EmbeddedSystemNews.Com Summary 2007 1

EmbeddedSystemNews.Com Summary 2007 1

• PlanAhead 9.2 Design Tool for FPGA to PCB Integration
• Embedded System Management Reference Design
• Embedded Flat-Panel Single Board Computer
• Embedded Design Challenge
• Power Supply Noise Killer
• IMS SIP Developer Suite 5.0
• PXI with Sustained Data Streaming
• 14-bit 400 MSPS Analog-to-Digital Converter
• Continuum Insights Multi-Processor Systems Tool

External Links:

• Embedded System and Microcontroller Central.Com
• Microcontroller Projects and News
• WiMAX Modules and Networks

PlanAhead 9.2 Design Tool for FPGA to PCB Integration

The 9.2 release of the company’s award winning PlanAhead software also offers support for the company’s latest low-cost Spartan-3A DSP platform FPGA, the industry’s most cost-efficient devices optimized for wireless, video and consumer applications. With the latest 9.2 release, PlanAhead software now supports the entire line of Xilinx Spartan-3 generation FPGAs.

PinAhead technology facilitates early and intelligent pinout definition to eliminate many of the pinout related changes that typically happen downstream. Better user control of FPGA pinout early in the design process also offers significant improvements in performance, avoiding a non-optimal pinout which causes further delays when trying to meet timing requirements. By considering the data flow from PCB to FPGA die, optimal pinout configurations can be achieved quickly, thus reducing internal and external trace lengths and routing congestion.

During the pin planning process, PlanAhead 9.2 software allows users to better explore pinout information with extended reporting capabilities. PlanAhead 9.2 software can now display more information about the I/O ports assigned to individual I/O banks. Users can select an I/O Bank to view the values for VCCO, VREF, and I/O STANDARD. Users can also display the number of I/O Ports assigned to the I/O Bank and the number of remaining available pins for assignment. In addition, PlanAhead now provides an environment where users can better investigate individual clock regions by displaying information about the various I/O banks contained in each clock region. Users can also create their own port list with a GUI interface or import a comma separated values (CSV) spreadsheet. Through these multiple options, PlanAhead 9.2 software enables early decisions to be made, permitting PCB and FPGA designers to begin work much earlier with a much more realistic pinout configuration.

Embedded System Management Reference Design

The design combines the award-winning, mixed-signal Fusion Programmable System Chip (PSC) with the optimized, configurable CoreABC microcontroller to provide a complete system management solution using a fraction of the Fusion part’s logic tiles. As a result, the small and flexible, yet sophisticated, design eliminates the need for a variety of discrete components typically used in system management applications, while also offering additional chip real estate that can be custom-configured for the end application.

The CoreABC soft microcontroller provides a complete system management solution, in conjunction with Fusion’s analog sub-systems, which uses roughly 40,000 gates of the 250,000-gate AFS250 Actel Fusion device. This results in an implementation cost of $1.20 and leaves the remaining portion of the device free for integrating additional system functionality such as glue logic, as well as clock generation and management logic. The solution therefore enables significant bill of materials, power and board area savings.

Actel’s system management solution integrates voltage monitors, current monitors, thermal monitoring, real-time signal processing, PLD functionality and more — often replacing more than 10 discrete components typically used in system management applications. Additionally the Actel Fusion solution allows designers to engage in intelligent system, power and thermal management, data logging and system diagnostics in a single chip, saving board space.

Today’s highly integrated systems require advanced implementations of power and system management to handle the higher currents and numerous system voltages in smaller packages. This, in turn, creates the need for thermal management as well as the need for efficient battery and system power management, as more and more systems become portable. The combination of CoreABC and Fusion makes it possible to effectively monitor system performance, improve system efficiencies and maximize battery life. As important, Fusion enables easy implementation of board-level power saving modes to optimize or minimize power consumption for other devices on the board.

Using the mixed-signal Actel Fusion device and CoreABC, designers can achieve real-time operation with hardware response times. In addition, CoreABC does not need complex interrupt schemes or a real-time operating system. The programmable Fusion device can monitor temperatures, voltages and currents using analog inputs.

Embedded Flat-Panel Single Board Computer

The unique flat panel SBC utilizes the Ultra Low Voltage Intel Celeron M processor, and is the perfect solution for slim panel-PC systems, POIs (Point-of-Information), POSs (Point-of-Sale), kiosks, digital signage, gaming, slots, and lottery machines.

With ultra low voltage consumption, this embedded system board boasts a lightweight compact design, generating less heat for more system stability. As a result, a fanless feature was implemented onto the board, minimizing any system noise.

Wireless Ethernet can be achieved by adding a Mini-PCI form factor wireless adaptor for more connection varieties. Alongside the AIS-I7621, the gold finger allows for up to four PCI expansion devices that increase the expandability of the platform.

The 3.5″ embedded system board form factor provides for long-term life-cycle and cost-effectiveness, making the AIS-I7621 an ideal solution for applications where space is an issue. In addition, the TFT flat panels, in which AIS offers ranges from 6.4 to 15 inches with resolutions from VGA to SXGA (640×480 to 1280×1024), complement the embedded system boards.

Along with higher performance and lower energy use, some additional benefits include a Mini-PCI slot; 1 x Compact Flash socket onto which the operation system may be loaded; 1 x secondary EIDE channel for storage; and VGA, LVDS, DVO inputs (TTL optional).

AIS offers SBC Kits for developers looking to build complete solutions using the AIS single-board computer platform. “By providing corresponding cabling, inverters, 12V-to-ATX DC input, and a wide range of 8-30 volts DC power supplies, the SBCs represent a complete solution.

Embedded Design Challenge

The embedded design contest, which began August 1, challenges engineers to stretch their imagination and create innovative prototypes using Freescale’s 8-bit HCS08 8/16-pin microcontroller (MCU). To compete in the design challenge, participants must submit their design prototypes complete with schematics and software developed with CodeWarrior tools.

The first-prize winner will receive a four-day all-expenses-paid trip to Malaysia that includes sight-seeing opportunities and a tour of Freescale’s manufacturing facilities in the region. The second-place winner will also have the opportunity to win an exciting prize.

During the design challenge, Freescale’s 8-bit HCS08 MCU for the industrial, consumer and automotive markets will be available to contestants at a special discounted rate of Rs. 1000/- through AMMOS Software Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Other related initiatives include Freescale’s University Program, which enables students to experience the latest semiconductor design technologies and provides access to Freescale products.

Power Supply Noise Killer

This compact device provides the first low-power solution for controlling power supply transition noise (otherwise known as “POP”) in audio circuits and systems. The PA4201 PUNK chip is intended for diverse applications in the consumer electronics industry, including cell phones, PDAs, portable DVD and MP3 players, notebook audio, set-top boxes, digital video recorders.

With the PA4201 PUNK chip, an external RC circuit can control startup time, allowing the designer to implement SOFT mute on an audio line during normal operation. The SOFT mute delay can be controlled by an external capacitor (CEXT, < 1µF) from 5 mS to 5 minutes. Other competing devices have fixed delays of 220-300 mS.

Available in an 8-pin, low profile, 0.6 mm DFN-8 package, PUNK is the first POP device of its kind on the market. The chip features an extremely low supply current requirement (< 1µA), as well as instant “Power UP” and “Power DOWN” muting. PUNK operates as a passive shunt device and consumes less than 500 nA of supply current, while providing more than 45 dB of mute attenuation at the audio lines. Unlike other POP solutions, engineers using PUNK do not have to worry about PSRR, THD+N, low frequency response, crosstalk, or isolation.

In addition, the PA4201 requires few external components for its operation, working from low to medium power supply voltages of 2.7 to 5.5 V. As soon as a change in the power supply is detected, the device ensures audio inputs to amplifiers are switched to a convenient, low-impedance voltage rail—preventing the “POP” heard on most audio systems.

IMS SIP Developer Suite 5.0

The SIP Developer Suite is a highly versatile development tool for building all types of IMS or non-IMS SIP applications, ranging from high-end infrastructure SIP systems to compact embedded devices. The SIP Developer Suite provides high performance, feature-rich functionality.

The SIP Developer Suite includes a rich set of toolkits, add-ons, and packages designed to meet every SIP development challenge, all of which support the latest 3GPP and TISPAN IMS SIP standards. These include signaling compression, security agreement, IMS registration and more, SIMPLE OMA standard compliant Presence and Instant Messaging capabilities, XML support, and latest STUN standard NAT Traversal capabilities.

Coded in ANSI C and cross-platform compatible, the SIP Developer Suite is available for all common operating systems. It features an open, object-oriented architecture, which makes it programmer-friendly and highly flexible. It provides multiple API layers and is inherently designed to offer both extensive functionality and complete flexibility.

The SIP Developer Suite is part of the RADVISION IMS Express, the most comprehensive solution for developers of next-generation IMS network elements, which includes the RADVISION SIP Server Platform, DIAMETER, MEGACO and RTP Toolkits and the ProLab IMS Testing & Analysis solution.

PXI with Sustained Data Streaming

The combination of these new PXI products, based on the PXI Express specification, include modular instruments, an embedded controller and RAID hard drive arrays, offers sustained hard drive recording and playback at 600 MBytes/s. With these new data streaming capabilities, engineers can achieve higher sustained acquisition and generation rates, reduce test times and meet new application challenges.

With four x4 PCI Express links, the new NI PXIe-8130 embedded controller delivers up to 4 GB/s of bandwidth to a PXI Express system. The controller includes a 2.3 GHz AMD Turion 64 X2 dual-core processor, ExpressCard slot and Gigabit Ethernet. In addition, the new NI 8262 module and NI HDD-8263 and HDD-8264 external RAID hard drive enclosures offer sustained, long duration hard drive streaming rates of up to 600 MB/s.

Streaming from hard drives at the module’s full rate reduces test times by eliminating the delay of uploading waveforms across slower instrument control buses. The NI PXIe-5442 module complements the company’s existing NI PXIe-5122 100 MS/s, two-channel digitizer and NI PXIe-6536/7 25/50 MHz, 32-channel digital I/O modules to provide a full IF/baseband and mixed-signal streaming offering. Because PXI Express is compatible with all existing PXI modules, engineers also can use the new NI PXIe-5442 module with the NI PXI-5610 2.7 GHz RF upconverter to stream the full 20 MHz real-time bandwidth from disk for RF generation and playback applications in communications and military/aerospace.

PXI Express, an extension of the PXI specification, leverages commercial PC technology to offer the industry’s highest bandwidth, lowest latency and highest-performance timing and synchronization capabilities as well as software and hardware compatibility with the large installed base of existing PXI systems. The new PXI Express products work with all existing PXI modules and software. All of the new products integrate with a variety of software including the NI LabVIEW 8.5 graphical development environment, which offers inherent parallelism and multithreading for high-speed streaming with PXI Express.

14-bit 400 MSPS Analog-to-Digital Converter

The new ADC provides unmatched performance of 11.1 effective number of bits (ENOB) at this speed, enabling high-bandwidth applications such as test and measurement instrumentation, software-defined radio, radar systems and communication instrumentation.

The buffer amplifier eliminates sample-and-hold kick-back and provides a high input impedance over time and frequency, simplifying the AFE design for wide bandwidth applications from DC to intermediate frequencies (IF) well above 200 MHz. Additionally, the ADS5474 is pin-for-pin compatible to the ADS5463 12-bit, 500-MSPS ADC, in a space-saving 14-mm x 14-mm package.

TI further eases customers’ designs with the entire high-performance signal chain offering. For example, customers are able to combine the ADS5474 with a TI high-speed amplifier (such as THS4520, THS4509 or THS9001) and clock synchronizer and jitter cleaner (CDCM7005).

Continuum Insights Multi-Processor Systems Tool

Designed to ease and optimize the development of application software for multicomputer embedded systems, Continuum Insights supports systems ranging from a few to hundreds of processors/cores providing application programmers with greater visibility into the entire system through the collection of critical, periodic, non-intrusive, real-time data. Using a GUI format, Continuum Insights presents this information hierarchically, enabling intuitive navigation that lets the developer quickly find any source of potential problems within the system.

Continuum Insights improves the development environment for multi-core SBC and DSP engine systems using Curtiss-Wright boards and the Wind River Workbench, an Eclipse-based integrated tools suite. It expands upon the Wind River System Viewer tool for event analysis in multi-processor systems, enabling the analysis of multiple multi-core processors, both on a single board and across multiple boards.

Continuum Insights, is based on the Eclipse Development and Application Framework, and innovatively provides developers of complex multi-processor-based computer systems with the information they need to accurately tune their system and speed their time to market. This advanced suite of development tools includes an Event Analysis Tool and a System Monitoring Tool and is the latest addition to Curtiss Wright’s COTS Continuum architecture initiative.

The Continuum Insights Event Analysis Tool collects and displays operating system-level events, driver-level events, and user-defined events across multiple processors within a system, all accurately time aligned using a common time base. The event data is collected in real-time enabling developers to debug and verify critical interactions between tasks among multiple processors and cores. The System Monitoring Tool provides a hierarchical, graphical representation of a multi-computer system.

Reconfigurable FPGA-based Processor Unit

DRC announced the availability of its Reconfigurable Processor Unit (RPU), the RPU110-L200. The RPU110-L200 includes an independent memory controller that provides greater memory bandwidth for maximum data flow. It also incorporates the largest FPGA available to deliver the greatest usable logic capacity for improved code efficiency and accelerated performance of compute-intensive applications.

DRC offers a complete solution that addresses the critical performance and reliability needs of high-performance computing while improving overall data center efficiency. Generally, performance increases are at the expense of efficiency, but with DRC’s solutions, which combine a minimum-occupancy physical interface and controllers with maximum memory bandwidth, the exact opposite is true.

This tight coupling between the central processing unit (CPU) and memory eliminates bandwidth and latency issues and provides a general-purpose system with supercomputer capability by running computations in hardware. Resulting speeds can be 10 to 20 times faster than if the subroutines were run in software. In addition, the RPU110-L200 is inherently efficient, requiring less power and space and reducing the number of nodes required to do the same work.

Any of three HyperTransport bus interfaces and the largest FPGAs on the market, including the Xilinx Virtex-4 LX160, and Virtex-4 LX200 FPGAs. The RPU110-L200 enables greater application acceleration in three ways: first, with three times more compute resources in the L200, more of any given application can run on the RPU; second, with 2GB of on-board RPU memory plus the 8GB of motherboard memory, the RPU110-L200 delivers more than 17GB/second of system memory bandwidth, three times the stand-alone CPU bandwidth.

NS Mobile I/O Companions

A new mobile input/output (I/O) companion family from National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM) offers designers an easy way to expand system functionality in portable products such as personal digital assistants, media players, instrumentation, medical equipment and mobile handsets.

The flexible, modular single chips enable use of the same host processor and companion across multiple product versions. The LM8322 and LM8333 off-the-shelf integrated circuits include embedded key-scan functions, I/O expansion and light-emitting diode (LED) control capabilities.

Communication from the mobile I/O companion with the host processor is performed via a standard I2C compatible bus and interrupt signal that require only three pins, giving designers more options in placing the host processor on the board. A set of complex commands and scripts for pulse-width-modulation (PWM) signal generation allows the host to quickly configure the mobile I/O companion’s resources or trigger execution of commands.

The LM8322 supports keypad matrices up to 104 keys, while the LM8333 supports up to 72 keys. Both have eight special-function keys that take priority in the key rolling sequence. The on-chip clock, power-on-reset and on-chip oscillator require minimal external circuitry to support the mobile I/O companion’s operation.

The LM8322 has 1.62V-to-1.98V single-supply operation and up to 16 pins that can be configured as general-purpose I/O expansion for controlling additional peripherals. Its three independent, host-programmable PWM outputs can be used to generate more complex signals for adjusting an LED’s brightness or other sophisticated lighting effects.

Electromagnetic Transients Simulator

Opal-RT announced eMEGAsim, a distributed, parallel computing solution for real-time simulation of electromagnetic transients in power systems. Based on Intel processors, eMEGAsim combines RT-LAB, and FPGA technology to obtain simulation time steps below 250 nanoseconds, a requirement for simulating the very fast electromagnetic transients encountered in power systems. eMEGAsim is designed for real-time simulation, integration and hardware-in-the-loop testing of protection devices and power electronic controllers to ensure the security of large power systems.

eMEGAsim is an integrated software and hardware system designed for computation-intensive applications. At its core is RT-LAB software and off-the-shelf components including Supermicro motherboards equipped with dual Intel Core2 Quad processors and Xilinx Virtex FPGA. eMEGAsim executes on Intel compatible hardware including Opal-RT systems and soon, on the new SGI Altix XE. eMEGAsim is scalable from 8 to 64 processor cores and can simulate increasingly large systems while maintaining real-time performance.

eMEGAsim benefits from very tightly coupled CPUs to overcome the time latencies experienced in cluster systems and delivers significantly faster performance. Whereas high-performance cluster systems report communication overhead or jitter as long as 10 to 50 microseconds or more, eMEGAsim is able to deliver considerable performance advantages with maximum communication overhead and jitter as low as one microsecond.

The FPGA processor is user programmable with Simulink, and Xilinx System Generator graphical modeling tools. Engineers are able to generate executable code directly from high-level block diagrams and do not need expertise in VHDL programming skills. Electrical system models are automatically generated from electrical schematics using SimPowerSystem.

Ethernet Bridge

Digi introduced the XTend and XStream radio frequency (RF) modems, and the XPress Ethernet Bridge. These stand-alone wireless modems operate within the industrial, scientific and medical (ISM) radio frequency bands and require no configuration to provide a reliable wireless link out of the box. Their outstanding receiver sensitivity provides robust communications even in the presence of interference. The XPress Ethernet Bridge operates at 900 MHz and 125 mW of power, providing up to 15 miles line-of-sight range and an RF data rate of 1.5 Mbps.

The high-performance XTend operates at 900 MHz and can provide up to 40 miles of range in line-of-sight conditions. The XStream is available in both 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz models and features up to 20 miles of range in ideal conditions. All are offered in industrial-grade enclosures providing extended temperature tolerance and moisture protection. XTend modems are also offered with NEMA 4 rated enclosures for use in areas with heavy and frequent exposure to moisture.

Computers Boot from Flash with IDE to SD Adapter

Addonics announced an IDE to SD Adapter, allowing users to read/write as well as boot their system off multiple flash media types from the IDE port. The compact adapter allows it to be easily mounted inside a standard 3.5-inch drive bay or a PCI slot bracket. With SD (Secure Digital), MS (Memory Stick), MS Pro Duo, MMC (Multimedia Memory Card), or RS-MMC cards inserted into the slot, the flash media is detected by the system as a hard drive that is capable of booting off an Operating System such as Windows and Linux.

The IDE to SD Adapter is an ideal solution for users who want to make a PC that utilizes small flash memory card, for industrial PCs, embedded systems or any application that requires a simple and economical bootable SD slot.

PCI Express Waveform Generators

Strategic Test has announced the availability of the world’s first PCI Express based Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG) boards. With synchronous multi-channel capability, the AWG boards are well suited for demanding signal processing applications that include I&Q signal generation, RADAR system development, communications testing, laser positioning, and HDTV signal generation.

As with all UltraFast instrument boards, the advanced sampling clock design consisting of a hardware divider and PLL allows the user great flexibility in defining their optimum sampling rate. In the case of the UF2e-6000 boards, the output rate can be freely selected between 1 kSample/s and the maximum rate of the DAC. The driver automatically adjusts the on-board hardware to provide the closest sampling rate possible. This value can be returned to the user program.

The boards are supplied with 32 MSamples of signal memory as standard, but can be expanded to 2 GSamples through a proprietary onboard DIMM module.

Strategic Test also provides the industry’s most comprehensive software support with the following Software Development Kits available:

• Windows Vista and XP64, XP, 2000, NT and 98
• Linux drivers for RedHat, Suse, Fedora and Debian
• MATLAB
• LabVIEW
• Agilent-VEE
• LabWindows/CVI
• DASYLab

RF Design Tool for Wireless Devices

Available at no charge on ADI’s web site, SRD Design Studio assists users in evaluating, designing, and troubleshooting short range radio communications devices utilizing Analog Devices’ ADF70xx family of SRD transmitters and transceivers. The software tool provides designers with FCC, ETSI and ARIB-compliant design templates for easy-to-use evaluation, customization, and simulation.

SRD Design Studio’s enhanced features eliminate time-consuming iterations from the design process to ensure products reach market faster. SRD Design Studio allows designers to view multiple parameters simultaneously, in both the time and frequency domains, to enable rapid prototype development and design optimization without the use of multiple spreadsheets and iterative lab work.

The ADF70xx products are optimized for use in automatic meter reading, industrial automation, security, home automation, remote controls and other low-power wireless network and telemetry applications.

SRD Design Studio allows designers to choose from three main simulations, including frequency domain, transient analysis and spectrum analyzer. By observing the behavior of the wireless link within these parameters, designers obtain a real-time representation of the SRD frequency, sync detection, power consumption and radio link analysis.

SRD Design Studio offers a series of worksheets that assist designers, in troubleshooting all key factors that are significant in affecting short range radio link performance. These worksheets are especially effective for determining accurate simulation of spectrum, effects of modulation and phase noise, determination of regulatory compliance, modulation simulations and in design of automatic synchronization.

Microprocessor Supervisory Circuits

austriamicrosystems introduced  the AS1925 and AS1926 single ultra low voltage microprocessor supervisory ICs. The AS1925/26 were designed to monitor supply rails of 0.9V to 1.5V in uP and digital systems, without the need for external components, and forces a reset if the monitored supply voltage drops below its reset threshold.

The AS1925 features both a push-pull active-high and active-low reset output. On the other hand the AS1926 offers a push-pull active-high and an open-drain active-low reset output. Resets can be forced for a specified reset timeout period, such as 1.5ms, 30ms, 210ms and 1.68s, after the voltage has stabilized. The active-low output is valid as long as the supervised input voltage remains greater than 0.55V. The AS1925 and AS1926 operate from +0.55V/0.75V to +1.8V, while consuming only 3.5uA of supply current.

Dial-up Modem to GPRS Network Connection

BridgeD130 introduced its PSTN2GPRS, allowing customers to switch from PSTN to GPRS without any changes in their infrastructure hence creating a serious opportunity for wireless carriers in the M2M area. This solution saves the cost of an unaffordable or even unavailable GPRS upgrade of the existing device hence extending the lifetime of expensive technological assets.

The devices usually connected to the PSTN/POTS network can connect to the BridgeD130 as it emulates the analog phone network with an FXS interface (Foreign eXchange Station). The BridgeD130 not only generates rings, dial tone and power but also extracts the data from the modem flow to transfer it over the GPRS link.

The BridgeD130 solution has been engineered to suppress the need for wired subscription without requiring any changes on both the device and the central server side. The cable usually connected on the wall socket just needs to be plugged on the BridgeD130 phone interface while an eDevice software component can be installed on the remote central server to add TCP/IP support.

This M2M terminal is based on the award-winning eDevice TCP/IP stack including a web server and remote firmware upgrade support. The BridgeD130 integrates a quad-band GSM/GPRS module and can be battery powered.