Session outlines practical architectures for achieving nanosecond-level alignment in complex test environments.

VERONA, Wis., March 31, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ed Sekel, Senior Software Development Engineer at ACS, will present on multi-bus avionics time synchronization at NI Connect 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. As aerospace test requirements grow more demanding, synchronization, communication, and data integrity have become defining engineering challenges. In multi-bus avionics test environments, timing misalignment doesn’t announce itself. It surfaces as unexplained anomalies in post-processing or, worse, not at all until a compliance review.

In his presentation, titled “The Gold Standard: Achieving Nanosecond Alignment Across Disparate Avionics Busses,” Sekel will provide engineers with a practical framework for selecting and implementing synchronization topologies for their test environment based on system requirements and constraints. The session will include a detailed walkthrough of three distinct architectures for achieving nanosecond-level alignment between the PXI backplane and external bus interfaces:

Direct IRIG-B Integration: Best practices for synchronizing to a facility master clock.
Autonomous PXI Mastering: Methods for building a high-stability time source in isolated environments without an external reference.
Hybrid PTP Solutions: Approaches that combine IEEE-1588v2 with IRIG-B converters for distributed, multi-node systems.

The session concludes with a hands-on implementation case study using NI-XNET and ARINC-825, demonstrating how hardware-timed frames deliver deterministic performance in mission-critical applications.

“It’s rare for an avionics test system to be dealing with a single protocol today,” says Sekel. “Aircrafts are managing four or five busses simultaneously, each with its own timing reference. Getting the synchronization architecture right isn’t a refinement; it determines whether you can trust what you’re measuring across all of them.”

Sekel brings more than 25 years of experience architecting complex LabVIEW-based test systems and his presentation is a marker of the technical depth behind ACS’s NI Aerospace, Defense, and Government industry segment badge and its standing as an NI Gold Partner.

Sekel’s session, “The Gold Standard: Achieving Nanosecond Alignment Across Disparate Avionic Busses,” is part of NI Connect’s Tech Talk track and will be held Wednesday, May 13, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

About ACS:

ACS designs, engineers, and builds innovative equipment, machines, controls, and facilities for industry leaders in markets including automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing. ACS is a systems integrator, helping companies maximize their facilities’ efficiency with systems designed and engineered to work together. ACS combines its knowledge of building design and construction with expertise and understanding of equipment, R&D and production test, process systems, automation, data acquisition, and controls for industry leaders who require high-performance systems. ACS is based in Verona, Wisconsin, with a regional office in Troy, Michigan, and serves customers across North America and around the world. For more information, visit www.acscm.com.

Contact:
Amanda Donahue, Marketing Manager
ACS
[email protected]
(608) 663-1247

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