Starter Generator Test Rig: One Rig, Every Aircraft Starter Generator

Maintenance depots servicing a mixed fleet face an unglamorous but expensive problem: every aircraft manufacturer’s starter generator has its own flange, its own test recipe, and often its own dedicated test bench. Neometrix’s Starter Generator Test Rig collapses that into one programmable, multi-brand platform — compatible with over 50 starter generator models from light-helicopter DC brush units to 270V HVDC systems, on a single vibration-isolated frame.

Five Stages, Every Time

Each test follows the same automated sequence: mount the unit on a quick-change adapter matched to its flange type, select its recipe from the HMI so all limits and ramp rates auto-load, spin it via a 4-quadrant regenerative servo drive held within ±0.5% of the target speed, apply electrical loading from a programmable DC load bank (0-600 A stepped, plus a 2,000 A peak / 5-second starter simulation burst), and log every channel simultaneously before the system auto-generates a timestamped pass/fail report with full calibration traceability.

Twelve Tests, Pre-Programmed

Rather than configuring each test manually, an operator selects the model and the rig runs a pre-built recipe: maximum and minimum speed regulation, continuous operating speed with thermal stabilisation, compounding behaviour under stepped load, residual voltage, a five-minute overspeed run at 14,000 RPM, commutation inspection, locked-rotor start torque, equalising voltage for paralleling, commutator run-out, magnetic pickup waveform, and frame temperature rise — twelve standardised recipes covering the full qualification envelope a starter generator needs to clear.

Changeover Measured in Minutes, Not Hours

A quick-change adapter kit covers the major flange geometries across Skurka, Safran, AMETEK, Thales and Honeywell units, with changeover under 15 minutes between models. Combined with auto-recipe loading — which pulls test limits, ramp rates and report templates straight from the HMI library the moment a part number is selected — a depot testing multiple aircraft types in a day doesn’t lose that time to rig reconfiguration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can one rig really test both DC brush and DC brushless starter generators, or is that mostly a specifications claim?
Yes — the rig’s electrical subsystem is built around a programmable DC load bank, a separate AC load bank rated 115V/400Hz/3-phase, and a precision field excitation supply, which together cover the loading requirements of DC brush units, DC brushless units and AC generators without needing separate hardware for each type. The compatibility database lists over 50 specific models across these types from manufacturers including Skurka, Safran, AMETEK, Thales and Honeywell, each with its own pre-built test recipe, so switching between a DC brush helicopter unit and a brushless HVDC system is a matter of selecting a different part number and adapter, not reconfiguring the rig’s underlying electrical architecture.

Why does the rig need a 2,000 amp peak starter simulation capability if it’s mainly testing the generator function?
Because a starter generator, as the name implies, does two distinct jobs in service — it cranks the engine at start-up, drawing very high current for a short burst, and then switches to generating electrical power once the engine is running. Testing only the generation function would leave the starting function completely unverified, which matters because a unit that generates power correctly but can’t deliver the cranking current an engine start actually requires would fail in exactly the moment it’s needed most. The rig’s starter simulation bus delivers 28-30 VDC at up to 2,000 A for 5-second cranking bursts specifically to validate that high-current starting behaviour under controlled, repeatable, instrumented conditions rather than only ever discovering a starting fault on an actual aircraft.

Get In Touch

For full specifications, RFQs, or a technical discussion about the Starter Generator Test Rig:
– Product page: Starter Generator Test Rig
– Email: [email protected]
– Phone: +91-7777-876-876