Projects

Some of the more significant projects that Crystal Rock has completed, managed and provided expertise for are:

  • Electricity Ashburton Substation Communications Network
  • C1 Studios
  • Embedded Linux
  • Meridian Energy Automation and Remote Control
  • IndraNet Technologies Prototype Wireless Mesh Network
E A

Electricity Ashburton Substation IP Network

Electricity Ashburton is a community-owned electricity distribution company. They own and operate the electricity distribution network for the Ashburton district, which is bounded by the Rakaia River in the north and the Rangitata River in the south, and from the sea to the main divide. Electricity Ashburton also has a contracting division, undertaking construction and maintenance to overhead and underground high-voltage lines and substations.

As part of the asset management plan, the distribution network is progressively being upgraded to cope with increasing demand and to make best use of the existing infrastructure. Some automation and monitoring capability is being incorporated into the electricity network where appropriate. In order to make optimal use of the automation and monitoring equipment, a communications network is also required.

Crystal Rock has been assisting Electricity Ashburton with some of their more difficult wireless network links and commmunications network integration requirements.

C1 Studios

C1 Studios

C1 Espresso is a cafe on High Street, near the Christchurch Polytech. Early in 2003 the owners, Sam and Fleur, undertook a project to set up a radio studio in the cafe. The studio is capable of streaming high-quality digital stereo audio as a remote studio for a radio station, and as an Internet radio station.

The studio was launched on 1 May 2003, in association with the local university's radio station RDU, by broadcasting pre-recorded music as well as live performances from the launch party in the evening.

The audio codecs and virtual private network system were all designed, built, installed and commissioned by Crystal Rock.

C1 Studios is no longer associated with RDU, and now hosts the Urban Breaks radio station.

Penguin

Embedded Linux

The Crystal Rock Embedded Linux programme was made up of several complementary development streams.

Recent development centred around the Crystal Router, a commercially available router platform with custom firmware, Crystal Router Unix (CRUX). The custom firmware is based on a Linux distribution that is supported by a world-wide open-source community. The router firmware incorporates a number of open-source software packages as well as custom software for specific applications.

Crystal Router Unix has since been superseded by RouterOS, which is under continuing development by MikroTik. We maintain a close relationship with MikroTik through our certified consultancy services.

Meridian

Meridian Energy Automation and Remote Control

Meridian Energy is a state-owned enterprise and the largest electricity generator in New Zealand. Currently they operate nine hydro stations in the South Island, a wind turbine in Wellington and three wind farms.

During the late 1990's, the eight hydro power stations of the Waitaki chain and the Manapouri power scheme were automated and since 2000 have all been remotely controlled from the control centre near Twizel.

Crystal Rock undertook the following aspects of the Meridian Energy automation and remote control project on behalf of Telegyr Systems (San Jose, California), which is now part of Siemens:

  • project management
  • engineering management
  • management of sub-contractors
  • systems integration
  • IP network and routing design and development
  • installation
  • commissioning
  • configuration management
  • as-built drawing mark-up
Indranet

IndraNet Technologies Prototype Wireless Mesh Network

IndraNet Technologies is a technology development company based in Christchurch. Indra is a principal Vedic deity associated with rain and thunder. Indra's net has a jewel at each intersection, each jewel reflecting all the other jewels of the net. The concept of Indra's net inspired IndraNet's co-inventors for their concept of a wireless mesh network.

As a part-time project from 2001 to 2003, Crystal Rock developed the IndraNet concept into prototype wireless mesh networks. During that period Crystal Rock designed, developed, built, installed, and commissioned prototype wireless mesh networks for the following beta-testing customers:

  • Mairie de Nice (Nice City Council), la Cote d'Azur, France
  • IndraNet, Christchurch, New Zealand
  • Electricity Ashburton, Ashburton, New Zealand
  • Fiji Electricity Authority, Labasa, Fiji