Telemetry Platforms Powered by FPGA Technology
As aerospace and defense contractors pursue higher levels of system performance while addressing the realities of budget constraints, system engineers have turned to Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) solutions as a way to create a new generation of increasingly complex electronics systems.
As aerospace and defense contractors pursue higher levels of system performance while addressing the realities of budget constraints,
system engineers have turned to Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) solutions as a way to create a new generation of increasingly complex electronics systems.Unlike general-purpose processor arrays – in which a very large number of gates must switch to perform even the simplest decisions – FPGA computing modules use a minimal set of gates to make basic logic decisions. This ability to achieve higher processing speed, combined with lower power dissipation per logic element, enhances system reliability and reduces cooling requirements, ideal in telemetry systems.Advanced FPGA technology also makes it possible to replace multiple Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) or Application-Specific Standard Product (ASSPs) with a single programmable device that can be tailored via programming to a specific end-user application. Telemetry systems, deployed on government test ranges or on board military aircraft, are a prime example. Telemetry System Requirements:• Integrated security features• High performance and reliability• Low-power for longer battery life• Smaller footprint and lighter weight• Ruggedized board and system packagingSuch FPGA-based solutions significantly reduce total system Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C), as well as address stringent government security requirements specified within directives and regulations which pertain to Information Assurance (IA) and Anti-Tamper (AT) programs. Integrated computer systems which incorporate high-end PCI Express 2.0 I/O cards minimize bottlenecks and dramatically improve data throughput to the benefit of demanding aerospace and defense applications such as radar, software radio, telemetry and signals intelligence. In order to satisfy the requirements of aerospace and defense telemetry systems, the TRC4007 rackmount computer system, featuring the JXT6966 Single Board Computer and BPC7041 backplane, can accommodate up to nine PCI Express 2.0 FPGA option cards in a 4U rackmount enclosure and provides an integrated 8.4” LCD Display & keyboard/mouse tray along with support for up to three hot swap, front access 3.5" HDD storage drives.
