3U VPX and XMC FPGA modules for digital radio and signal processing introduced by X-ES
MIDDLETON, Wis., 31 Dec. 2013. Extreme Engineering Solutions Inc. (X-ES) in Middleton, Wis., is introducing the XPedite2470 3U VPX and XPedite2400 XMC high-performance field programmable gate array (FPGA) processing modules for demanding RF signal acquisition, software-defined radio (SDR), and digital signal processing (DSP) applications.
The embedded computing modules use the Xilinx Virtex-7 Family of FPGAs to merge high throughput, configurable I/O, and DSP-level processing with thermal efficiency and high-speed analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog conversion.
These modules can use the VITA 49 VITA Radio Transport (VRT) protocol to format the data of a digitized IF stream. This enables interoperability and simplifies system integration, as VRT data can be carried over Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit Ethernet, PCI Express, Aurora, Serial RapidIO (SRIO), and Serial Front Panel Data Port (S-FPDP).
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An FPGA Development Kit (FDK) is available, which uses an AXI4 interface protocol and include IP blocks, example designs, and software to control and communicate with the FPGAs. A software development kit (SDK) includes interface drivers, support utilities, and user APIs. The SDK is supported for Linux and VxWorks, running on an Intel or Freescale host.
The XPedite2470 is a configurable, 3U VPX-REDI, FPGA-processing module that provides 11 high-speed GTX lanes to the backplane and eight high-speed GTX lanes to an on-card FMC site. The XPedite2470's FMC site provides access to single-ended or differential I/O, configurable GTX transceivers, and high-frequency digital-to-analog conversion or analog-to-digital conversion. The XPedite2470 includes a Freescale P1010 QorIQ processor for additional signal-processing or general-purpose capabilities.
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The compact XPedite2400 is an FPGA-based XMC module that includes a high-speed D/A converter, 2 gigabytes of DDR3 SDRAM, a Gen3 PCI Express interface, and as many as 10 high-throughput GTX lanes.
The module's integrated D/A converter supports a 14-bit resolution and a sample rate of to a 2.5 giga-samples-per-second. The analog interface can be accessed via MMCX connectors from the front panel. The XPedite2400 supports 32 LVDS signals through its P14 connector for additional connectivity.
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The configurable XPedite2470 and XPedite2400 modules can be built to support the 330T, 415T, 485T, or 690T Virtex-7 FPGAs. Contact X-ES to simplify access to the performance and capability of the Xilinx Virtex-7 Family of FPGAs for embedded applications.
For more information contact X-ES online at www.xes-inc.com.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
