DCSignale

DCSignale is a protocol and software framework intended to enable signaling and control across direct-current (DC) electrical systems. It targets DC microgrids, DC distribution within data centers, and energy-storage deployments, providing a compact, deterministic communication layer that operates alongside standard power delivery.

DCSignale defines a lightweight message frame, addressing model, and error-handling mechanisms to support real-time signaling without introducing significant overhead. Core features include unicast and broadcast messaging, topic-based routing, and event-driven delivery. The protocol supports basic authentication and optional encryption, along with sequence numbers and CRCs for integrity and ordering. It is designed to tolerate electrical noise typical of DC power lines.

An open-source reference implementation exists in multiple languages, including C++, Python, and Rust, with bindings for higher-level languages. The ecosystem provides a protocol analyzer, test vectors, and a configurable simulator to model latency, jitter, and packet loss in various DC network topologies.

DCSignale is used to coordinate state information, control commands, and diagnostics across distributed DC devices, enabling applications such as microgrid islanding, battery management, and load shedding. Adoption remains community-driven, with ongoing work on interoperability, security hardening, and performance tuning.