For military systems in particular there’s always a formidable challenge when it comes to balancing I/O functionality with high integration. Addressing that issue, MEN Micro introduced a new I/O concept on 3U CompactPCI. The interfaces of the F215 can be configured as desired—allowing the user nearly unlimited application possibilities for this card. The physical layer can be realized individually for each channel by means of SA-Adapters. SA-Adapters are small universal boards that provide the line drivers for I/O functions. This concept allows the ability to add additional I/O interfaces to the F215, which enhances flexibility when combining all kinds of interfaces and with regard to different isolation requirements.

Two SA-Adapters can be mounted directly on the F215, and are connected using a 9-pin D-Sub connector each. If you want to use further adapters, up to a maximum of six, you need more front-panel space. These adapters are connected to the carrier via ribbon cable. The F215 comes in a standard configuration with five predefined functions on an 8 HP front panel: two CAN interfaces, two UARTs and one 8-channel binary I/O interface. All of the board’s I/O functions are realized by means of an FPGA, making it a very flexible, inexpensive solution for serial I/O. The F215 was designed for use in rugged environments. All of its components are specified for an operating temperature of -40° to +85°C. In addition, they are soldered on to meet the high demands of shock and vibration.

MEN Micro
Ambler, PA.
(215) 542-9575.
[www.menmicro.com].

XMC Digital Receivers Employ FPGA Technology

FPGAs are providing a vital function in today’s signal processing-based military systems. FPGA processing lets systems convert incoming analog signals quickly into a digital format, and do critical preprocessing of the data before sending it along. Feeding such needs, Mercury Computer Systems provides a series of high-performance, Virtex-5-based digital receivers. The Echotek Series DCM-V5-XMC digital receiver features the latest in A/D and D/A technology, allowing for high-speed/high-resolution data conversion while still preserving the quality of the original signal. It implements either a Virtex-5 SX95T or LX155T FPGA, which can be programmed by the end user for customer-specific application features.

Each Virtex-5 FPGA is accompanied by both DDR-II-SDRAM and QDR-II-SRAM memory chips; the memory is available for buffering input data streams and for supporting computationally intense applications. This set of flexible resources delivers unique capabilities, such as multi-board coherency, making the new product especially well suited for beamforming and direction-finding, as required by many radar, signals intelligence, electronics intelligence and communications applications.

Mercury Computer Systems
Chelmsford, MA.
(978) 256-0052.
[www.mc.com].

FPGA Computing Platform Leverages PCI Express

PCI Express was a latecomer to the switched fabric wars, but its adoption into the embedded arena now ranks as wider than all its rivals. Riding that wave, the BenONE PCIe from Nallatech includes PCI Express capability and incorporates Xilinx Virtex-5 technology to provide users with a low-cost FPGA carrier card featuring an onboard Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGA, high-bandwidth 8-lane PCI Express host interface. The onboard DIME-II expansion module slot supports a wide range of high-performance analog and digital I/O interfaces, memory types and Xilinx User FPGAs.

The BenONE PCIe allows developers to take advantage of the PCI Express bus standard providing higher performance, increased flexibility and scalability as well as providing a seamless migration path for next-generation FPGA systems. With the FPGA industry’s first built-in PCI Express Endpoint, Virtex-5 FPGAs give designers an off-the-shelf solution that saves time, reduces power consumption and frees up valuable FPGA fabric resources. The host interface is a x8 PCI Express connector for a theoretical maximum performance of 2 Gbytes/s full duplex. Software support includes the Nallatech FUSE API for Windows and Linux. FUSE also includes an application and development API for C/C++.

Nallatech
Eldersburg, MD.
(410) 552-3352.
[www.nallatech.com].

FPGA Cards Provide Reconfigurable I/O