Real-Time Multiband Recording and Playback Transceiver Development Platform Boasts Improved Performance and System Density
- Xilinx FPGA and PowerPC Provide Configurable Signal Processing
- Dual A/D Converters and Down Converters with Recording to Disk Array
- Dual D/A Converters and Digital Upconverter with Playback from Disk Array
- Scaleable from 2 to 40 Transceiver Channels in a Single 6U VME Chassis
- SystemFlow® and GateFlow® FPGA Resources Simplify Customization
- Application-Ready RTS® Platform Provides Out-of-the-Box Functionality
|
|
Pentek, Inc., the industry pioneer of board-level technology, announced today the latest in its RTS family of real-time data recording and playback platforms, the RTS 2504. The RTS platforms are complete, fully integrated instruments featuring a range of A/D and D/A resources with high-speed links to cost-effective JBOD disk arrays. The RTS 2504 uses Pentek's 7140 PMC radio transceiver module for acquiring live IF or RF analog signals for disk storage, and then playing back signal files through D/A converters to deliver IF or RF analog outputs. Occupying a single VMEbus slot, the RTS 2504 is a fully programmable development platform that offers the flexibility of FPGA technology, and targets high-bandwidth data recording and playback applications such as radar, direction finding, SIGINT, telemetry and commercial wireless base stations.
'This fourth member of the RTS platform family represents big steps in both density and technology,' says Pentek vice president Rodger Hosking. 'Our previous transceiver system required two different mezzanine cards, but the 7140 combines all functions in a single transceiver PMC module, freeing a mezzanine site for additional functions. New resources inside the 7140 include a Virtex-II Pro FPGA with on-board processors and gigabit serial interfaces, plus 512 Mbytes of fast, on-board SDRAM.'
Like other RTS family members, the RTS 2504 benefits from Pentek's SystemFlow API and development library software, which ensures a consistent look and feel for developers across all the RTS platforms. SystemFlow allows developers to configure and customize the unit's interfaces and behaviors. It not only includes code for the real-time data acquisition and playback system, but also for the user control software running on the host PC, including the GUI. All source code and an API (application programming interface) are provided, allowing developers to either modify the example code to meet their needs or use it as a reference for custom software development.
Inside the RTS 2504
The RTS 2504 platform accepts signals through two 14-bit A/Ds sampling at up to 105 MHz and passes the signals to a Virtex-II Pro FPGA for signal processing and data handling. The FPGA works in conjunction with a 4-channel Graychip/TI GC4016 digital receiver to extract and tune narrowband channels with bandwidths ranging from audio up to 2.5 MHz.
For applications that require even wider bandwidths, Pentek offers the GateFlow IP Core 421 high-performance digital down converter. It can be factory installed on the 7140 PMC module and deliver output bandwidths up to 45 MHz. For high channel count applications, Pentek offers the GateFlow IP Core 430 providing up to 256 digital down converter channels with programmable bandwidths from 8 kHz to 80 kHz.
The unit can send the wideband or DDC output data through its built in FibreChannel interface to record data on a hard disk array at speeds up to 160 Mbytes/sec.
In addition to the receiver section, the RTS 2504 offers a transmit section with interpolation filters, a digital upconverter and two 16-bit D/As. Drawing data from the disk array or other I/O, the upconverter mode supports frequency translation of baseband signals to IF frequencies as high as 160 MHz, delivering either real or I/Q analog outputs. In the D/A mode, two independent playback channels are interpolated and then delivered to the D/A converters at sampling rates up to 500 MHz.
The RTS 2504 occupies a single 6U VME card, allowing as many as 20 units to fit into a standard card cage. System developers can synchronize multiple modules to create a single system with as many as 40 transceiver channels.
FPGAs Provide Additional Functionality
Multiple FPGAs reside within the RTS2504 hardware, providing engineers with the ability to add signal processing, formatting and data manipulation functions, directly within the data path, for both the input and output channels. Pentek supports developers, in using the system's FPGAs, with its GateFlow FPGA Design Kit for custom IP development. The kit includes design information, software files, optimized DSP functions and development utilities. In addition, IP cores can also be pre-installed at the factory so customers can benefit from FPGA technology with zero development effort. Pentek's GateFlow IP Cores include wideband and narrowband digital down converters, Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs) and pulse-compression algorithms.
Photos and Attachments
Register
Sign In
