Embedded systems
Robotics & controls
Control-system reverse engineering
Vehicle electrification
Project outcome
A contract-defining prototype
A working controls prototype that reproduced the signals of a 15-tonne loader and proved a viable path into a larger electrification program.
Where SSH Tech sat in the system
Signal path
3/6 layers built at SSH Tech
L1
Machine
Production loader, drivetrain and hydraulic systems.
Existing
L2
Sensing
Vehicle instrumentation and live control-signal capture.
Built at SSH Tech
L3
Embedded
Decoded messages reproduced on a controlled interface.
Built at SSH Tech
L4
Compute
Bench and in-cab logging for response comparison.
Integrated
L5
Decision
Control hypotheses tested against machine behaviour.
Integrated
L6
Actuation
Command path proven into drive and hydraulic control.
Built at SSH Tech
Discipline load
Mechanical
Electrical
Embedded
Software
Operations
The system problem
Challenge
The electrification team needed to interface with a production loader whose control behaviour was not available as a clean specification. Progress depended on understanding the machine's modules, identifying the relevant sensor and control signals, and reproducing them safely enough to validate the new architecture.
Our responsibility
SSH Tech led the technical investigation and prototype integration: instrumenting the vehicle, observing module behaviour, forming and testing interface hypotheses, and turning the findings into a demonstrable control-system bridge.
How we worked
- Established a safe instrumentation plan around the machine and its existing control modules.
- Captured and correlated bus traffic with physical inputs, outputs and operating states.
- Reproduced target sensor signals in a controlled prototype rather than attempting a full-system replacement at once.
- Used the prototype to expose integration risks early and give commercial stakeholders a concrete proof point.
Delivery path
Hardest risk first.
Phase 1
Observe the existing machine
Built an evidence base connecting vehicle behaviour to the messages and signals moving through the control system.
- Vehicle instrumentation and signal capture
- Module and interface mapping
- Operating-state correlation
Phase 2
Reproduce the critical interface
Implemented a bounded signal-reproduction layer to test whether the electrification architecture could communicate with the loader.
- Sensor-signal emulation
- Control-interface prototyping
- Bench and machine-side validation
Phase 3
Prove the delivery path
Packaged the technical findings and working prototype into a clear basis for the next stage of engineering.
- Risk and interface documentation
- Prototype demonstration
- Defined next-stage integration scope
What changed in the operation
15-tonne
Machine platform
The prototype was developed against the control modules of a 15-tonne Volvo loader.
Multi-million-dollar
Contract pathway
The prototype contributed to securing a multi-million-dollar electrification contract.
Technical stack
Vehicle controls
CAN analysis
Instrumentation
Signal emulation
Systems integration
Capabilities applied
Reverse engineering
Controls prototyping
Technical risk reduction
Integration planning
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