for F -18 Hornet electro-optic pods were two of the most notable demonstrations of the day. With nearly 3/4 of all Navy and Marine Corps maintenance actions relating to avionics, there is an on-going need to develop and utilize advanced diagnostic capabilities in order to improve fault detection and isolation, reduce "false alarms" and reduce unnecessary remove, replace or repair actions that can result in wasted man-hours, unnecessary costs and aircraft downtime. The patented Smart Connector tester inserts between running avionics boxes and provides a combination of bus monitoring and stimulus-and-response testing to effectively and accurately diagnose those boxes. The smart connector is able to provide more efficient testing and diagnostics, providing a reduction in unnecessary removals. The IDATS Lab showcased several of its research projects and provided attendees the opportunity to speak with principal investigators about the technological capabilities and the applicability of the projects to other programs. "I enjoyed seeing all the technology that was shown," said Adriano Parga, an electrical engineer who works within the Engineering Division at NAWCAD Lakehurst. "I didn't know all of this was here. I could see how all of it could help within our team. The most practical item that would help us would be the Smart Connector." Dr. Russell Shannon, the IDATS lead systems engineer, sees the Open House as a great event to showcase the future of avionics diagnostic technology. "The goal is to bring people in and spread the word about who we are and our mission," said Shannon. "For management, it is that IDATS is contributing to the naval aviation enterprise and to the mission. The lab is positively impacting change in naval avionics diagnostics." Mark Weber, an IDATS leadership team member and avionics electronic engineer, is especially passionate about showcasing the lab's capabilities to the joint base community. He sees the open house as an opportunity for newer engineers to become familiar with the research and development efforts of the IDATS Lab. "Our second goal is to show leadership and Support Equipment Program officers what we are doing and how they can apply our technology in their programs," said Weber. Looking ahead, both Weber and Shannon are enthusiastic about future open houses. "We saw a lot of returning people and new faces," said Weber, who added that the lab saw an increase in attendance from last year's open house. He said one of the big goals the lab would like to achieve by the next open house is the transition of the showcased products to the fleet. Shannon is also enthusiastic about seeing many of the products coming to fruition. "Fiscal year 2013 was probably our best year yet," said Shannon. "We had more projects and more work. We are going into fiscal year 2014 in a very strong position." The IDATS Laboratory, which originally opened in April 2010, seeks to provide modern avionics diagnostic and testing solutions for Navy and Marine Corps systems.