Pentek Extends Software Radio Offerings With New Conduction-Cooled PMC/XMC Transceiver Module

· Complete Software Radio Transceiver Withstands Harsh Environments · Module Complies With ANSI/VITA 20 Conduction-Cooled PMC Specification · Low-Power 14-bit A/Ds Deliver Sampling Rates up to 125 MHz · Two 500-MHz 16-bit D/As are Included · 2.5 GB/sec XMC Interface Supports High-Bandwidth Interconnects · Built-In Sync Bus Enables Multi-Board Synchronization · User-Programmable FPGA and Tools Allow Custom DSP Functions

LONG BEACH, CA-January 15, 2007-Pentek, Inc., one of the pioneers of VME board-level technology, today released its Model 7141-703 PMC/XMC module. It features two 14-bit, 125 MHz A/Ds and a Xilinx Virtex-II Pro field programmable gate array (FPGA), and it is configured as a ruggedized module fully compliant with the ANSI/VITA 20 conduction-cooling specification and ANSI/VITA 42 XMC specification. This module is compatible with both cPCI and VME baseboards.

"Demonstrating its commitment to offering ruggedized products for applications in extreme environments, Pentek is continually expanding its line," said Rodger Hosking, vice president, Pentek. "Building on the success of Pentek's Model 7140 transceiver PMC/XMC module, the new 7141-703 not only offers conduction-cooled solutions deployable in harsh conditions, it also offers better performance with improved signal-to-noise characteristics and a 20 MHz increase in the sampling rate for wider bandwidth coverage, all while reducing power consumption," he added.

Opens SDR Transceiver Design to Environmentally Hardened Design In developing the 7141-703 PMC/XMC module, Pentek integrated extended temperature-range components within a thermally efficient housing to ensure effective heat transfer to the carrier board. The module has an extended operating temperature range of -40°C to +70°C. Because of its high-speed capability and ruggedized construction, the 7141-703 is well suited for designs in a variety of market sectors where there is a need for wideband software radio resources in harsh environments. These include a significant range of military and aerospace applications such as unmanned aerial vehicles, battleground SIGINT and communications systems, deployment on tanks or torpedoes, or any system in which ambient or forced air will not provide adequate cooling.

7141-703 Transceiver Features
Two full-scale, +10 dBm, analog HF or IF inputs are delivered through front-panel SSMCX connectors. Signals are transformer-coupled to two LTC2255, 14-bit A/D converters running at 125 MHz. The digitized output signals pass to a Virtex-II Pro FPGA for signal processing or routing to other module resources. These resources include a quad digital downconverter, a digital upconverter with dual 16-bit 500 MHz D/A converters, 512 MB DDR SDRAM delay memory and the PCI bus. The FPGA also serves as a control and status engine with data and programming interfaces to each of the on-board resources. Factory-installed FPGA functions include data multiplexing, channel selection, data packing, gating, triggering and SDRAM memory control.

Clocking and Synchronization
Two independent internal timing buses can provide either a single clock or two different clock rates for the input and output signals. Each 7141-703 can act as either a timing bus slave, receiving timing signals, or as a master driving up to seven boards, supporting synchronous sampling and sync functions across all connected boards. Up to 80 boards may be synchronized with a Model 9190 Clock and Sync Generator.

2.5 GHz Full Duplex Interconnects
Model 7141-703 complies with the VITA 42 XMC specification. The XMC interface supports high-speed switched-fabric interconnects such as Serial Rapid IO and PCI Express. There are two 4x serial ports. Each is a 3.125 GHz bidirectional link interconnecting the module with the carrier board and providing 2.5 GB/sec full duplex operation, thereby supporting very high bandwidth interchanges.

FPGAs and Development Tools for a Variety of Platforms The 7141-703 benefits from all of Pentek's GateFlow FPGA resources. The GateFlow FPGA Design Kit provides designers with all VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) source code and device configuration for the basic factory-installed functions to facilitate the addition of custom algorithms. The developer is able to incorporate proprietary IP with the IP that is shipped with the board, so that together they become the functionality of the entire 7141-703 board. Also available are Pentek's GateFlow IP Cores, including wideband and multi-channel digital receivers as well as Fourier Transform (FFT) and pulse-compression algorithms.

Pentek's ReadyFlow Board Support Libraries of C-callable device functions for the processor platform are available for all I/O modules. Board operation and setup is simplified through easy-to-use function calls while still providing the flexibility and power of low-level access to all of the board's hardware. Pentek support libraries, device drivers and software development tools, plus third-party offerings, are all available for a variety of platforms, including PCs running Windows 2000/XP or Linux and PowerPCs running VxWorks, Linux or eCos operating systems.

Pricing and Availability
The Model 7141-703 PMC/XMC module's prices start at $15,995 USD, with first delivery eight to 10 weeks ARO.

About Pentek
Pentek develops, manufactures and markets innovative DSP systems to original equipment manufacturers, distributors and value-added resellers. Pentek offers powerful VME, VXS, PMC, XMC, cPCI and PCI boards for data acquisition, software radio and digital signal processing featuring Texas Instruments C6000 DSPs, Freescale G4 PowerPCs and Xilinx FPGAs. Pentek's I/O includes A/Ds, D/As, FPGAs, digital up/down converters and more. Pentek equips all products with high-performance I/O including Gigabit serial interfaces and offers strong DSP software support.