Residential secondary circuit calculations are routinely performed by designers when laying out new subdivisions. DSTAR has developed a new Secondary Electrical Design Software which allows the designer to draw in the circuit configuration with a mouse, and quickly define the transformer, cable, and load parameters. SEDS supports complex circuit configurations such as secondary mains and secondary pedestals. With the click of a tab, the designer has results for the steady-state voltage drop, voltage flicker, and short-circuit duty at each of the services, as well as coincident loadings of each secondary cable and the distribution transformer. In addition SEDS can assist engineers and system planers in evaluating the effect of unbalanced loads on secondary systems.

SEDS includes load diversity in the calculations, and uses a sophisticated approach to calculating the coincident demand of dissimilar types or sizes of loads -- a situation which can give silly results using conventional coincidence tables.

The user clicks on the graphic circuit object to open the window to specify data for the loads, cables, distribution transformer, and primary source.

SEDS data selections are customizable, similar to the DSTAR Toolbox. The Administrator sets up the database with standard load types, cables, and transformers. Also, motor types for flicker calculations and coincidence factor categories are also set up by the Administrator. The user simply clicks on one of these standard types, or can directly input data.

Often in a residential design, all of the loads or cables are the same. To save the user the effort of specifying over and over again, SEDS provides a "data copy" function which transfers the specifications from one load or cable to another with a simple mouse click on the graphic object.