BittWare's Brand New PCIe Card Based on the Altera Arria® V FPGA

Author - Laura Biddiscombe

BittWare’s A5-PCIe-L (A5PL) is a low-profile PCIe x8 card based on the Altera Arria V GZ FPGA.

Up to 8 GBytes of on-board memory includes DDR3, QDRII/II+, or RLDRAM3. Two front-panel QSFP+ cages allow two 40GigE or eight 10GigE interfaces. The A5PL also features a Board Management Controller (BMC) for advanced system monitoring, which greatly simplifies platform management. All of these features combine to make the A5PL a versatile and efficient solution for network processing, security, broadcast, and signals intelligence applications.

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BittWare offers complete software support for the A5PL with its BittWorks II software tools and FPGA Development Kit. Designed to make developing and debugging applications for BittWare’s boards easy and efficient, the software provides a collection of libraries and applications and FPGA components that provide preconfigured physical interfaces, infrastructure, and examples, drastically cutting development time and easily integrating into existing FPGA development environments.

Working example projects are available for each board which illustrate how to move data between the board’s different interfaces. Supported interfaces include DDR3, DDR2, QDR2/+, PCIe, 10GigE, LVDS, SerDes, and Double Data Rate I/O. All example projects are available on BittWare’s Developer Site.

For more information please contact  Sarsen Technology on +44 1672 511166, or visit www.sarsen.net.

Selecting an ARM-based Embedded CPU Module Just Got Easier...

A gift. From DAVE Embedded Systems to you.

DAVE Embedded Systems has made it easy for you to compare all the main features of their ARM-based modules with the release of their latest tool - the ARM Comparison Table. It makes choosing the right ARM module straightforward, with all the information you need right in front of you. Memory options, Interface details, CPU module specifications, it's all there.

The Comparison Table includes all the latest boards, including the brand new AXEL LITE Single - Dual - Quad Core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU module based on the recent Freescale i.MX6 processor.

For more information about the ARM-based modules from DAVE Embedded Systems please contact the team at Sarsen Technology on +44 1672 511166, or send us an email - info@sarsen.net 

Author - Laura Biddiscombe

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

SUMIT - I/O Expansion Module Development Made Easier....

Stackable Unified Module Interconnect Technology (SUMIT ™) is a stackable, form-factor independent expansion format that includes both high and low speed bus signals. The SUMIT spec is targeted for products using state-of-the-art serial buses and legacy chipset expansion buses all in the same form factor.

The specification is an I/O-centric approach, which defines the connector and stacking method, but it doesn’t address the specific location requirements for the connectors on any specific form factor boards. Only the location (placement) of one connector relative to the other is specified, to ensure proper routing of signals that are passed from one connector to another as they continue up the stack.

A SUMIT stack is designed to be processor independent, as it focuses on bus and interconnect technology rather than any single processor or DSP architecture. Two connectors are used on each module, SUMIT A and SUMIT B. These connectors carry multiple high-speed serial PCIe and USB 2.0 buses and include Low Pin Count (LPC), Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), and SMBus/I2C for legacy requirements. While the optional SUMIT B connector carries mostly PCIe interfaces, the SUMIT A connector carries a single x1 PCIe and four USB 2.0 buses, as well as the legacy interfaces.

With no hardware configuration needed to route multiple interfaces, SUMIT gives designers a solution for creating embedded expansion modules that require high-speed interfaces as well as legacy support.

VersaLogic's EBX, EPIC and PC/104 SUMIT platforms are combined with an optional ISA connector to support legacy PC/104 expansion modules. The signals available on VersaLogic's CPU boards include PCI Express lanes, low speed signals such as LPC and SPI, and legacy USB and ISA signals. VersaLogic currently offer 3 SBCs featuring optional SUMIT expansion –

• Komodo - A dual core SBC on a SUMIT-EPIC™ platform. The Komodo features a very high performance Intel® Core™2 Duo processor, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and high performance integrated video.


• Ocelot - An Intel Atom™ based embedded computer in a SUMIT-104 format. The Ocelot uses an industrial temperature Atom version to provide high performance (1.6 GHz) at very low power (7 Watts). The Ocelot, at only 90 mm x 96 mm, is compatible with most SUMIT and PC/104 expansion boards, and is available in both standard (0º to +60ºC) and extended (-40º to +85ºC) temperature versions.


• 'Brand New' Copperhead - The Copperhead is a high-performance embedded computer powered by a 3rd Generation Intel Core i7 processor. Based on the industry-standard EBX format, the Copperhead is available in either quad- or dual-core models (17 to 45W power dissipation). It features several heat management configurations and offers options for I/O interfaces and interface connectors.

VersaLogic Komodo

For more information please give us a call on +44 1672 511166 or drop me an email and we'll answer any questions you might have.

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Data Acquisition and Temperature Monitoring with United Electronic Industries

United Electronic Industries (UEI) is a leading provider of PC based I/O products, including Ethernet data acquisition and embedded/industrial control interfaces, Data Loggers/Recorders and Linux based Embedded Controllers (PACs).
UEI supply products to many different markets, with a focus on simulation, industrial, aerospace, and laboratory data acquisition and control applications.
If you're not sure whether UEI has the right product to solve your problem you should check out the application stories on their website; you may be surprised how many different uses there are for the UEI hardware... 

High Channel Count Temperature Monitoring

A major appliance manufacturer automated temperature measurement in a CSA oven test stand. Though conceptually a simple application, the system requires monitoring over 1700 thermocouples.The previous solution involved four technicians monitoring a bank of digital panel meters and making manual entries into a test log. 
This inefficient, error-prone method was replaced by 18 PowerDNA DNA-PPC8 Cubes populated with DNA-AI-207 analog input boards.

DNA-AI-207 analog input board

The Cubes are distributed around the test chamber, minimizing the length of thermocouple wire required. The built-in single port Ethernet switch provided in the PowerDNA Cube allows the Ethernet to be daisy chained from one cube to the next. The entire system is implemented using a single Ethernet port on the host computer.

Software for this system was written in C++ using the UEIDAQ Framework. The Framework provides a powerful, yet simple set of drivers that may be called from all popular programming languages and application packages (e.g., LabVIEW, MATLAB) and supports Windows/ Vista. UEI also provides a high level API to support Linux and most popular Real-Time operating systems including QNX, RTX, and VxWorks. The library adds simulated hardware that allows you to test-drive the software, (or start developing your application) without any DAQ hardware. The UEIDAQ library is included with all UEI DAQ hardware at no charge. It is available for download from the UEI website.

The PowerDNA® (Distributed Networked Automation) Cube and PowerDNR RACKtangles are compact, rugged, Ethernet-based data acquisition and control chassis. PowerDNA series chassis act as I/O slaves to a host computer. Programs/applications running on a host PC receive data from input (or I/O) boards within the chassis and write data to output channels. I/O boards may be installed in any combination, allowing the Cube/RACKtangle to be precisely matched to your system requirements. This configuration works well in both data acquisition and control applications. 
Supporting LabVIEW, DASYLab and MATLAB, UEI is a great choice for your data acquisition and control requirements...

Tell us about your application - email laura.jeffs@sarsen.net or call the office on +44 1672 511166

Supporting the 3rd Gen Intel Core™ i7 Processor Across Eight Industry-Standard Form Factors....

Extreme Engineering Solutions, Inc (X-ES) has remained at the forefront of leading edge technologies over the years, by developing numerous designs based on Intel® Pentium®, Core™ Duo, Core™2 Duo, and Atom™ processors.

 

Continuing in this tradition, X-ES has embraced the embedded Intel® Core™ i7 processors and had design experience with the (first generation) Intel Core i7 processor, the 2nd generation Intel Core i7 processor, and the 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processor.

The 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processors are the first chips in the world made using Intel’s 22-nanometer (nm) 3-D tri-Gate transistor technology. This generation Intel Core i7 processor provides up to twice the HD media and 3-D graphics performance, as well as significant processor performance improvements over the previous generation of Intel Core i7 processors.

X-ES has coupled this revolutionary processor technology with the Intel® QM57 Express and  QM67 Express chipsets, low-power interface controllers. These power-efficient devices offer integrated PCI Express, USB, SATA 3.0 Gb/s, and graphics interfaces. The Intel Core i7 processor coupled with the Intel QM57/QM67 Express chipset provides high performance within an embedded power budget.

The XPedite7470 3U VPX SBC and the XCalibur4401 6U CompactPCI SBC were the first products available from X-ES to support the 3rd Gen Intel Core i7 processor, and

X-ES is supporting the 3rd Gen Intel Core™ i7 Processor across eight industry-standard form factors:

• COM Express
• 3U VPX
• 6U VPX
• 3U CompactPCI
• 6U CompactPCI
• VME
• Air-cooled PrPMC/XMC
• Conduction-cooled PrPMC/XMC

For more information on these or any X-ES products please give us a call on +44 1672 511166 or email us: info@sarsen.net

Have a great weekend!