C-Born Software Systems were part of the AAHL’s award winning control system group for their role in writing the software for the facilities 170 air handling controllers systems.

The Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), Geelong, was built in the early eighties to provide a world class laboratory for diagnosis of animal disease outbreaks and research for CSIRO.

The faculty originally required 350 independent control systems to operate all aspects of the building, including 170 air handling controllers.

C-Born Software Systems wrote the software for the air handling controllers. These systems controlled critical air pressure security barriers, air flow throughout the laboratories, temperature control for these areas, the interlocking airtight door systems, decontamination facilities such as formaldehyde gas chambers and peracetic acid showers.

Our work included:

• • • The design of control strategies for a range of differently configured air handling controlled zones
    • The creation of control software for door interlocking systems, access control and indication for over 500 individual airtight doors
    • The development of software to handle the complex interactions between various subsystems
    • The design and implementation of user friendly software to provide fault reports, modification of system parameters and display of operating status information
    • The creation of documentation describing software function and to assist with system maintenance

Each differing system required a sophisticated macro programming language and standardised user interface to be developed to ensure a very high level of system reliability and integrity.

The control systems were based on the 6802 microprocessor, using software written in assembler.

The control system group received an ‘Award for Innovation and Excellence’ from the Commonwealth Department of Housing and Construction.