Encoder core makes the most of datacomms

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Jul 14, 2004

Comtech AHA has a new low-density parity check code (LPDC) forward error correction (FEC) encoder/decoder core.

Comtech AHA has a new low-density parity check code (LPDC) forward error correction (FEC) encoder/decoder core.

LDPC codes have demonstrated superior bit-error-rate (BER) performance over other commercially available FEC solutions.

Combined with high iteration performance, LDPC codes provide a BER that is closer to the Shannon Limit than other available error correction technologies for all code rates.

Customers using the AHA LDPC error correction technology will be able to use their existing communications channel more efficiently than with other methods.

The superior performance of the LDPC codes allows for increased transmission distance or reduced transmission power for a wide variety of communications systems.

AHA's LDPC core is faster, more efficient, and more flexible in the codes it supports than other cores available today.

The LDPC core provides benefits to many applications such as wireless, satellite communications, magnetic storage, and other datacommunications applications.

"AHA has a long history of putting complex, iterative decoders into silicon", said Jeff Hannon, Director of Engineering.

"We've used this knowledge to build a very area efficient, high performance architecture that will be offered as a core and also used to design a stand-alone LDPC ASIC".

AHA's LDPC core supports numerous codes, modulation schemes and datarates, which can be changed "on-the-fly" to accommodate changing channel conditions.

The core implemented in an FPGA supports datarates up to 30Mbit/s; block sizes up to 30Kbit; input quantisation up to 6bit; and programmable iterations up to 256 per block.

The core can also be made available for implementation in an ASIC on request.

In addition to the 30Mbit/s LDPC core, AHA will be expanding its LDPC offerings by introducing a stand-alone LDPC integrated circuit in early 2005.

Pricing varies depending on customer requirements.