Free Aerospace/Avionics Control and Monitoring Systems Webinar Next Week!

 Author - Laura Biddiscombe

Join United Electronic Industries for their
"Control & Monitoring Systems for Aerospace Applications" Webinar!

Wednesday, February 11 from 7-8pm GMT.

What You'll Learn

• How to strengthen the performance of your avionics test and simulation applications
• How high channel density modules, along with AVIONICS bus support, can help you develop a distributed and modular networked architecture that produces results in a “close to the action” environment
• How our hardware, software, and support can help you find the best possible solution.

 

UEI's data acquisition and control products are rugged, reliable, and extensible systems that can be used in a variety of applications. Backed by a 10-year Availability Guarantee, UEI's systems use a variety of modes, operating systems, languages, and interfaces to adapt to how you work.

UEI supports all popular Windows, Vista, Linux and Real-time operating systems and programming languages. We also offer complete and seamless support of all major application packages, including LabVIEW, MATLAB and DASYLab.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT UNITED ELECTRONIC INDUSTRIES

High Reliability Mini PCIe Modules - Expansion Designed for Extreme Environments

Author - Laura Biddiscombe

PCI Express Mini Card (also known as Mini PCI Express, Mini PCIe,  and mPCIe), based on PCI Express, is a replacement for the Mini PCI form factor, supporting both PCI Express and USB 2.0 connectivity. Each card may use either standard. Mini PCIe modules provide an economical and standardised way to add I/O and storage functions to embedded computer products. Unlike typical expansion boards, Mini PCIe allows additional functions to be added to a system with almost no increase in overall package size.

MiniPCIe cards are 30mm × 50.95mm. There is a 52-pin edge connector, consisting of two staggered rows on a 0.8 mm pitch, and each row has eight contacts, a gap equivalent to four contacts, then a further 18 contacts. The PCB itself has a thickness of just 1mm, excluding the components.

VersaLogic's new MiniPCIe modules are all designed for high reliability in demanding environments. They are all rated for operation across the full industrial temperature range (-40º to +85ºC), and for high shock and vibration (MIL-STD-202G).

VersaLogic's Mini PCIe modules are RoHS compliant and include VersaLogic's renowned 5+ year product life guarantee for long lifecycle applications. Customisation options include conformal coating, IPC Class 3 assembly, application-specific testing, BOM revision locks, etc.

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The latest product to join the MiniPCIe family is the VL-MPEe-V5 - a video expansion module which provides an easy and economical way to add VGA and LVDS display outputs to an embedded computing solution.

The VL-MPEe-V5 is compatible with a variety of popular x86 operating systems including Windows, Windows Embedded, and Linux.

Pricing starts at $218 for up to 49pcs.

Contact Sarsen Technology for more information - info@sarsen.net

Intel® Atom™ E3800 Solutions from Extreme Engineering Solutions

Author: Laura Biddiscombe

So here is something rather exciting for you....

Extreme Engineering Solutions, Inc. (X-ES) has introduced the XPedite8101 XMC/PMC and XPedite8150 Rugged COM Express® modules based on the Intel® Atom™ E3800 (formerly Bay Trail-I) processor family.

With Built-In Test (BIT) support, true configuration and obsolescence management, class III PCB fabrication and assembly, environmental qualification per MIL-STD-810, as well as many other features, X-ES E3800-based modules are designed and tested for maximum reliability in the most demanding environments and applications that require long life cycles. Also, instead of using a legacy BIOS-based bootloader, X-ES’s E3800-based modules support industry-leading boot times and drastically simplify system security by employing Intel’s Firmware Support Package (FSP) to power their open source coreboot bootloaders.

Full Press Release
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   Left to right

   XPedite8150 - Rugged COM Express Mini Module
   XPedite8101 - Conduction-or-Air-Cooled XMC/PMC Module
   XPedite8152 - Rugged COM Express Mini Module with NAND    Flash



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Wind River VxWorks and Linux Board Support Packages, as well as Microsoft Windows drivers, are available for the XPedite8101, XPedite8150, and XPedite8152. These products support the E3827, E3826, E3815, E3845, and E3825 processors from the E3800 series.

The E3800 series is the 4th generation Atom processor from Intel and was formerly known as the Bay Trail-I platform and Valleyview processor.

X-ES will be displaying the Intel® Atom™ E3800-based modules at the 2014 Intel Developer Forum (IDF14) in San Francisco, September 9th through the 11th. Stop by and visit the team at IDF in booth 661 of the Intelligent Systems Community, or contact Sarsen Technology today to find out more about using the Intel® Atom™ for your application.

Blackfin and SHARC DSP Programming Made Easy!

Blackfin and SHARC DSPs generally use external flash memory for bootloading and other data storage. This flash can be preprogrammed before soldering onto the board, programmed with a bed of nails tester, or programmed via JTAG using an ADI ICE and Visual DSP++. None of these methods are ideal for production targets.

The dspFlash™ SHARC & Blackfin Programmer is a production programmer from Danville Signal Processing that
supports Blackfins and third generation SHARC DSPs. Thousands of DSP - flash memory configurations are supported, all you need is a standard ADI JTAG connection on your target.

How it works .......

The dspFlash programmer is connected via USB to a PC running Windows 2000, XP, Vista or Windows 7. Your target is connected via an inexpensive removable ribbon cable to a standard ADI JTAG connector.

The dspFlash programmer works in concert with the dspFlash Windows software program. You specify the target DSP, flash device, chip select, file format and data files.

Files are uploaded to each dspFlash programmer's internal SDRAM. Since the data now resides in the dspFlash programmer, it doesn't need to be downloaded each time when programming multiple devices. You are now ready to start programming.

You connect the programming cable to a powered target. The programmer automatically configures its I/O to the correct voltage of the target. Press "Write File" and the DSP writes its own flash. It doesn't rely on bit-banging via boundary scan. This would be possible but very slow. The programmer is fast, much faster than even an ADI HP-USB ICE and the VisualDSP++ flash programming utility. You can also write supplemental information. For example, you might want to add a serial number or calibration values.

The dspFlash Deluxe can also load and execute DSP programs independently of flash programming.

Take a Test Drive in Demo Mode:
You can download the dspFlash Windows Application zip file and take it for a test drive in demo mode.

We currently have two of these in UK stock, ready to ship in 1-2 days. Please contact Sarsen Technology for more information.

www.danvillesignal.com

Vehicle NVH Testing - Automotive April from Sarsen Technology!

Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), also known as noise and vibration (NV) is the study and modification of the noise and vibration characteristics of vehicles, particularly cars and trucks.

There are many sources of noise in a vehicle, including the engine, driveline, tyre contact patch and road surface, brakes, and wind. Noise from cooling fans, or the HVAC, alternator, and other engine accessories is also fairly common.

There are three principal means of improving NVH:

1. Reducing the source strength, as in making a noise source quieter with a muffler, or improving the balance of a rotating mechanism 
2. Interrupting the noise or vibration path, with barriers (for noise) or isolators (for vibration) 
3. Absorption of the noise or vibration energy, as for example with foam noise absorbers, or tuned vibration dampers.

Specific methods for improving NVH include the use of tuned mass dampers, sub-frames, balancing, modifying the stiffness or mass of structures, retuning exhausts and intakes, modifying the characteristics of elastomeric isolators, adding sound deadening or absorbing materials, or using active noise control. In some circumstances, substantial changes in vehicle architecture may be the only way to cure some problems cost effectively.

Noise dampening panels inlayed in a car bonnet

The UEI Cube is an ideal measurement platform for in-vehicle automobile NVH testing. The Cube is small, rugged and runs off any power supply between 9 and 36 VDC. This combination makes it easy to “bury” the cube in the car’s trunk, engine compartment or under a seat.

UEI’s popular UEILogger Cube in conjunction with the DNA-AI-211 ICP/IEPE interface and the DNA-AI-208 or AI-224 strain gage interfaces have been used by a wide variety of customers in the study of vehicle NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) characteristics.

In addition to logging the NVH data, the UEILogger can also acquire CAN data, allowing simply correlation between the vehicle dynamics (e.g. speed, RPM) and NVH. All this is possible without righting any code as the UEILogger is programmed by a simple, intuitive Windows GUI.

For more information please contact Sarsen Technology on +44 1672 511166 or email us - info@sarsen.net