Application Note - TenAsys / INtime plus UEI / PowerDNA : The perfect match for Real Time Simulation

Author - Laura Biddiscombe


United Electronic Industries (UEI) has a vast library of Technical Articles, Application Notes and White Papers, including the widely read "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Data Acquisition and Embedded Control"; an overview of key DAQ concepts for both experienced engineers and those new to data acquisition.

The latest addition to the library is an application story which gives a great insight into how TenAsys/INtime and PowerDNA can work together in a Hardware in the Loop system.

"There are few Real Time operating systems which can implement the RT processor on one platform, and there are few Non Real Time Operating systems to implement the operator interface on another platform.

We will describe here a way to partition a single platform to do both. The software is called INtime for Windows and is produced by TenAsys Corporation.

There are also Various I/O options to connect to the RT system – many vendors, each with its special way of connecting to the RT system and different API “philosophy” to access the specific I/O.

We will describe here an I/O system that supplies all the needed interfaces to the Electronic Unit via one (Ethernet) connection to the RT system, and with a unified Driver “philosophy”. The I/O equipment is called PowerDNA , and is produced by UEI Corporation."

For more information about UEI products and services available in the UK please contact Sarsen Technology on 01672 511166, or send us an email - info@sarsen.net.

Friday Fun - The Sarsen Team Witnesses the Solar Eclipse

Author - Laura

Today was quite a special day. Not only have we witnessed a partial eclipse, but it took place on the Spring Equinox during a Supermoon. This is quite rare - the equinox will happen at the same time as a solar eclipse again in 2053 and 2072.

Here at Sarsen we work with exciting technology every day, from embedded systems used on the International Space Station to boards used in segmented mirror telescopes. I think we're quite comfortable with space-level wizardry.

So when we found out there was going to be an eclipse that would be visible here in Wiltshire, we put our best minds to the task of creating a device that would allow us to view the eclipse without damaging our eyesight...

Here's what we came up with...

I think we'll leave the manufacturing to these guys in future... Our Manufacturers

Enjoy your weekend!

MATLAB VIRTUAL CONFERENCE 2015

This year’s MATLAB Virtual Conference will take place on Wednesday, March 25.

With a product focus on MATLAB and Simulink this free event offers four tracks covering all experience levels:

• Introduction to MATLAB and Simulink: Learn the basics of the MATLAB and Simulink product families so that you can get started quickly.
• What's New: Introducing new features and capabilities in MATLAB and Simulink
• Data Analytics: Learn how MATLAB is used to meet various challenges, enabling organisations to gain deeper insights and make more informed decisions.
• MATLAB and Simulink in Academia: Attend presentations that cover techniques and best practices for integrating MATLAB and Simulink into your curriculum and research.

United Electronic Industries is a participating partner this year, and will be showcasing some great Simulink demos on the UEI data acquisition hardware.

This event is completely free to attend, so register now to learn how you can get the most out of MATLAB and Simulink.

7 Years at Sarsen Technology

Author - Laura Biddiscombe

This month marks the 7 year anniversary of my joining the Sarsen Technology team. It feels like only yesterday I was stood in the doorway in the pouring rain, waiting for the buzzer to open the door for my first interview. I'm sure it definitely feels like 7 years to Nigel sometimes!

I joined the team in 2008 as Sales Support for one of our previous product lines. You can read the Press Release here. I also had a fabulous *mug* head shot taken.
Later that year I moved into the role of Account Manager, looking after and developing some of our biggest accounts. It was during this time that I realised I was a bit of a geek, and that getting overly excited about 'Space Parts' wasn't exactly cool, but I couldn't (and still can't) help it. The first time I sold Space Qualified parts I actually printed out the quote and had it on the wall for a few months. Please don't judge me.

This nerdiness came to the fore the first year I visited DSEI - 2011. One of our boards was being used in a bomb disposal robotic vehicle that was on display at the show - kids at Christmas had nothing on my excitement level that day.

At the end of 2011 Nigel offered me the chance to move into the embedded side of the business, looking primarily at the VersaLogic PC/104 product line, and taking on some of the marketing activity day to day. This was a big change to component sales, but one I really enjoyed. I remember feeling completely out of my depth, but everyone was very patient with me and I'm still learning new things every day.

Having been at the same company for 7 years I've had the opportunity to work with some brilliant people, and have made some great connections all over the world. I've had the chance to travel, visit customers and be involved in incredible projects, including space applications (although I've learnt to disguise my excitement a little better these days).

I'm eager to start my 8th year at Sarsen Technology - this year is going to be an exciting one! We're taking part in DSEI 2015, and have a new member of staff taking on the United Electronic Industries product line, as well as new technology and products to introduce every single month. No two days are the same, and you never know what we'll be talking about tomorrow. 

If you'd like to know more about me or Sarsen Technology please get in touch - laurab@sarsen.net .

Intel Releases Xeon D Processor Family

Intel has just unveiled a new range of Xeon brand processors. The new processor family, known as Xeon D, are a series of system-on-chip server processors designed specifically for blade and high density server systems.

Intel rarely announce new integrated platforms, and the Xeon D has caused a bit of excitement in the industry. Hailed as the previously unoccupied middle ground between Xeon E3 and Atom SoCs, the Xeon D takes the best bits of both and slots neatly into the market for the low-end server market, prioritising efficiency and networking.
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Xeon D, also known as Broadwell-DE, combines up to eight high performance Broadwell desktop cores and the PCH onto a single die, reducing both down to 14 nm for power consumption/die area. Dual integrated 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports natively support XAUI/KX4/KR to further enhance I/O capabilities, while reducing SWaP-C concerns. 24 PCI Express (PCIe) 3.0 lanes, eight PCIe 2.0 lanes, six SATA 6 Gb/s ports, four USB 3.0 ports, and four USB 2.0 ports provide many options for system expansion, connectivity, and storage. In addition to multiple 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports, the Xeon® D employs a Non-Transparent Bridge for PCIe to enable advanced connectivity options for multiprocessor systems.
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Alongside the announcement from Intel, Extreme Engineering Solutions, Inc. (X-ES) has introduced the XPedite7670 3U OpenVPX™ REDI single board computer module and its 6U VPX companion, the XCalibur4640, both based on the Intel® Xeon® D (formerly Broadwell-DE) processor family.

The XPedite7670 is a high-performance, 3U OpenVPX™ REDI, single board computer with support for up to 8 GB of DDR3-1600 ECC SDRAM. The XCalibur4640 extends the XPedite7670's functionality to a 6U VPX form factor with expanded capabilities. System memory capacity increases to 16 GB of DDR3-1600 ECC SDRAM and local storage increases to 128 GB of SLC NAND flash.

For more information on these brand new boards please contact the Sarsen Technology team on 01672 511166, or send us an email.

Altera Ships 20nm Arria 10 SoCs

Author - Laura

Altera has confirmed its leadership position in SoC FPGA products by shipping its second-generation SoC family. Arria® 10 SoCs are the industry’s only programmable devices that combine ARM® processors with a 20 nm FPGA fabric.

Embedded developers have a clear migration path with Altera for enhancing their next-generation systems. Arria 10 SoCs are fully software compatible with Altera’s previous 28 nm SoC product family allowing seamless software migration between generations. Arria 10 SoCs provide up to 50% higher performance and up to 4% lower power than the previous generation.

Altera SoC FPGAs enable smarter embedded systems by enabling single-chip product differentiation in both hardware and software. Combining ARM processors with FPGA fabric provides greater system value through reductions in power, costs and board space.

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Jeff Milrod, President and CEO of BittWare, says, "Altera’s Arria 10 is a true game changer. Native floating-point engines on these devices give system designers access to massive floating-point resources with tremendous ease-of-use and power efficiency in an FPGA. Classic signal processing applications can now interface analog signals directly to Arria 10 and process them there in floating point. For HPC and acceleration applications, FPGA algorithms no longer need to be ported to fixed point, nor do they need to be inefficiently implemented in fixed-point emulation of floating point. The Arria 10's native floating point provides more than 40 GFLOPS/W with a higher Fmax, while using only one-third of the logic resources. It is easier to use, lower power, faster, and less resource-intensive than any other alternative previously available.”

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For more information please contact Sarsen Technology - CONTACT US