Extended-temperature SBC for air-traffic control

Harris Corp has selected Thales Computers' extended-temperature CPU860 multiprotocol processor board for use in the Harris/SITA second-generation VHF remote ground station.

Harris Corp has selected Thales Computers' extended-temperature CPU860 multiprotocol processor board for use in the Harris/SITA second-generation VHF remote ground station (VGS).

SITA, the world's leading provider of global information and telecommunications solutions to the air transport industry, contracted Harris to develop the VGS in April of 1999.

The Harris/SITA VGS units are used in air traffic communications applications worldwide.

Thales Computers' CPU860, a 6U MPC860-based (PowerQUICC) CPU board, will be the central processing unit within the VGS, which enables aircrafts to link with air traffic control providers, flight operations centres, and engineering and maintenance departments.

The VGS also automates routine communication procedures and enables airlines to rapidly transmit notification of events, such as flight tracking, engine and aircraft monitoring, predeparture clearance, air traffic information, and surface weather information.

Many of SITA's ground stations are unmanned, located on remote mountaintops and subject to extreme temperature ranges, requiring reliable equipment capable of withstanding extended temperatures.

The CPU860 provides extremely high reliability in harsh environments.

It has a temperature range from -40 to +85C without mechanical fans or cooling devices that require periodic maintenance, along with low power requirements, low maintenance costs, and the ability to support both local and remote monitoring and control.

"The Thales Computers CPU860 provides the VGS the additional processing power and memory needed to support the latest VHF Digital Link protocols and customer management applications", said Ron Demuynck, Program Manager for Harris' SITA VGS project.

"Its environmental characteristics make it an ideal choice for the varied conditions to be encountered within SITA's global network".

"Harris Corporation's selection of the CPU860 recognises our expertise in developing computing solutions for harsh environments", said Tom Hall, President and CEO of Thales Computers.

"SITA's ground to air VHF system is a critical installation that will facilitate better communication service for airlines worldwide.

Thales Computers stands ready to deliver mission-critical products to meet the needs of the air transportation industry now and in the future".

In addition to commercial (convection-cooled), ruggedised, and militarised versions, the CPU860 can be custom-configured for specific applications.

It supports 512Kbyte or 1Mbyte of SRAM; and 4, 8 or 16Mbyte of Flash EPROM.

All memory configurations use a 32bit datapath.

I/O lines are routed directly to the P2 connector and to a serial mezzanine card connector, taking advantage of the I/O capabilities of the PowerQUICC, and enabling the customer to select a specific I/O interface by eliminating functionality pre-assignment.

The CPU860 provides two PMC slots, supporting rear-panel I/O (in the convection-cooled model); as well as a serial mezzanine card interface for function expansion and flexibility.

A VMEbus interface (Tundra Semiconductor Universe chip) provides both master and slave capabilities to the PCI and to the VMEbus.

When used in a non-VMEbus environment, the host processor has the ability to turn the external power on and off, which provides an added advantage in remote installations.

The contract for supply of Thales Computers' CPU860 runs for 8 years; the first installations are scheduled for 2002.

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