Rad-Tolerant SBC Boasts Low Operating Power

Space-based applications require a level beyond the typical definition of ruggedness. Aitech Defense Systems offers a high-performance, single-slot SBC that allows the user to initiate different power-saving options, depending on application requirements. Specifically designed for mission-critical space environments, the new 3U CompactPCI radiation-tolerant S950 functions using as little as 13.5W in full operation, less than 8W in nap mode and less than 10W with limited performance for less intense processing requirements, all based on a core processor speed of 733 MHz.

The S950 offers extreme protection against single event upsets (SEUs). The board incorporates the low-power PowerPCT 750FX Processor with a maximum power dissipation of less than 8W, 128 Mbytes of SDRAM arranged in a bit-wise triple voting architecture and 1 Mbyte of dual-redundant boot flash to store the onboard Boot firmware. The 32 Kbyte L1 cache includes a parity check for both tags and data, while the 512 Kbyte L2 cache provides a parity check on tags and ECC protection on data. A rad-tolerant anti-fuse FPGA maintains the memory controller to ensure data integrity for secure system reliability in harsh space environments. Also implemented on the FPGA is additional ECC protection for the board’s 64 Mbytes of user flash memory. Pricing for the S950 starts at $24,200.

Aitech Defense Systems
Chatsworth, CA.
(888) 248-3248.
[www.rugged.com].

DSP Card Marries TigerSHARCs and FPGA

FPGAs and DSPs working together form a powerful weapon for advanced signal processing applications. Exemplifying that trend is BittWare’s GT-3U-cPCI (GT3U), a ruggedized 3U CompactPCI board that has been designed for demanding multiprocessor-based applications. The GT3U features a large Altera Stratix II GX FPGA, one cluster of four ADSP-TS201S TigerSHARC processors from Analog Devices, a front panel interface supplying four channels of high-speed SerDes transceivers, and a back panel interface providing RS-232/RS-422 and 10/100 Ethernet. Simultaneous on-board and off-board data transfers can be achieved at a rate of 2 Gbytes/s via BittWare’s ATLANTiS framework implemented in the Stratix II GX FPGA. The board also provides a large amount of onboard memory including 1 Gbyte of DDR2 SDRAM or 64 Mbytes of QDR SDRAM, as well as 64 Mbytes of flash memory for booting the FPGA and DSPs.

The GT3U features a single cluster of four ADSP-TS201S TigerSHARC DSPs, which are interconnected by a 64-bit cluster bus running at up to 100 MHz. The ADSP-TS201 processor operates at up to 600 MHz, providing 3.6 Gflops of peak processing power. Because of its superscalar architecture, the ADSP-TS201 is also efficient at fixed-point processing, with each DSP supporting 14.4 Bops of processing. Along with 24 Mbits of on-chip RAM, each DSP also boasts four high-speed LVDS link ports. Each full-duplex link port is comprised of a 4-bit transmit and a 4-bit receive channel, and can support up to 500 Mbytes/s in each direction for a total maximum throughput of 1 Gbyte/s.

BittWare
Concord, NH.
(603) 226-0404.
[www.bittware.com].

SBC Serves Up Dual PMC/XMC, Core 2 Duo

The Core 2 Duo processor is quickly assuming the status of most designed-in CPU for embedded computer boards. Exemplifying that trend, Concurrent Technologies offers their latest single-slot CompactPCI dual-core processor, dual PMC/XMC, single board computer. The PP 452/03x uses a popular mobile dual-core processor from the Intel embedded roadmap, the 1.5 GHz or 1.06 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The board is ideal for low-power intensive processing applications where the dual processor cores can access up to 4 Gbytes of soldered DDR2-400 ECC SDRAM at up to 6.4 Gbytes/s. For I/O flexibility there are 2 PMC/XMC sites supporting both front and rear I/O, plus 2 SATA150, 1 RS232, 3 USB 2.0 and dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces. The board also supports PICMG 2.16 (Ethernet fabric), PICMG 2.9 (IPMI) and PICMG 2.1 (hot swap). Commercial and extended temperature versions are now available, and ruggedized, conduction-cooled or air-cooled versions will be available shortly.