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UAVs Drive Call for Small Form Factor Standard

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2 Engineers’ Guide to VME, VPX & VXS 2012

Welcome to the 2012 Engineers’

Guide to VME, VPX & VXS

For a computer architecture that is heading into its fourth decade, VME (and its related architectures, especially VPX) remain remarkably robust. VDC Research projections indicate a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.48% for VME-based single-board computers from 2010 through 2015, bringing the total VME-related market revenue forecast to $625.3 million in 2015. And vendors seemed generally optimistic at the Embedded Tech Trends forum– the newest incarnation of what was previously the VITA Bus & Boards conference– which took place January 16-17, 2011 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

In this issue, we provide an overview of this event in “UAVs Drive Call for Small Form Factor Standards,” and throughout these pages you’ll find product information from key players in the VME and VPX markets. VITA marketing director Jerry Gipper explains how standards provide one way to stay ahead of the game in “Critical Embedded Systems Design Challenges.” In “Vetronics Architectures Emerge to Facilitate Network-Enabled Operations,” Rubin Dhillon of GE Intelligent Platforms describes how vehicle electronics(vetronics) are changing communications among virtually all battlefield assets. And Dr. Fred Blönnigen of Bustec addresses automatic test system requirements in “VXI Remote and Embedded Controller Considerations.” Finally, we talk to experts from Themis Computer and GE Intelligent Platforms about opportunities surrounding new technologies and markets in our roundtable discussion, “Board Vendors Adapt to New VME Trends and Opportunities.”

There are plenty of questions around the VME/VPX industry these days, including the impact of defense budget cuts and the viability of alternative markets, to whether customers really want a new small form factor standard, and how vendors roll that into their overall product offerings. We don’t have all the answers, but we give you the information you need to draw some of those important conclusions for your business.

We hope you enjoy this EE Catalog VME and VPX Resource Guide. As always, we’d love to hear your feedback, thoughts and comments. Send them to [email protected].

Cheryl Berglund CoupéEditorEECatalog.com

P.S. To subscribe to our series of Resource Catalogs for developers and other professionals, visit www.eecatalog.com

Engineers’ Guide to VME, VPX & VXS 2012www.eecatalog.com/vme

VP/Associate PublisherClair Bright [email protected](415) 255-0390 ext. 15

EditorialEditorial DirectorJohn Blyler [email protected](503) 614-1082

EditorCheryl Coupé [email protected]

Assistant EditorByron Adams Creative/ProductionProduction Manager Spryte Heithecker - [email protected]

Graphic DesignersKeith Kelly - SeniorNicky Jacobson

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Special Thanks to Our Sponsors

The Engineers’ Guide to VME, VPX & VXS 2012 is published by Extension Media LLC. Extension Media makes no warranty for the use of its products and assumes no responsibility for any errors which may appear in this Catalog nor does it make a commitment to update the information contained herein. The Engineers’ Guide to VME, VPX & VXS is Copyright ®2012 Extension Media LLC. No information in this Catalog may be reproduced without expressed written permission from Extension Media @ 1786 18th Street, San Francisco, CA 94107-2343.

All registered trademarks and trademarks included in this Catalog are held by their respective companies. Every attempt was made to include all trademarks and registered trademarks where indicated by their companies.

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ContentsBoard Vendors Adapt to New VME Trends and Opportunities

By Cheryl Coupé ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Elma Electronic – Embedded Systems Platforms

By Elma Electronic ................................................................................................................................................................................... 11

Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES)

By Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES) ................................................................................................................................................ 12


By Jerry Gipper, VITA Director of Marketing ............................................................................................................................................ 14

UAVs Drive Call for Small Form Factor Standards

By Cheryl Coupé ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 18

Vetronics Architectures Emerge to Facilitate Network-Enabled Operations

By Rubin Dhillon, Industry Manager for Communications and Networking Solutions, Military and Aerospace division, GE Intelligent Platforms ........................................................................................................................................................................... 22

VXI Remote and Embedded Controller Considerations

By Dr. Fred Blönnigen, Bustec ................................................................................................................................................................. 26

Online & Offline ➔ VME, VPX & VXS Resources ................................................................................................................. 29

Products and Services

Chips and Cores

Protocol Analysis Tools ICs

LeCroy Corporation

LeCroy’s PCI Express® Protocol Analysis and Test Tools ..... 30

Hardware

Backplanes

Elma Bustronic

What is OpenVPX? ................................................................ 31

SIE Computing Solutions

VPX Backplanes ..................................................................... 32

Card Rack Hardware and Accessories

Elma Electronic

VPX/VXS Handles & Panels .................................................. 33

CPU or Single Board Computers

CES - Creative Electronic Systems SA

RIOV-2478 ............................................................................. 34

Development Boards

Pentek

4 Channel 200 MHz 16-bit A/D with Virtex-7 FPGA VPX Onyx™ Board (Model 53760) ................................................ 35

Enclosures

Elma Electronic

Elma Rugged ATR Platforms ................................................. 36


717 Series Air-Over Conduction Cooled ATR Enclosures ...... 37

Mupac 760 Small Form Factor Series ................................... 38

Mass Storage

Elma Electronic

VME RAIDStor ....................................................................... 39

Services

Design

Elma Electronic Inc.

VPX-300 3U VPX Reference Development Platform ............. 40

ApplicationsData Recording

Display Processing

Digital Mapping

SIGINT / Electronic Warfare

Mission Computing

Network Attached Storage

Payload Controllers

Sensor Management

Image Processing

Fire Control

Command and Control

Data Link Processing

Network Processing

BenefitsLOWER PRICE

Design-to-cost goals

Better value

SHORT LEAD TIME

prototype builds

configured rugged systems

STATE-OF-THE-ART

SMALL PROGRAMS WELCOMEUse preconfigured systems for IRAD,

prototypes, and small programs

Available 3U VPX CardsTSBCi7-300X

3U VPX Single Board Computer

with Intel CoreTM-i7 CPU

TIOC-300X 3U VPX XMC/PMC Carrier Module

TSC-300X 3U VPX 8-Port SATA/SAS RAID

Module with PMC/XMC Site

TSM-300X 3U VPX SATA/SAS

Mass Storage Drive Module

TGA 300X 3U VPX Graphics Processor

with AMD E4690 GPU

TSY-300X Series

Standard ½ ATR Footprint

Standard 3U VPX Backplane

I/O Transition Board

Forced Air Conduction Cooled Standard

Optional External FLASH Drive Receptacles

Integrated Chassis Manager

Multi-port Ethernet Switch

Web Browser Management Interface

Finned, Coldplate, or Liquid Cool Option

I2C Interface to Cards and Test Port

350 Watts

8 x 1.0” Pitch Slots Multiple Temperature Sensors

Dynamic Fan Speed Control

Variable Speed Redundant Fans

TSY-305X Series ATR Style or Footpad Mounting

Standard 3U VPX Backplane

Natural Air Convection Cooled

I/O Transition Board

28 VDC Power Supply Unit

150 Watts

5 x 1.0” Pitch Slots

VITA-74 NANOATR

Intel Atom N455 @ 1.66 GHz

1 GB @ 667 MHz DDR3

VITA-74 Nano-ATR

Electrical per VITA-46 3U VPX

Electrical per VITA-65 OpenVPX

BP Connectors per VITA-57 FMC

4 Slot + Storage

Conduction Cooled with Fins

Dimensions (W x H x D) 4.88” x 4.12” x 4.38”

4.5 lbs (average)

Conduction Cooled

Operating Temperature -40° C to + 71° C

+28 VDC (18 to 36 VDC)

MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD-461F

NANOPAK Intel Atom N455 @ 1.66 GHz

1 GB @ 667 MHz DDR3

VITA-74 Derivative

I/O Through Front Panel Connector

Dimensions (H x W x D) 89 mm X 21 mm X 90 mm

Conduction Cooled

Operating Temperature -40° C to + 71° C

MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD-461F


EECatalog SPECIAL FEATURE

U.S. military and aerospace budget uncertainties are

driving many of the trends around VME and related tech-

nologies, with existing systems more likely to be targeted

for upgrades around performance (up) and power (down)

than replacement. Unmanned vehicles remain a bright

spot for new designs, which also continue to drive size,

weight and power (SWaP) requirements. Despite a stagnant

economy, William E. Kehret, CEO of Themis Computer and

Michael Grumbine, Systems Architect, Military/Aerospace

Group of GE Intelligent Platforms still see opportunities

around new technologies and markets.

EECatalog: How are board and system developers adapting

as military priorities shift to upgrades of existing VME

platforms and development of new smaller, lighter and

lower-cost systems?

Michael

Grumbine, GE

Intelligent

Platforms:

Today’s

technolo-

gies – particularly multicore

processors, FPGAs and

GPGPUs – have created great

opportunities for developers

to reduce the size, weight,

power and cost of systems

when upgrading from

existing VME platforms. New

multicore processor boards with high-performance pro-

cessing capability can be employed to reduce the number

of boards used in a given solution, leading to lower power,

weight and board-count solutions. In order to reduce cost

and development time, legacy VME cards that are used for

special functions and interfacing can be combined with

VXS hybrid backplanes that incorporate VME with high-

speed serial busses such as VPX or cPCI. These VXS hybrid

systems allow for more functionality to be added to the

order system, taking advantage of the performance of the

serial-bussed system.

William E. Kehret, Themis Computer:

Themis sees a burgeoning opportunity for

new, small form factor modules and sys-

tems, and a slower growth but important

market opportunity for traditional VME

ecosystems. Themis has responded by opening the tech-

nology for its new small form factor tactical platforms and

leading the efforts of the VITA 74 Standards Committee.

Dennis Smith, VP of Themis engineering chairs the

working group, which includes several relevant member

companies. This standards committee community-of-

interest extends Themis’ product-development reach,

enabling the company to bring entire new systems to

market, in record time, without compromising its tradi-

tional VME/VPX product line roadmap.

EECatalog: What processor trends are you watching for

VME and VPX systems, including the roles of FPGAs and

GPGPUs?

Grumbine, GE Intelligent Platforms: Two major trends

in processor technology are the increase in throughput

capacity and the number

of computations per watt.

Increasing the number

of computations per watt

allows more work to be done

by a processor board in the

same thermal envelope,

thus gaining more perfor-

mance without significantly

raising heat levels that

must be dissipated. Higher

computing-performance

boards allow reduction in

board count, making for a

smaller and lighter package, or allow the same size and

weight package to do more. However, just having more

computations per cycle does not mean a better product.

The processor and the technology around the processor

need to be capable of transmitting enough data to utilize

the computational capability of the processor or the addi-

tional processing capability will translate to wasted power

with little gain.

GPGPUs are a great example of processors that increase

computational capability per watt while maintaining a

reasonable board size. Their capabilities are measured in

GFLOPs (billions of f loating point instructions)per watt

per second. The parallel structure of a GPGPU’s many pro-

cessing cores provides impressive computation capability

in packages that reduce the power consumed. However,

Board Vendors Adapt to New VME Trends and OpportunitiesBy Cheryl Coupé

Military-grade VME, VPX and cPCI systems are well-suited for opportunities in the oil, gas and mining industries due to their

rugged high-reliability pedigree.



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GPGPUs are extremely data thirsty and work most effi-

ciently when processing huge amounts of data.

FPGAs, with their quick non-floating-point processing

power,can act as powerful data ingest engines to feed the

GPGPUs and implementing high-speed data transport,

such as 10Gbyte Ethernet to transport large amounts of

data, will go a long way towards efficiently using GPGPU

computing capabilities.

Kehret, Themis Computer: Security and virtualization

requirements of defense markets set a high standard for

the – of necessity – low-power processors on the market.

Further, the operating systems that must be hosted are

dominated by Microsoft, with a smattering of Lynux,

Solaris and other embedded OSes. The low-power impera-

tive has been met with multicore initiatives from Intel,

AMD and others. These are ideal environments for multi-

threaded application code, but the brutally enforced power

limits, imposed by small deployment platforms with lim-

ited battery and – for UAVs – on-board generator power,

inevitably lead to an architectural chase that employs

FPGAs, as well as the massively multicored GPGPUs finally

coming to market with low-

power chips. These latter

techniques have historically

been developed with large

Si footprints and associated

high-power requirements.

So we eagerly await new,

higher-performance parts

from the usual vendors.

Current state-of-the-art is

challenged by the high data

rates of available sensors,

which themselves have undergone significant footprint

shrinks and amazing performance enhancements.

EECatalog: With mil/aero budgets constrained for the

foreseeable future, what are your expectations for VME-

related technologies pushing into markets such as mining

and oil exploration?

Grumbine, GE Intelligent Platforms: Oil and gas

exploration and mining are booming industries now due

to growth in demand for energy. Along with increased

growth, though, these industries are seeing greater

environmental and safety regulations. Automated and

autonomous monitoring systems are needed to meet these

regulatory requirements. Military-grade VME, VPX and

cPCI systems are well-suited for opportunities in the

oil, gas and mining industries due to their rugged high-

reliability pedigree. New regulations require constant

monitoring of operations and high data-throughput com-

puting capability which VME, VPX and cPCI systems are

well-suited to support.

Kehret, Themis Computer: While market adjacencies

always look very promising when defense industry bud-

gets are under pressure, the new funding environment

actually provides new opportunities for traditional

embedded computer suppliers, by shaking up markets.

Themis believes it can “surf ” these industry re-leveling

changes. The company does do business in these adjacent,

industrial markets (energy exploration and extraction

industries) but the lack of a consistent, favorable domestic

energy policy has created a risk premium for exploration

and extraction activities that is increasingly marginal-

izing U.S. industry participation in world markets.

EECatalog: How will opportunities shake out for VPX

with respect to rugged/hardened MicroTCA?

Grumbine, GE Intelligent Platforms: VPX was purposely

designed for rugged military applications and has received

broad industry acceptance. GE Intelligent Platforms is

making significant investments in VPX technologies

because we believe it is an optimal format for our targeted

military and aerospace applications. Rugged or hardened

MicroTCA essentially takes commercial technology and

re-packages it for rugged

environments. The main idea

behind MicroTCA is the con-

cept that large volumes in the

commercial market would

make a range of AdvancedMC

modules available at very low

cost. Since MicroTCA has

not been highly successful,

there are few suppliers for

AdvancedMCs and little

volume. MicroTCA has

become a niche platform in the commercial segment and

the rugged version has become a niche within a niche. Cur-

rently, we do not see MicroTCA as a viable platform for our

military and aerospace customers.

Kehret, Themis Computer: We believe VPX and VPX-

like architectures, that have leapfrogged the unfortunate

choice of large and expensive wafer switches, will domi-

nate the former stable mates. Today’s market is very

cost conscious and it is often the quantum SWAP-cost

threshold that has driven new markets that vastly expand

the markets for embedded computing.

EECatalog: What are the biggest changes you see coming

in applications for VME and related technologies in the

next few years?

Grumbine, GE Intelligent Platforms: The biggest change

that I see coming for applications is an increase in the

intelligence of the applications that are embedded into

platforms. There is an exponential growth in the amount

of real-time data that is being processed on platform

There is an exponential growth in the amount of real-time data

that is being processed on platform applications.



applications. For example, the number of pixels in ISR

systems grew one-thousand (1000X) in the past year. That

much data is more than can be stored or transmitted and

processed remotely, efficiently and timely using current

applications. Effective utilization of the enormous amount

of data that must be processed in real time requires that

military applications become smarter about processing

data and making automated decisions. This stepping-up of

mission applications will increase the computational pro-

cessing requirements for the platforms and the electronics

that support them. VPX and Open VPX-based systems will

increasingly become the format of choice because of the

high-performance that its serial architecture brings to

clean-sheet designs.

Kehret, Themis Computer: Themis sees and partici-

pates in an incredible shrinking world of reconnaissance

and surveillance platforms. These changes have driven

packaging evolution and associated industry standards.

The SWAP-cost imperative imposed by these new deploy-

ment platforms is one of the most challenging realities in

our business. Unfortunately, there is a start-up latency

that stands between even the most agile development

organization and full-rate production. The silver lining

for clouded product-line revenues is that demand for

smaller deployment platforms grows faster than cost/

price attrition. So the above-mentioned reconnaissance

and surveillance markets are ripe for generational change,

a trend that bodes ill for traditional-system ecosystems.

3U backplanes and modules offer one last lifeboat before

applications migrate away from the ecosystem, in favor

of a smaller packaging system. Themis has positioned

its new ATR systems at the nexus of streaming video and

relatively low power. The company also drives an industry

standards committee (VITA-74) and has preconfigured

product ready for mission-critical applications, including

mission computing, payload control, real-time control,

data recording and mobile robotics.

Cheryl Berglund Coupé is Editor of EECatalog.

com. Her articles have appeared in EE Times,

Electronic Business, Microsoft Embedded Re-

view and Windows Developer’s Journal and

she has developed presentations for the Embed-

ded Systems Conference and ICSPAT. She has

held a variety of production, technical marketing and writing

positions within technology companies and agencies in the

Northwest.

VME, VPX & VXS ONLINE

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www.eecatalog.com/vme 11


CONTACT INFORMATION

Elma Electronic – Embedded Systems PlatformsElma Electronic Inc. supplies a first class offering of VITA stan-

dards based products for standard and rugged COTS electronics

packaging and sub-systems integration: chassis, boards, back-

planes, mechanical components, and cabinets. Elma’s Embedded

Computing products and services make the company a leading sup-

plier of VME, VXS and VPX based integrated embedded boards and

sub-systems. System architecture, hardware, and software design

services enable delivery of complete solutions. For rugged require-

ments, we take COTS products, such as single board computers,

then enhance and qualify them to meet certain MIL Standards.

Our extensive chassis product offering is unparalleled in the

industry: rugged COTS 19” rackmount chassis, ATR boxes, and non-

rugged and lab appropriate chassis and enclosures. The 12R2 series is

an extrusion-based mod¬ular design, which provides a cost-effective

way to customize designs. Elma’s rugged chassis platforms meet the

EMI/RFI requirements for MIL-STD-461D, and shock and vibration

according to MIL-STD-167, MIL-STD-810F and MIL-STD-910D.

Our popular Type 32 towers and E-Frame chassis are perfect for new

board-level and system development in the lab.

Elma is capable of quickly turning projects from initial system

architecture through to specification, design, manufacturing and

test. We also work with you to manage the entire project including

EOL issues, spares inventory and lifecycle management. Elma is

truly qualified to offer the widest range of best of class products

and by teaming with our partners, we provide complete standard

or custom integrated embedded sub-system platforms to meet

your requirements.

19” and Portable VME, VXS and VPX Chassis

meet a wide range of applica¬tions

heights

shipment

dual star, mesh, or custom fabric implementations

Rugged COTS Chassis

STD-810F, MIL-STD-167 and MIL-STD-901D

is a major factor

ATR (Air Transport Rack)

reduced cost and lead time

panels, and top and bottom covers

VME, VXS, and VPX Embedded Computing Boards

Engines

-

forms (SystemPaks)

requirements

Elma Electronic44350 Grimmer BlvdFremont, CA 94538USA510-656-3400 [email protected]


X-ES has an extensive portfolio of rugged VPX products.

Designed for both conduction- and air-cooled applications,

carriers, storage modules, power modules, backplanes, RTMs,

and platforms and enclosures.

Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES)By Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES)

Product Name Form Factor Processor Max CPU Speed Memory NVRAM Mezzanines Ethernet USB

XCalibur1541 6U VPX MPC8572E 1.5 GHz 4 GB DDR2-800

256 MB NOR16 GB NAND

2 PMC/XMC 4 1000BASE-T 3 USB 2.0

XCalibur1640 6U VPX QorIQ P3041, P4080, P5020

1.5 - 2.5 GHz 8 GB DDR3-800



XCalibur1740 6U VPX QorIQ P1011, P2020

1.2 GHz 8 GB DDR3-800



XCalibur4341 6U VPX Core i7 2.53 GHz 16 GB DDR3-1066


2 PMC/XMC 5 1000BASE-BX or 1000BASE-T

3 USB 2.0

XCalibur4440 6U VPX 2nd Gen Core i7 quad-core

2.1 GHz 16 GB DDR3-1333


2 PMC/XMC 5 1000BASE-BX or 1000BASE-T

5 USB 2.0

XPedite5370 3U VPX MPC8572E 1.5 GHz 4 GB DDR2-800

256 MB NOR4 GB NAND

1 PMC/XMC 2 1000BASE-T

XPedite5470 3U VPX QorIQ P3041, P4080, P5020

1.5 - 2.5 GHz 8 GB DDR3-1333


1 PMC/XMC 2 1000BASE-T or 1000BASE-BX

2 USB 2.0

XPedite5570 3U VPX QorIQ P1011, P2020

1.2 GHz 4 GB DDR3-800



XPedite7170 3U VPX Core 2 Duo

1.8 GHz 4 GB DDR2-400

4 MB NOR4 GB NAND

1 PMC/XMC 1-2 1000BASE-T

0-2 USB 2.0

XPedite7172 3U VPX Core 2 Duo

1.8 GHz 4 GB DDR2-400

2 MB NOR4 GB NAND


2 USB 2.0

XPedite7370 3U VPX Core i7 2.53 GHz 8 GB DDR3-1066

32 MB NOR16 GB NAND


2 USB 2.0

XPedite7371 3U VPX Core i7 2.53 GHz 8 GB DDR3-1066

32 MB NOR16 GB NAND


2 USB 2.0

XPedite7470 3U VPX 2nd Gen Core i7

2.1 GHz 8 GB DDR3-1333

32 MB NOR16 GB NAND


2 USB 2.0

Single Board Computers


Storage SolutionsX-ES provides a variety of VPX storage options for embedded

computing applications. To address the storage requirements

of deployed embedded applications, X-ES offers high density

Solid State Disk (SSD) storage solutions and removable SSD

storage options. X-ES can build removable storage options into

system-level solutions, such as the XPand4200 sub-1/2 ATR

box.

Carrier

bit AES encryption

Switches and CarriersTo facilitate system integration, X-ES provides a number of

switch and carrier options. All are available in both conduc-

tion- and air-cooled versions.

with bridging to cPCI

Gigabit Ethernet switch

Integrated Switch with XMC and Management Support

Backplanes, Power Modules, and Rear Tran-sition Modules (RTMs)Design margins for VPX backplanes are much narrower than

traditional backplane due to the number and the speed of the

signals on the backplane. To ensure that backplanes do not

represent a weakness in the system design, X-ES provides a

line of VPX backplanes. To support air-cooled applications

and development efforts, X-ES provides a line of RTMs. Power

requirements of VPX systems can be much higher than with

traditional systems. To ensure that system power require-

modules.

output, 300 W, 3U VITA 62.0 VPX power supply with

integrated MIL-STD-461E filtering and optional hold-up

capacitor

output, 300 W, 3U VITA 62.0 VPX power supply with inte-

grated MIL-STD-461E filtering, with 12V allocated as the

primary distribution rail across the backplane

System Integration and System QualificationX-ES integrates X-ES products, third-party products, our

customer’s proprietary boards, and software, based on the cus-

tomer’s needs. X-ES performs a wide variety of qualification

testing. Utilizing our in-house equipment and test engineers,

we perform environmental testing and environmental pre-

screening. We also perform EMI pre-screening utilizing our

in-house equipment. We also perform environmental and

EMI testing by working with independent test facilities. X-ES

delivers integrated and qualified subsystems and complete

systems ready for deployment.

Product Name

Form Factor Chassis Type Dimensions Chassis Cooling

Supported Modules

# of Slots

ADP 3U VPX Development 11.5”D x 5.5”W x 16.5”H Air Conduction 10

XPand1000 3U VPX Development 8.3”D x 4.2”W x 8.5”H Air Conduction 2



XPand1300 3U VPX Development 11.5”D x 5.5”W x 16.5”H Air Air 15

XPand3200 3U VPX ATR 8.75”D x 4.88”W x 5.62”H Conduction Conduction 6

XPand4200 3U VPX ATR 13.5”D x 4.88”W x 6”H Air Conduction 6

XPand5200 3U VPX ATR 10.30”D x 4.88”W x 5.65”H Natural Convection or Conduction

Conduction 4

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CONTACT INFORMATION



VITA technologies such as VMEbus, VPX, PMC, FMC, VXS and

many others are a favorite choice in what are termed “Critical

Embedded Systems.” These are systems that are life-critical or

safety-critical and whose failure or malfunction may result

in death or serious injury to people, loss or severe damage to

equipment or severe environmental harm. VITA technologies

are further defined to be used in high performance, distributed

computing systems that manage high bandwidth I/O, involve

real-time processing and are environmentally constrained to

space, weight and power (SWaP). This definition clearly sepa-

rates VITA technology from that used in personal computing

or data center servers.

The focus of VITA technologies on the needs of critical

embedded systems means that most applications of the tech-

nology are in military/aerospace, communications, industrial

and medical application markets. Applications within these

markets that are life or safety critical benefit from the extra

care that suppliers of VITA technologies put into their prod-

ucts. The performance bandwidth and packaging options

defined in specifications such as VMEbus and VPX have

attractive options for different requirements of demanding

applications.

There are many challenges that designers face when developing

critical embedded systems. As computing elements are added

to new applications with each generation of product develop-

ment, the issues become increasingly complex.

Fragmentation of marketsThe very nature of embedded computing is forcing an ever-

expanding fragmentation of the requirements. There is a

for suppliers to reach economies of scale that help to drive cost

reductions enjoyed by high unit volume consumer devices.

Some designers try to fit low-cost desktop technology into

critical embedded systems only to find that the support costs

far outweigh the material costs. Using a Windows and Intel

Architecture solution is not always the best choice for critical

applications. Evaluating commercially available real-time

operating systems and other processor families is important

when developing a critical embedded system because they can

have features that are better suited to meet requirements. For

instance: better security, event response times or processing

elements.

Fortunately, some technology is ubiquitous and tends to

evolve its usage model so that you can gain some cost savings

without sacrificing performance and reliability. Examples of

these are also not always a perfect fit, they have evolved over

the years to make them suitable options in many cases. The

respective ecosystems have roadmaps for the technology that

make them suitable for the long product life cycles required by

most critical embedded systems.

More “Standards” than everThe fragmentation of the markets is leading to a rise in the

number of standards that help to define next generations of

technologies used in embedded computing. The next wave of

standards is generally defined by the ecosystems that have

the technology needs. One or two major contributors often

team up to turn a proprietary specification into the next

standard. The incentive is to help drive up the consumption

and thus lower costs. The number of working groups that are

defining the next generations of standards is increasing each

year. VITA alone has over 30 active working groups gathering

the “Voice of the Customer” inputs and converting the inputs

into robust specifications. These working groups are working

on everything from small form factor systems to backplane

interconnect strategies to reliability guidelines. Standards

driven through established organizations such as VITA ensure

a well-developed and vetted specification.

Critical Embedded Systems Design ChallengesBy Jerry Gipper, VITA Director of Marketing



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SWaP is CriticalSize, weight and power are three limitations that nearly every

critical embedded system is bounded to by some degree. All

three become increasingly critical as devices become more

mobile and integrated. SWaP applies across all levels of tech-

nology from chips to boards to systems. Finding the right

combination and making the associated trade offs is very

challenging. Every application has its own guidelines and

restrictions driving important design decisions. Standards

that have made considerations for options help in the decision

process. For example, the usage of the VPX family of specifica-

tion is guided through the OpenVPX architectural framework

that defines the operability levels of the numerous combina-

tions of products that are available from the product suppliers.

Need for SpeedMany new applications arise because the performance levels

are going off the charts with processing and interconnect

capability and there does not appear to be any end to the need

for speed anytime in the near future. Give an engineer more

computing performance, and they will find a way to need even

more.

Fortunately, there are small armies of engineers working

on innovation to improve performance at all levels. Most

important for a critical embedded system is interconnecting

performance. In addition, most exciting and promising here is

the work with optical interconnects. While still not practical

for many applications, optical interconnects are making great

inroads in performance and cost. The new VPX fiber optic inter-

connect specification (VITA 66) that defines a family of blind

mate fiber optic interconnects for use with VPX backplanes

and plug-in modules is one of the first backplane standards

to emerge. The endgame is nowhere in clear sight, and you can

expect a lot of new innovation as suppliers find ways to make

optical interconnects practical and cost-effective. VITA has

established the VITA Architectures for Optical study group to

help push along efforts to create necessary standards.

CustomizationDespite all the efforts to develop standards, there is also a

the components and systems to solve the root problems of

the design process, but the levels of customization must not

interfere with the time-to-market and cost models of the final

product. Finding technologies that let you customize quickly

and effectively are necessary. The use of FPGAs and system

integration with board level modules is one of the most proven

ways to address the requirement for fast and relatively easy

customization. Most board suppliers offer custom products

and design services to some degree, some more than others.

Even higher levels of customization at the board level will

happen in the future.

SummaryDesigning critical embedded computing systems is no easy

task. The challenges become more daunting with each passing

generation of technology. Using standards and products based

on the standards is one way to stay ahead of the game because

you can reduce risk by leveraging the knowledge based on the

developers of the standards and the related products. Visit

VITA at www.vita.com to learn how VITA technologies can

help you with your next project.

Jerry Gipper has held a variety of positions in

systems engineering, sales, product marketing,

business development and strategic planning. His

technology and marketing experience spans embed-

ded computing technologies from VMEbus, PMC,

CompactPCI, AdvancedTCA, various embedded

motherboard technologies, embedded microprocessors and SOCs,

Embedded Windows, Linux and real-time operating systems.

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VITA’s long-standing Bus & Boards conference, which hasn’t

taken place for several years, was reincarnated in Cocoa Beach,

Florida on January 16-17, 2012 as the Embedded Tech Trends

conference. Billed as a business and technology forum rather

than a trade show, the event revolved around presentations

on a variety of VME and VPX-related technologies, updates by

several VITA groups, as well as media briefings and networking.

Discussion focused on the need for smaller, lighter, faster

systems – especially growing demands for unmanned ground

and aerial vehicles (UAVs) – that are driving development of

new small form factor (SFF) standards and modular systems.

Questions around which – if any – of these new standards will

succeed still abound, however. Vendors indicate that customers

typically come at a design challenge with a focus on processor,

operating system, application requirements and yes, general

size, weight and power (SWaP) requirements – but not neces-

sarily a specific modular form factor. In many presentations,

vendors talked about their full system solutions approach that

is more often customized than not. (While the use of COTS

technologies is still important, it’s not clear if that really means

commercial – or custom – off-the-shelf.) It’s possible that the

focus on modularity and new form factor standards doesn’t

appropriately address customer or vendor needs. For instance,if

one or more of the new SFF standards takes off, vendors may be

hard-pressed to fold that new product line into their portfolios,

on top of efforts to follow new processor announcements in an

already wide range of board standards and form factors.

But all that remains to be seen. What follows are impressions

from the event’s presentations and vendor discussions.

VITA OverviewVITA director of marketing Jerry Gipper opened the event with

an overview of VITA activities, technologies and state of the

market. Overall, VITA membership has stayed fairly consistent

since 2005, with membership at 126 companies then and now,

and with a high of 141 member companies in September 2010.

Gipper noted the impact of mergers and acquisitions (M&A)

on membership, and that most of the same players were still in

attendance, just wearing new hats.

Research from IMS Research and VDC Research indicate steady – if

not overwhelming – growth. IMS Research last reported on this

market in August 2010 (a new report is due out soon), but showed

VME revenue for single board computers at $493 million in 2010,

down from $496.3 million in 2008, but up from $456.4 million in

2009. Military and aerospace applications continue to dominate

the market with about 37% of total VME revenue; communications

followed at about 25% of the market, with industrial automation

(9%), medical (7%), transportation (6%) and other sectors (16%)

making up the balance. Overall, x86 architectures comprised just

over 51% of revenue, while Power architectures captured just under

40% and other architectures made up the balance.

VDC Research provided data that was current as of late 2011

(from the VDC study “2011 Embedded Hardware and Systems

Service, Track 2: Embedded Boards Supplier Analysis, Volume

1: Slot Single Board Computers and CPU Blades”). In 2011, VDC

showed that VME and its variants comprised 24% of the slot SBC

and CPU blade market, with revenue of $392.6 million. That share

is projected to remain the same through 2014, although overall

market growth will bring VME-related revenue to $544.5 million

during that time. VDC believes that newer technologies such as

VXS and VPX are driving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR)

of 12.48% from 2010 through 2015, and expects that VPX will

be the dominate VME-based architecture by 2014, moving from

18% of the VME market in 2011 to 34% in 2014.

VITA Goes Small SwaP requirements continue to drive new VITA standards, and

much of the discussion during the conference revolved around

advancements in 3U VPX and new smaller form factors. Pro-

ponents of new SFF standards presented updates on VITA 59

and VITA 74. Sponsors of VITA 73 (PCI Systems) and VITA 75

(Curtiss Wright) were not in attendance.

VITA 59ANSI-VITA 59 ESMexpress®

COM defines a Rugged System-

On-Module Express (RSE) that

is sponsored by MEN Mikro

Elektronik GmbH as well as

Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense

Systems, Pentair, Samtec and LiP-

PERT Embedded Computers. (See

photo.) MEN Mikro CTO Manfred Schmitz presented the new

standard that is designed to make COM Express viable in rugged

environments and mobile applications. Schmitz described it as

the only rugged COM standard that supports conductive cooling,

electromagnetic shielding and mechanical protection, as well as

standard pin-outs to support easy replacement and long-term

UAVs Drive Call for Small Form Factor StandardsEmbedded Tech Trends 2012 Focuses on SWaP, Interoperability and System-Level Solutions

By Cheryl Coupé

MEN Mikro XM51 module.

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availability, with size and mounting compliant to PICMG COM.0

module that is compliant with the standard in process, and

Schmitz described several applications for it, including railway

equipment. (More information is available at http://www.men.

de/news/press-releases,126888,In-Top-Form-ESMexpress-Com-

puter--On--Module-with-PowerPC-QorIQ.html#y.)

VITA 74VITA 74 is sponsored by Themis

Computer, along with Samtec,

Molex and Xembedded. In a

presentation, Themis VP of engi-

neering Dennis Smith focused on

the growing market for military

unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),

-

lion market with a forecasted CAGR

of 12% from 2013-2018. While small tactical platforms such as UAVs

have adopted architectures such as PC/104, there is also extensive

fragmentation and a need to adopt VPX features – without the high

cost. Themis’s approach is based on the Nano ETX express standard,

which is the size of a credit card with a COM Express interface. It

new fabrics that include PCI Express, SATA and Gigabit Ethernet. In

the conference’s only hospitality-suite-slash-product-demo event,

Themis showed its Nano-Pak sealed module and five-slot VITA-74

NanoATR system. (See photo and http://www.themis.com/themis/

product/tacticalsystems/vita74 for more information.) Themis is

actively working to build an ecosystem around VITA 74: mechanical

models and drawings are available for download and tooling for

frame and module extrusions has been set up. In the meantime,

Themis states that it is finding applications for VITA 74 within the

U.S. Army’s Victory group and also sees interest in energy services

and transportation applications.

VPX in ActionThe VPX Marketing Alliance is one of four marketing groups

now active within VITA (the others are focused on FMC, VXS

and the reliability community), and all of which are working to

meet VITA’s mission of promoting open standards for critical

embedded computing. Valerie Andrew of Elma Electronic is

the new chair of the VPX Marketing Alliance, which covers the

base standard VITA 46, as well as VITA 48 (VPX-REDI), VITA

channel), VITA 60 (interchangeable connectors), VITA 66 (fiber

optic connectivity) and VITA 67 (analog/RF connectivity), as

well as the new small form factors. Andrew introduced several

sessions related to VPX and OpenVPX.

Challenges of Interoperability with OpenVPXDavid Hinkle of Elma Electronic dispelled the notion that VPX

is not multi-vendor interoperable, describing Elma’s OpenVPX

systems that are built with products from industry leaders

such as Emerson, GE Intelligent

Platforms, Concurrent Technologies

and Interface Concept. OpenVPX

defines systems using an established

nomenclature that provides a foun-

dation for interoperability. OpenVPX

profiles define a topology of data

connectivity to the backplane from

the modules with slot profiles (which

pins connect to what), and define

what protocols a module is specified

to use when communicating over the connections defined in the

slot profiles with module profiles. Each slot profile has a unique

slot profile names to understand all the elements and define

how it will be used. A few things to keep in mind: Since VPX

preceded OpenVPX, it should not be surprising there are many

vendors whose products only comply to VPX, but many vendors

are adding OpenVPX-compliant boards to their offerings that

indicate the module and slot profiles they are compliant with.

Finally Hinkle says: don’t assume that just because a module is

not OpenVPX that it can’t be used in an OpenVPX design.

OpenVPX Successfully Deployed Paul Monticciollo, Mercury CTO, stated what became a common

theme at the conference: that military and aerospace customers

are looking to vendors for system-level solutions that are based on

open board standards in order to control program costs and accel-

erate time to deployment. Monticciollo described two Mercury

applications for Open VPX: the Gorgon Stare and Patriot Missile

Defense programs, both advanced processing systems that were

rapidly implemented using open hardware and software standards.

Pentek’s Roger Hosking continued this theme, and stated that

the benefits of Open VPX outweigh perceived competitive

threats, with vendor interoperability becoming the basis for suc-

cessful sales strategies. He sees new embedded designs shifting

from VME to Open VPX as a natural roadmap extension, and

believes that Open VPX has more momentum than other new

small form factor standards in the works.

VITA Technology ChallengesA panel of experts responded to questions from moderator John

McHale of Military Embedded Systems. Panelists were Man-

fred Schmitz, MEN Mikro Elektronik GmbH;Ken Grob, Elma

Electronic Inc.; Peter Cavill, GE Intelligent Platforms; and Paul

Monticciollo, Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. What follows are

excerpts from these discussions.

On roadmaps from processor suppliers:Intel and Freescale are

mainstream, but it can

be tough for board and

system suppliers to keep

up with Intel’s design

cycle of a new product

Themis Nano-Pak sealed module and five-slot VITA-74 NanoATR cube.

3U VPX Mini ATR in a rugged OpenVPX platform from Elma Electronic



architecture every 12 months. ARM is beginning to show up in

some military applications, but these are emerging opportunities

that are fragmented in terms of suppliers. And while there is a

huge amount of software driven by the consumer smartphone

and tablet markets, that presents even more of a mismatch with

mil/aero due to volume of markets and long-term support.

The impact of defense spending cuts on COTS: GE’s Cavill expects business to move away from ground vehicles

to smaller systems such as UAVs, while Mercury’s Monticciollo

expects to see an emphasis on putting systems together that are

effective in gathering information. Elma’s Grob will be watching

the emerging SFF arena, even though that presents challenges

in folding new products into full portfolios that already encom-

pass VME, CompactPCI and other technologies.

Use of VME technologies in other industries:Grob notes that the cost differential in systems specified for

rugged military versus rugged industrial might be 2:1 and won-

ders if there might be a move towards more centric requirements

for standards, while Schmitz of MEN Mikro indicates that usage

of mil/aero standards in other verticals is dependent on quantity.

The impact of compliance to Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) conversion:There were grimaces across the panel on this topic, with frus-

tration evident on how to maintain reliability and mitigate tin

whisker shorts. However, manufacturers recognize that the

boat has sailed and they’re collecting data on processes and

developing more reliable assembly techniques. The impact may

depend on demands from the customer’s customer, which can

result in poor yield or unmanufacturability, not to mention

wasted time spent negotiating around these issues.

On trends in offshore manufacturing:Overall, panelists are seeing some components coming from

low-cost regions, but most are building systems onshore, in the

U.S. or Europe.

On what COTS means today:This discussion generated quite a few laughs. Monticciollo stated

that customers always need some sort of customization since the

environmentals are different for every product. He believes that

COTS standards can get them to 80-90% of the solution; the issue

is how much it’s going to cost for that last 10%. Schmitz responded

wryly that COTS is a custom product for which the customer isn’t

willing to pay non-recurring engineering (NRE) charges. Cavill

-

ally composed of custom products that have multiple customers.

Future vision of embedded boards:Cavill believes that the VPX portion of VME will continue to grow,

see complete functions on modules as silicon integration continues,

and is seeing a move to complete application-ready systems. Schmitz

also sees MEN Mikro changing from a board manufacturer to a

system manufacturer, especially as systems become smaller. These

themes were echoed by Grob, who also sees a move to systems and

VPX. Monticciollo noted that today’s system solution also includes

the analog portion and that software has become more important

for differentiation, especially as silicon becomes more integrated,

providing fewer opportunities to differentiate in hardware.

On microTCA’s impact on VPX:None of the panelists saw an impact from MicroTCA.

Other SessionsAdditional presentations included VITA Working Group updates

(which can be found at www.vita.com), an overview of the VITA

Reliability Community, a review of the FMC market by Patrick

Mechin of TechwaY,and an explanation of the issues around

debugging PCI Express (PCIe) in critical embedded systems by

John Wiedemeier of LeCroy.

While the consensus at

Embedded Tech Trends

seemed to be that copper is

still meeting most needs, Will

Ouyang of Samtec generated

interest with his overview

on new optical interconnects

that will be required to match

CPU performance increases.

Challenges come down to

bandwidth, distance and density, which Samtec is addressing

with new active optical cable (AOC) products generated from the

June 2011 acquisitions of AlpenIO (now Samtec Optical Group)

and Aspen Technologies (now Samtec Microelectronics). The cable

assemblies are available as a PCI Express x4 AOC, which is PCIe Gen

3-speed capable at 100 meters, and QSFP+ AOC that is compliant

100 meters. Weight and size comparisons were impressive: at one

meter, the PCI Express cable is 63% smaller in diameter and 90%

lighter than copper (61% lighter including total assembly); the

QSFP+ assembly at one meter is 68% smaller in diameter and 88%

lighter than copper.

Next Embedded Tech TrendsPlans are already in the works for the second annual Embedded

Tech Trends conference, which will bring the event back to the

take place in early 2013 on the Queen Mary. Watch www.vita.com

for details.

Cheryl Berglund Coupé is editor of EECatalog.com.

Her articles have appeared in EE Times, Electronic

Business, Microsoft Embedded Review and Win-

dows Developer’s Journal and she has developed

presentations for the Embedded Systems Conference

and ICSPAT. She has held a variety of production,

technical marketing and writing positions within technology com-

panies and agencies in the Northwest.

Samtec optical engines



Introduction

multi-national forces who are required to deploy anywhere in

the world faster than ever before. Communications of voice,

video and data have become critical to the successful opera-

tion of these forces. This has led to the implementation of

Network-Enabled Operations (NEO) as a force multiplier,

and has resulted in everything from forward operating

bases to vehicular electronics systems architecture adopting

common, IP-based network architecture. Vehicle electronics,

often combined as Vetronics, are changing communications

among virtually all battlefield assets.

Emergence of the NEO ParadigmThe core basics of conflicts, command control, communica-

tion and intelligence (C4I) have not changed since ancient

days and now, perhaps more than ever,

the use of information superiority and

military communications as a force-mul-

tiplier is seen as a competitive edge. We

can add real-time high-definition video

streams or intelligent blue-force tracking,

360-degree situational awareness and

real-time language translation to the list

of game changing military technologies.

Military forces see the development of a

superior communications network as pri-

ority number one, even above developing

superior weapons, thus marking a major

shift in military thinking towards a new

NEO mindset. The essential premise of

NEO is that technology now enables each

warfighter and military asset to become a

battlefield sensor. The data thus gathered

can then be shared in real time over a

high-speed network.

The implementation of NEO is influencing

military technology in profound ways.

The network architecture has become all-

pervasive, and almost every battlefield

asset is adopting a network-based design.

The fundamental principles of NEO are as

follows:

1. A robustly networked military force

improves information sharing.

2. Information sharing enhances the

quality of the information, as well as

shared situational awareness.

Vetronics Architectures Emerge to Facilitate Network-Enabled OperationsBy Rubin Dhillon, Industry Manager for Communications and Networking Solutions, Military and Aerospace division, GE Intelligent Platforms



3. Shared situational awareness enables collaboration and

self-synchronization, and also enhances sustainability

and speed of control.

4. The end result of these benefits is increased mission

effectiveness.

The networking principle behind NEO is based on the

same basic architectures as the Internet or other large

networks you might find in the enterprise world. A net-

work diagram of the U.S. DoD’s Global Information Grid

(GIG) that connects warfighters, policy makers and sup-

port personnel looks very similar to a diagram of a large

corporate network that connects company personnel,

management, customers and suppliers to a single secure

network. It is modular, scalable and open, which has led

to the large-scale adoption of embedded computing and

common off-the-shelf systems.

New Vetronics Architectures Driving NEO to the Tactical EdgeAs network-enabled operations begin to deploy, a need is

emerging to see the battlefield network reach all the way

to the tactical edge. The US Army envisions a warfighter

wearing computers and communications equipment or

perhaps using a standard smartphone. These warfighters

are connected to a communications hub that gives them

real-time connectivity to the battlefield network, and

that hub has taken the form of a modern armored mili-

tary vehicle. Since the military vehicle has become not

only a network node but essentially a complex “network

appliance,” the design and architecture of the vehicle is

transforming. The vehicle’s nervous system of electronics

has become a network. Even the systems themselves–the

computer, communications and weapons systems–are

becoming networks within a network.

A scalable, distributed network will likely result in

decreased deployment times for new vehicles and new

Figure 1 Example VPX System, GE’s MAGIC1 (3U System)



technologies. Also,in these budget-constrained times,

the combination of reduced size, weight, power and cost

(SWaP-C) along with an open, multivendor mix of system

components could significantly reduce the cost of design

and deployment.

Implementation ChallengesWith the adoption of Network-Enabled Operations and

the priority placed on network communications, a fighting

force must literally setup a whole communications infra-

structure with wired and wireless broadband links and

data centers for every theater they enter. Along with

their traditional radios, warfighters are carrying routers,

switches, blade servers, cellular base stations, network

gateways and a number of other network equipment into

battle. All this equipment must be transported and pow-

ered; so it is no surprise that now as never before, SWaP

issues are at the fore of concerns for military users and

prime contractors alike.

Another significant concern is the harsh environment in

which military vehicles are designed to operate. Vetronics

systems are subject to significant shock and vibration,

temperature extremes, dust, sand, dirt and moisture. Such

systems are therefore ruggedized, which adds to their size

and weight. These systems are also passively cooled, which

places limits on the power and performance of the elec-

tronics within them.

These challenges can be exemplified by a common NEO

requirement such as the capture and transport of video for

C4I applications and 360-degree situational awareness.

The demand for video capabilities in military vehicles is

expected to continue to grow both in numbers of deployed

platforms as well as range of functionality, especially

real-time, high-definition video. As such, platform

communications must be able to distribute video feeds

encapsulated in IP and transported over Ethernet both

to the operators (whether on the platform itself or at a

remote location) as well as to specialized video processing

systems. These processing systems require very high-

performance computing with high-speed communications

links. Given the SWaP and environment challenges, the

standard systems one would use in the commercial enter-

prise world would not work. This is where COTS embedded

platform solutions come into play.

COTS Embedded Technology SolutionsThe COTS embedded industry has been working to address

the challenge of delivering high-performance computing

and networking technologies to meet challenging SWaP

and environmental requirements such as those for a

video processing system within a military vehicle with a

modular, open,network-enabled architecture.

The embedded industry has developed a range of modular,

open-architecture platform standards designed spe-

cifically for rugged and harsh military applications like

Figure 2 GE’s NETernity GBX460 10 GiGE SwitchGE’s GBX460 (http://defense.ge-ip.com/products/3569) is a highdensityOpenVPX 10GigE data-plane switch that has becomepopular with system architects building platforms for vehicularnetworks. The GBX460 canbe either unmanaged for simple network con-figurations withfast start-ups or as a fully managed, layer 2/3+ switch for morecomplex networks with security requirements such as separatingclassified and unclassified data streams.



vetronics. Some of these standards, such as the bus-based

cPCI and VME architectures, have been used to develop

a range of vetronics systems in the past. With the intro-

duction of NEO, however, new standards have emerged

that incorporate switched fabric architectures. These are

essentially networks in a box. The VPX standards defined

by VMEbus International Trade Association (VITA) give

us a modular,open-architecture base platform that is per-

fect for the design of a video processing system.

Most of today’s vetronics systems incorporate various

video transport methodologies, both analog and digital.

But as platforms increasingly adopt design architectures

optimized for NEO, these video streams will be encap-

sulated in IP and transported over Gigabit Ethernet and

10GigE I/O interfaces.

Finally, the system requires a powerful Ethernet switch.

Since the Ethernet switch is essentially the nervous

system of any platform deployed in NEO applications,

system architects need to pay careful attention to the

specification and selection of this vital component. There

are three primary areas of concern when selecting an Eth-

ernet switch:

1. Number of ports

2. Bandwidth

3. Management/Protocols and Security

Any Ethernet switch must have enough ports to intercon-

nect all the compute and I/O components and handle the

input and output of video streams. The vetronics diagram

above depicts the complexity of such a network-enabled

system-of-systems and demonstrates the large number

of Ethernet ports required. The number of required ports

can quickly add up when you consider the number of

input/output streams and the number of blades installed

in a system. To provide fault-tolerance and redundancy,

systems are also designed with redundant links to each

installed blade. A system with six installed compute and

I/O components would require 12 ports to connect them.

Embedded Ethernet switches for military applications are

typically offered with 10MB, 100mb and Gigabit Ethernet

links. Today, with the increase in video transport over IP,

we are seeing the need for multiple 10GigE links.

The nature of an open, distributed network architecture

means that there are multiple network assets, often from

multiple vendors and they must all talk to each other. Pro-

tocols and management standards have been implemented

to enable interoperability, and most managed switches

have adopted the standards. Some vendors, however, may

interpret the standards differently than others, leading

to interoperability problems. In many cases, the military

may choose to modify a standard protocol to implement

security features to optimize for mobile ad-hoc environ-

ments or to bridge legacy non-Ethernet enabled devices to

the network. It is therefore important to choose a switch

solution with a protocol suite that is f lexible and can be

optimized and customized for target environments.

ConclusionAs armed forces push towards an “IP everywhere” reality,

Ethernet will reach further and further out to the edge

of the battlefield. While GigE networking still dominates

in the military and aerospace arena, 10GbE is becoming

increasingly necessary with the deployment of platforms

transporting and processing real-time voice, video and

data. As such, robust, high-density 10GbE network switch

transport with the f lexibility to adapt and connect to

legacy or non-standard Vetronics systems will become

increasingly important in order to meet the growing data

throughput rates of NEO networks. GE has developed a

range of such solutions designed specifically to connect

and secure the network enabled warfighters of today’s

battlefield.

Rubin Dhillon is the Industry Manager for

Communications and Networking solutions in

the Military and Aerospace division of GE In-

telligent Platforms. Rubin holds a Bachelor of

Business degree from the Victorian University

of Technology in Melbourne, Australia and has

more than 18 years’ experience in embedded communications

technologies for the commercial, telecommunications and mili-

tary markets.



A VXI test and measurement system consists of a chassis,

instruments and a controller computer that may be in the

chassis with the instruments or remotely connected. In these

systems, low first-word latency is often an important consid-

eration. Many modules from different vendors use single-word

communications for one reason or another. To enable any sort

of transfer speed, the VXI controller – also known as a slot-0

controller – needs direct memory access without going through

The only solution would be a memory-mapped interface or an

with first-word latencies of 700 nsec to 2 μsec (depending on

important factor in all large test systems, especially in military

systems, is longevity.

This highlights a key trade off of

embedded versus remote con-

trollers for VXI systems: on one

hand, you could use an embedded

solution and never touch this

system; on the other hand,you

have future growth and change in

mind and will need the increased

performance and capabilities of

new PC hardware. For the latter

case, the only viable solution

today is to select a state-of-the-

art remote controller interface

and use an external computer. As

in the short-lived and very fast-

changing world of PC processors

and corresponding operating

systems,you most likely will not

be able to even find your operating system of the time of concep-

tion of your system; even less the processor architecture initially

chosen. The remote controller option generally delivers cost sav-

ings, which is also of increasing importance in light of shrinking

budgets and cost-reduction efforts.

Cost and Performance Trade offs Regarding the cost issue, it is worth noting that there is a trade

off between cost and performance. The embedded VXI controller,

essentially a specialized computer that fits into the VXI chassis,

offers the highest performance and commands the highest

price. It is also important to point out that the performance

parameters we are concerned with here are those related to

exchanging information between the controller and the instru-

ments in the VXI chassis and not processor speed, memory or

other parameters of the controller computer itself. Indeed, one

can usually find a more amply provisioned PC in the general

marketplace than in the embedded world. This is due not only

to the longer design and product lifecycles of embedded VXI

controller computers, but also to the fact that the data transfer

performance, along with system size, is usually more important

than PC processor speed, memory, etc. for a controller solution.

Express(PCIe) connection to the host computer offers perfor-

mance so close to an embedded controller that it is essentially the

same for many applications. Data transfer occurs at PCI Express

-

dard and a VXI 4.0-compatible

PCIe remote VXI controller. The

cost of using such a controller

is indeed higher than that of

controller, but not nearly as

high as using an embedded con-

troller. For the vast majority of

applications, the deciding factor

between embedded versus

remote VXI controller becomes

system size and shape. Is it

important to have the PC inside

the VXI chassis to reduce system

footprint? Does the system

need to be self-contained and

transportable within the VXI

chassis? If the answer to ques-

tions such as these is “no,” then

the remote controller benefit of

reduced cost, as well as being able to upgrade to faster generations

of controller computer, can be realized.

Throughput and LatencyData throughput refers to the rate at which data is transferred

Latency refers to the delay before the first word or byte of data

is received for such a transfer. As mentioned earlier, most remote

have much higher latency than an embedded VXI controller. The

throughput is lower with these busses compared to an embedded

for many applications. Latency, however, can be a major show

stopper. If a system needs to perform real-time, two-way commu-

VXI Remote and Embedded Controller ConsiderationsBy Dr. Fred Blönnigen, Bustec

Unlike the current incarnations of USB and Ethernet, a PCI Express (PCIe) connection

to the host computer offers performance so close to an

embedded controller that it is essentially the same for many

applications.



nication such as in a simulation or close-loop control application,

latency on the order of 100 microseconds – not uncommon for

operations must be performed as quickly as possible, this also is

a case for which high latency is often unacceptable. Digital I/O is

a prime example of this. Military and production automated test

systems often have digital I/O or other single-word operations

that must be completed as rapidly as possible.

Cabling and Multi-Chassis ConfigurationMany test systems with VXI instruments require multiple VXI

chassis. A VXI controller solution may support multi-chassis

systems in a star configuration, daisy-chained configuration or

both/either. For a PCIe controller to support a star configuration,

the host PC must be equipped with a PCIe interface card with

multiple ports and/or multiple PCIe cards. This approach works

well for systems with only two or three chassis, all of which are

located close to the host PC. For systems with more chassis or

chassis distributed over a longer distance, the cost and number

of PCIe slots becomes prohibitive because more PCIe cards are

needed, along with longer cables. For these systems a daisy-

chained configuration is preferred. Some remote VXI controllers

support daisy-chaining and some do not.

Hot-Plug SupportNot all PCIe VXI controllers support PCIe hot-plug. The practical

implication of this is that without hot-plug support, users may be

forced to power up their VXI chassis before the host PC and refrain

from powering down any of the VXI chassis while the host PC is

running. Violating these conditions may result in a system crash

or unstable configuration. This is unacceptable for some applica-

tions, as accepted procedures and training have evolved around

operating the test system according to certain conventions. The

cost of rewriting and retraining can be prohibitive. If the controller

supports PCI Express hot-plug functionality, system operators can

power up the host PC independently from any and all of the VXI

chassis. They can also power off any of the VXI chassis and add or

remove VXI modules without having to shut down the host PC.

LXI-Compatible Trigger BusMost modern test systems are built with components from dif-

ferent standards such as VXI, PXI, PXIe and LXI. With LXI rapidly

gaining market share, this new instrumentation bus has modules

in most new systems build today. One of the major features of

LXI is the LVDS trigger and timing interface. Therefore,it can be

an advantage to have an implementation for this optional trigger

interface built into the VXI controller. An important consideration

is whether this trigger bus is compatible to the LXI trigger bus as

specified in the LXI Standard rev. 1.3. It is also important to ensure

that the trigger bus not only enables forwarding or receiving any

of the eight VXIbus TTL trigger lines or the CLK10 to/from other

VXIbus mainframes in a multi-chassis system, but also connects to

LXI-compatible devices in hybrid test systems. The interface should

ideally be based on an 8-channel multipoint LVDS (M-LVDS) sig-

naling system that allows all devices on the bus to be configured

as sources and/or receivers of trigger signals. Devices sharing an

LXI trigger bus can be connected in a daisy-chain configuration

through separate input and output connectors or in a star configu-

ration utilizing readily available star hubs.

Example ApplicationRecently, Lockheed Martin was awarded a contract for a large auto-

matic test system (ATS) program called eCASS. The systems they are

integrating include VXI chassis so that they can use the best instru-

ments for performance and compatibility including VXI and other

platforms. They had several requirements for VXI controllers, which

are listed further below. They decided on a remote VXI controller

approach,providing a direct connection from a host PC to a VXIbus

chassis using the high-speed PCI Express serial bus (see Figure 1).

The following are some of the requirements for the system:

1. True 64-bit VISA application support.

2. Multi-chassis system: With its multi-port host interface and

daisy-chaining capabilities, the selected PCI Express Slot-0

solution supports multi-chassis systems using only one PCI

Express slot in the host computer.

3. Test time: The extremely low first-word latency of down to 700

nsec and the high throughput shortens the test time considerably.

4. Optimized modern processor support: The hardware and soft-

ware of the slot-0 offers enhanced support for state-of-the-art

nature of the PCI Express bus, PCI Express bridges with

independent routing capabilities and state-of-the-art kernel

driver design; it supports non-blocking, concurrent access

with full multi-threading and multi-core support.

the LXI-compatible LVDS trigger interface on the front-panel

enables the user to forward or receive any of the eight VXIbus

TTL trigger lines or the CLK10 to/from other VXIbus main-

frames in a multi-chassis system and also to connect to LXI

compatible devices in his hybrid test system.



6. Hot-plug/hot power-cycle capability: One more very impor-

tant point is the hot-plug functionality. The possibility of a

computer crash if one of the mainframes loses power or if it is

switched off by accident is unacceptable.

These six reasons, plus the possibility to update the systems to

VXI specification 4.0,drove the decision to select this new and

state-of-the-art VXI controller. It should be mentioned that

this system will already use revision 4.0-compatible chassis; so

using a revision 4.0-compatible slot-0 is only a logical choice.

For more information, please visit www.bustec.com.

Dr. Fred Blönnigen ( [email protected] ) has a Ph.D. in physics. After he

earned his Ph.D. in France, he worked at the University of Berkeley in

California as a nuclear and elementary particle physicist. Back in Eu-

rope, he worked for a large American dataacquisition and test company

for several years. In 1997, he founded Bustec in Ireland and opened a

branch in 2000 in the USA. He is still working as CEO of Bustec.

Figure 1 – The ProDAQ 3030 from Bustec is a remote VXI controller that connects to a PCIe card in the host computer, delivering 400 MB/s throughput and less than 700 nsec latency. Model shown includes con-nectors for LXI triggering.

Figure 2 – A PCIe remote VXI controller requires a card in a PCIe slot of the host PC. The ProDAQ 3261 from Bustec includes two PCIe cable connec-tors for supporting both star and daisy-chain configurations and enables use of a desktop or server computer just like an embedded controller.


EECatalog INDUSTRY RESOURCES

Online & Offline ➔ VME, VPX & VXS ResourcesOnline

http://eecatalog.com/vmeYour guide to the most essential news,

blogs, videos and other essential content

www.vita.comVITA is the international standards

organization for VME and related

technologies and is the first stop for

information.

www.vdcresearch.comVDC Research provides custom and

standard research reports on embedded

markets and technologies.

EventsAerospace & Defense Manufacturing Summit 2012

February 2012 - Florida, USA

http://www.aerospacedefensesummit.com/

AeroCon February 14-16, 2012 – Aneheim

May 2-3, 2012 – Charlotte

http://www.aeroconshows.com

Embedded World Conference

February 28 to March 1, 2012 - Nürnberg, Germany

http://www.embedded-world.de/en/

ESC Conference

March 26-29, 2012 - San Jose, CA

http://www.ubmdesign.com/esc/conference

MILCOM 2012

October 29 – November 1, 2012 - Orlando, FL

http://www.milcom.org/

CONTACT INFORMATION

Engineers’ Guide to VME, VPX & VXS 2012

LeCroy Corporation

◆ Zero Time Search provides a fast way to search large traces for specific protocol terms.

◆ Config space can be displayed in its entirety so that driver registers can be verified.

◆ Test Arcs in the exerciser let PCie 3.0 devices to be tested at any speed and link width.

TECHNICAL SPECS

◆ Analyzer Lanes supported: X1,x2,x4,x8,x16 Speeds: 2.5GT/s, 5GT/s and 8GTs Probes/Interposers: active and passive PCIe slot, VPX,

XMC, AMC, expresscard, expressmodule, minicard, MidBus, multi-lead, CompactPCI Serial and others.

Form factor: Card, Chassis◆ Exerciser Lanes supported: X1,x2,x4,x8,x16 Speeds: 2.5GT/s, 5GT/s, 8GT/s Emulation: root complex and endpoint emulation◆ Protocol Test Card Speeds: 2.5GT/s and 5GT/s operation Tests: Add-in-card test BIOS Platform Test Single Root IO Virtualization Test

APPLICATION AREAS

Mezzanine Boards, Add-in Cards, Host Carrier Systems, System Boards, Chips

LeCroy’s PCI Express® Protocol Analysis and Test Tools

Compatible Operating Systems: Windows 7/XP/Vista

Specification Compliance: PCI Express Standards: 1.1, 2.0, and 3.0

Whether you are a test engineer or firmware developer, LeCroy’s Protocol Analyzers will help you quickly iden-tify, troubleshoot and solve all your protocol problems. LeCroy works closely with industry standards groups such as the PCI-SIG®, PICMG, VITA and the Intel Embedded Communication Alliance to help developers rapidly bring to market high performance and reliable PCI Express pro-tocol test solutions.

LeCroy’s products include a wide range of probe con-nections to support VPX, XMC, AMC, ATCA, microTCA, Express Card, MiniCard, ExpressModule, HP Blade Server Modules, CompactPCI Serial, PCIe external cable, MidBus connectors and flexible mult-lead probes for PCIe® 1.0a, 1.1(“Gen1” at 2.5GT/s) , PCIe 2.0(“Gen 2” at 5 GT/s) and PCIe 3.0(“Gen 3” at 8 GT/s).

The high performance SummitTM T3-16 Protocol Analyzer features the new PCIe extensions for NVMExpress 1.0B(SSD devices), SR-IOV, MR-IOV, and in-band logic analysis.

LeCroy offers a complete range of protocol test solutions, including analyzers, exercisers, protocol test cards, and physical layer testing tools that are certified by the PCI-SIG for ensuring compliance and compatibility with PCI Express specifications.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

◆ One button protocol error check. Lists all protocol errors found in a trace. Great starting point for beginning a debug session.

◆ Flow control screen that quickly shows credit balances for root complex and endpoint performance bottlenecks. Easily find out why your add-in card is underperforming on its benchmarks.

◆ LTSSM state view screen that accurately shows power state transitions with hyperlinks to drill down to more detail. Helps identify issues when endpoints go into and out of low power states.

◆ Full power management state tracking with LeCroy’s Interposer technology. Prevents loosing the trace when the system goes into electrical idle.

◆ LeCroy’s Data View shows only the necessary protocol handshaking ack/naks so you don’t have to be a protocol expert to understand if root complexes and endpoints are communicating properly.

◆ Real Time Statistics puts the analyzer into a monitoring mode showing rates for any user term chosen. Good for showing performance and bus utilization of the DUT.

LeCroy Corporation3385 Scott Blvd.Santa Clara, CA, 95054USA1 800 909-7211 Toll Free1 408 727-6622 [email protected]://www.lecroy.com

Protocol A

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Elma Bustronic

What is OpenVPX?VME bus Variant: VPX

Compatible Architecture: VPX, VPX-REDI

OpenVPX has opened up new definitions for VPX back-planes and systems. This includes defined Module Profiles, Slot Profiles, backplane & chassis configurations, sec-ondary expansion fabrics and control planes, and higher speed fabric options.

The VPX Modules and Slots across the backplanes have been given definitions so that similar Modules will work within certain Slot configurations. The backplane Configu-rations have been defined to show the collection of Slot profiles it entails, including information on the data rate, routing topology, and fabric used. Now, the integrator can determine that a daughter card Module from “X” company can be used in the same backplane slot as “Y” company’s, when both Module Profiles specify the same Slot Profile.

TECHNICAL SPECS

◆ The backplane slot profile table describes the height, type of slot (centralized, distributed or hybrid), the pitch, RTM connector, the corresponding payload and switch cards that plug in, and the control and dataplane data rates.

BackplanesB

ackp

lane

s

CONTACT INFORMATION

Elma Bustronic44350 Grimmer BlvdFremont, CA 94538USA510-490-7388 [email protected]

Designing with Intel® Embedded

Processors?

Embedded Intel® Solutions delivers in-depth product, technology and design information to engineers

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嵌入式英特尔解决方案

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CONTACT INFORMATION


SIE Computing Solutions10 Mupac DriveBrockton, MA 02301USA800.926.8722 Toll Free508.588.6110 Telephone508.588.0498 Faxwww.sie-cs.com

TECHNICAL SPECS

◆ J1: 10 fat pipes/high-speed differential channels◆ J2: 16 fat pipes/high-speed differential channels◆ J2: 20 single-ended signals

AVAILABILITY

Now

APPLICATION AREAS

Military/Aerospace, Industrial, Transportation

VPX Backplanes

VITA 46/48/65 Backplanes

SIE Computing Solutions VPX backplanes are designed to the latest VITA 46, 48, 65 and OPEN VPX standards. The 5-slot I/O PLUS(TM) 3U VPX Full Mesh Backplane is designed for a wide array of VPX applications. The highly configurable backplane offers high-bandwidth in a compact size and provides greater I/O flexibility through I/O PLUS(TM), an innovative use of configurable I/O daughter cards to accommodate an array of VPX applications.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

◆ 5 slot full mesh◆ 2 dedicated I/O daughter card slots◆ Over 200 watts per slot◆ 28 layer board

BackplanesB

ackp

lane

s

CONTACT INFORMATION

CONTACT INFORMATION

Elma Electronic


VPX/VXS Handles & PanelsVMEbus Variant: VPX and VXS

Elma offers highly ergonomic latching handles for the higher insertion forces of VPX and VXS systems. Elma’s VPX handles and panel solutions come in 1.0”, 0.85”, and 0.80” widths for the various card sizes of the architecture. The VPX specification calls for the handle to be slightly offset from typical IEEE handle/panel placement. The handles feature Elma’s two-step latching process and are highly ergonomic. Elma also offers long versions of its IEEE VPX handles for increased leverage.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

◆ Designed for VME, VPX, and VXS systems◆ Highly ergonomic in IEEE or low-profile styles◆ Two-step latching process. Pushbutton activates

optional microswitch telling board ready to plug/unplug◆ Panels feature various widths for VPX board pitch

(.80”, .85” and 1.0”). 3U, 6U, and custom heights◆ Panels are front anodized for scratch-resistance and

back alodined for electrical continuity.

Card R

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A network dedicated to the needs of engineers, developers, designers and

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Elma offers highly ergonomic latching handles for the higher insertion forces of VPX and VXS

systems.

SIE Computing Solutions VPX backplanes are designed to the latest VITA 46, 48, 65 and OPEN

VPX standards.

From LeCroy: PCI Express® Protocol Analysis and Test Tools

Vetronics Architectures Emerge to Facilitate NEOs



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Deep Dive: Energy Efficient Ethernet

Embedded developers who are looking to add Ethernet connectivity

to their next application can use Microchip’s PIC18F97J60 8-bit Ethernet

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The T4070a Gigabit Ethernet switch and IP router from ELMA Electronic, Inc. supports full-wire speed L2 bridging and L3 routing with L2-L4 advanced traffic classification,

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CONTACT INFORMATION

CONTACT INFORMATION

CES - Creative Electronic Systems SA

CES - Creative Electronic Systems SA38 avenue Eugene LanceGrand-Lancy, 1212Switzerland+41.22.884.51.00 Telephone+41.22.794.74.30 [email protected]://www,ces.ch

TECHNICAL SPECS

◆ 3U OpenVPX™ (VITA 65) single board computer with a Freescale QorIQ™ P4080 processor

◆ Onboard interconnect with Crosspoint switch for programmable payload profile configuration (PCIe x4 Gen2, SRIO x4, GbE, 10GbE)

◆ Ultra-high-speed advanced memory subsystem (Dual 1, 2 or 4 GBytes DDR3, as well as NAND, NOR and NVRAM)

◆ One onboard XMC site (VITA 42.2, 42.3, 42.6)◆ Integrated advanced board management controller

and rear I/O transition module for additional interfaces

RIOV-2478VME bus Variant: OpenVPX

Compatible Operating Systems: VxWorks, VxWorks 653, Linux

Compatible Architecture: 3U OpenVPX, XMC

The RIOV-2478 is a conduction-cooled Freescale QorIQ™ P4 3U OpenVPX™ SBC for demanding airborne applications.

The RIOV-2478 combines a multi-core processor with modern interconnect high-speed links and an onboard Crosspoint switch. It features a QorIQ™ P4080 processor designed for combined data and control plane pro-cessing. The eight-core processor design is well suited for applications, which are highly compute-intensive, I/O intensive or both. The Crosspoint switch permits flex-ibility of the payload profile configuration in accordance to OpenVPX™, therefore allowing support of PCIe, SRIO, GbE and 10GbE over VPX and XMC. An Advanced Board Management Controller is also integrated, providing high-speed system status monitoring, logging and dynamic reload functions in real-time.

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➔ White Papers




➔ Ask the Experts



CONTACT INFORMATION

Pentek

PentekOne Park WayUpper Saddle River, NJ 07458USA201-818-5900 Telephone201-818-5904 [email protected]

TECHNICAL SPECS

◆ Sample clock synchronization to an external system reference

◆ LVPECL clock/sync bus for multiboard synchronization◆ Advanced reconfigurability features◆ Optional user-configurable gigabit serial interface◆ Optional LVDS connections to the Virtex-7 FPGA for

custom I/O

APPLICATION AREAS

UAV, Radar, Software Radio, Communications

4 Channel 200 MHz 16-bit A/D with Virtex-7 FPGA VPX Onyx™ Board (Model 53760)VME bus Variant: VPX

Compatible Operating Systems: Windows, Linux, VxWorks

Compatible Architecture: XMC, cPCI, PCIe, Rugged

Model 53760 is a member of the Onyx™ family of high performance 3U VPX boards based on the Xilinx Virtex-7 FPGA. A multichannel, high-speed data converter, it is suitable for connection to HF or IF ports of a communica-tions or radar system. Its built-in data capture features offer an ideal turnkey solution as well as a platform for developing and deploying custom FPGA processing IP.

The 53760 includes four A/Ds and four banks of memory. It features built-in support for PCI Express Gen. 3 over the 3U VPX backplane.

As the central feature of the board architecture, the FPGA has access to all data and control paths, enabling factory-installed functions including data multiplexing, channel selection, data packing, gating, triggering and memory control. The Onyx Architecture organizes the FPGA as a container for data processing applications where each function exists as an intellectual property (IP) module.

Each member of the Onyx family is delivered with fac-tory-installed applications ideally matched to the board’s analog interfaces. The 53760 factory-installed functions include four A/D acquisition IP modules for simplifying data capture and data tranfer. IP modules for DDR3 SDRAM memories, a controller for all data clocking and synchronization functions, a test signal generator, and a PCIe interface complete the factory-installed functions and enable the 53760 to operate as a complete turnkey solution without the need to develop any FPGA IP. Users can install their own custom IP for data processing.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

◆ Complete radar and software radio interface solution◆ Supports Xilinx Virtex-7 VXT FPGAs◆ Supports gigabit serial fabrics including PCI Express,

Serial RapidIO and Xilinx Aurora◆ Four 200 MHz 16-bit A/Ds◆ 4 GB of DDR3 SDRAM

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CONTACT INFORMATION

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Elma Rugged ATR PlatformsSupported Architectures: : VME, VXS, and VPX; CompactPCI and MicroTCA

Elma’s families of rugged ATR (Air Transport Rack) platforms provide an extensive selection of Convection, Conduction, and Liquid Cooled configurations. Avail-able in 1/2, 3/4, 1 and 1 1/2 ATR formats, per ARINC 404A and MIL-Stds, they can be ordered from our standard line or built to order with custom I/O and power options.

TECHNICAL SPECS

◆ Convection, conduction and liquid cooled ATR platforms

◆ Superior design construction meets rugged environ-mental requirements such as MIL STDs 167, 810E, and 901D

◆ Backplanes from 2 to 21 slots for COTS architec-tures VME, VPX, VXS, cPCI, mTCA; custom designs available

◆ Operating temperature range of -40˚C to +70˚C

Elma Electronic

CONTACT INFORMATION


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CONTACT INFORMATION


SIE Computing Solutions10 Mupac DriveBrockton, MA 02301USA800-926-8722 Toll Free508-588-6110 Telephone508-588-0498 [email protected]

TECHNICAL SPECS

◆ Storage Temp (-40°C to +85°C MIL-STD-810F)◆ EMC (MIL-STD-461D)◆ Input Power (28VDC, 115VAC/ 400Hz. 1Ø, 115VAC/

400Hz. 3Ø- MIL-STD-704A Thru 704E, MIL-STD-1275A)

◆ Wiring (Low Toxicity -MIL-C-24643)◆ Vibration (15 to 2,000Hz At 0.1g2/ Hz. (RMS~12g)

MIL-STD-810F Method 514.5) & Shock (20g for 11ms MIL-STD-810F Method 516.5)

AVAILABILITY

Now

717 Series Air-Over Conduction Cooled ATR EnclosuresCompatible Architecture: VME, VME64x, VXS, VPX and CPCI architectures

The 717 Series is available in standard ARINC sizes that include 1/2 ATR Short to 1-1/2 ATR Long and any custom form factor. From bus standards to application-specific custom designs, the 717 Series provides an expansive offering of ATRs for platforms such as the VME, VME64x, VXS, VPX and CPCI architectures. The 717 Series is a member of SIE’s conduction-cooled line of ATRs. Designed specifically for rugged deployment and to direct air over the thermal conducting walls, its cooling can be configured to meet application require-ments by either drawing air through the walls and out a rear exhaust plenum or forcing air down the walls and directing it away from the equipment. When configured for unpressurized environments, the 717 Series can be configured with a high-altitude cooling scheme to permit ultimate performance at altitudes up to 50,000 feet. When used in conjunction with SIE’s System Performance Monitoring” technology, the 717 Series ATR can be con-figured to activate internal heaters in cold start-ups or control the performance outputs of the optional external cooling fan to maintain an optimal thermal environment for the circuit card assemblies. In addition, the 717 Series is sealed from the environment and meets MIL standards for up to 95% RH (humidity), 5% for 48 hours (salt fog), no fungal growth, 13.5g acceleration, and thermal shock performance. The 717 Series can be configured with an optional avionics trays for isolation from shock and vibration environments common to airborne, vehtronics and shipboard applications.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

◆ Dip-brazed construction◆ Expansive range of ARINC sizes◆ Modular power supply /AC or DC filtered inputs◆ Cold start heaters & high altitude fan offering◆ Configurable I/O panel

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CONTACT INFORMATION


SIE Computing Solutions10 Mupac DriveBrockton, MA 02301USA800-926-8722 Toll Free508-588-6110 Telephone508-588-0498 [email protected]

◆ Standard I/O includes dual DVI display: one DVI-I (DVI-D+VGA) and one DVI-D; GbE Ethernet Port, 8 x USB 2.0, 2 x RS-232, 2 x SATA 3Gb/s with RAID 0, 1 support; 1 x 6-pin header for KB/MS along with Realtek ALC888 HD supported Audio

◆ Enhanced configurability via a Mini PCIe Expansion Slot that can be configured by SIE for video capture, DOM, wireless and many other functions

AVAILABILITY

Now

APPLICATION AREAS

Harsh industrial and military environments requiring small form factors and where extreme temperatures, air particulates, liquids and vibration prevent the use of standard commercial computers.

Mupac 760 Small Form Factor Series

Designed to deliver mission-critical computing perfor-mance in a fully portable enclosure - ideal for rugged small spaces.

Building on SIE Computing Solution’s 40-year history of design excellence in rugged electronic and embedded systems, the Mupac Small Form Factor product line is designed for mission-and performance-critical com-munications and intelligence. Mupac Small Form Factor compute platforms allow data processing in the field in a fully transportable, highly rugged computing module that improves speed and efficiency by completing pro-cessing in the machine, at the distributed level, before delivering data upstream. SIE Computing Solutions’ Small Form Factor line provides a complete distributed computing module – exceptionally powerful and fully portable in everything from a UAV to a backpack. Mupac Small Form Factor compute modules enable the most modern technology to work in harsh conditions at a level of distributed computing never before possible. In addi-tion to standard offerings, the Mupac Small Form Factor line can also be customized for a wide variety of unique specifications, providing high-end compute-class per-formance for harsh industrial and military environments where extreme temperatures, air particulates, liquids and vibration prevent the use of standard commercial computers.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

◆ Extremely rugged◆ Easily customized◆ Dip-brazed construction◆ Modular power supply◆ Rated to operate in temperatures ranging from -40 to

+85 degrees Celsius

TECHNICAL SPECS

◆ Two standard dimensions: 3.25” h x 6.5” w x 8.5” d or 5.25” h x 6.5” w x 8.5” d

◆ Available in an IP67 NEMA Rated Version and IP50 NEMA Rated Version

◆ Quickly deployable with Intel® Core™ i3/i5/i7 multi-core processors and up to 4 GB RAM

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Elma Electronic

Elma Electronic44350 S. Grimmer Blvd.Fremont, CA 94538USA215-956-1200 Telephone215-956-1201 [email protected]

TECHNICAL SPECS

◆ Form Factor: 6U by 4HP (single slot)◆ Processor Core: MPC7448◆ Two Gigabit Ethernet ports out the backplane◆ Disks: Two 2½” SATA flash drives◆ Power: +5V @ 3.0 A

VME RAIDStor

Elma’s VME RAIDStor brings conduction cooled net-work attached storage (NAS) with RAID capability into a single 6U slot. Suitable for a multitude of applications, the module provides as much as a quarter terabyte of solid-state flash per slot. Within a typical 19” chassis, network access is available for up to 18 slots in dual star networks; here, the VME RAIDStor is a client/server model for highly reliable storage access in today’s net-work centric applications.

The VME RAIDStor is designed to use a multi-tasking kernel providing network services via TCP/IP. Network Attached Storage is supported through NFS. Logical drives are available to clients via NFS export.

FEATURES & BENEFITS

◆ A much smaller footprint than conventional box level RAID storage

◆ Extended temperature range from –40° C to +85° C◆ Configurable to RAID levels 0, 1 and 5◆ Automatic data re-sync with no impact to the top

level application◆ Heartbeat support for seamless fail over

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CONTACT INFORMATION

CONTACT INFORMATION

Elma Electronic Inc.


◆ OpenVPX™ backplane profile has two separate star sections established via a data & control plane switch, handling PCIe and GigE links

◆ The front end FPGA cluster performs incoming digital signal processing in advance of higher level back end operations

VPX-300 3U VPX Reference Development PlatformArchitectures Supported: VPX, OpenVPX

The VPX-300 is a pre-configured development platform for next gen designs needing high band width computing performance, such as radar signal and image processing, and high speed data communications.

Designed around a Virtex-6 front end processor, the system supports multi-processor capability via two clus-ters for front end and back end processing. The NVIDIA GPU provides dramatic increase in computing perfor-mance. The VPX-300 Reference Platform provides the architecture to perform very high end processing.

The COTS 3U VPX platform includes: Intel SBC, FPGA with FMC, NVIDIA GPU, GigE & PCIe Switch, and storage. The system can be tailored for specific configurations.

TECHNICAL SPECS

◆ Combining data and control plane topology, the architecture supports multi-processor capability via two clusters for front-end and back-end processing

DesignD

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