Product category:
VMEbus Boards and Assemblies
News Release from: Vmetro | Subject: Phoenix VPF2
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 13 July 2007
VME64 card combines dual-core processor
with FPGAs
Rugged COTS DSP processing card combines a Freescale MPC8641D processor, two Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGAs and a VXS based high-speed serial interconnect fabric.
New from Vmetro, the Phoenix VPF2 is a rugged COTS DSP processing card that integrates a Freescale MPC8641D processor, two Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGAs and a VXS based high-speed serial interconnect fabric The VPF2 tackles both high-bandwidth preprocessing and sophisticated back-end processing in one 6U VME64/VITA 41 product for demanding DSP applications such as real-time video processing, surveillance, radar and other applications that demand the highest levels of flexibility and performance
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 10 Apr 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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The processing heart of the Phoenix VPF2 is a Freescale MPC8641D dual-core processor based on Power Architecture technology.
The cores run up to 1.25GHz with 2Gbyte of memory to support operating systems such as VxWorks and Linux.
Integrated within the MPC8641D processor is a complete I/O subsystem, including two gigabit Ethernet ports, serial I/O, dual DDR/DDR2 memory controllers, VME interface and independent x8 PCI Express links to the Xilinx FPGAs and the XMC/PMC site.
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The VPF2 has Ethernet options which support both RJ45 and optical interfaces or backplane I/O.
Closely coupled to the MPC8641D processor are two Xilinx Virtex-5 SX95T FPGAs, optimised for DSP performance, or LX110T FPGAs, optimised for high-performance logic.
With their on-chip serial transceivers, either of the Virtex-5 FPGA options provide high bandwidth off-board serial communications channels to processing and I/O subsystems.
Because the FPGAs connect to fast I/O streams, they can preprocess incoming data in real time without bottlenecks.
The Virtex-5 FPGAs deliver industry-leading performance for pixel-rate computation, digital down conversion, FFTs, filters and encryption.
The FPGAs are fully user programmable and can be configured from Flash memory.
Vmetro speeds up the development time by providing TransComm, a data streaming communications toolkit.
This toolkit simplifies connecting VPF2 FPGA centric systems together allowing the user to focus on key IP core development.
Both FPGA devices are supported with 4x 4M x 18bit banks of QDR SRAM and 2x 64M x 16bit SDRAM.
These memories allow large data sets, such as frame buffers or large FFT information, to be stored locally for maximum FPGA performance.
"The Phoenix VPF2 is two processing platforms in one - a Freescale MPC8641D dual-core processor and Xilinx Virtex-5 FPGAs".
"The result is a scalable processing engine able to tackle a range of demanding applications in a single, highly integrated product", says Thomas Nygaard, Chief Technical Officer for Vmetro.
"The CPU/FPGA architecture was pioneered on the Phoenix VPF1".
"Its success proves that the architectural formula works and now the Phoenix VPF2 is even better with higher performance and bandwidth, lower power and more functionality".
The Phoenix VPF2 is based on the VXS (VITA 41) standard, an evolution of the VME64 specification.
The key advantage of VXS is the introduction of eight serial communications channels through its alternative P0 connector.
Implemented on the VPF2, this allows for aggregate datarates in excess of 2Gbyte/s.
VXS boards can be used alongside VME64 boards using suitable backplanes (or with the VME64 P0 connectors removed) and provides a measure of backwards compatibility using VMEbus communications.
The VPF2 is the latest member of Vmetro's Phoenix family of processing cards based on high-speed real-time serial communications for scalable DSP solutions.
Phoenix products include data recorder blades, analogue I/O subsystems, processors, switches, software, firmware and systems infrastructure.
As with all members of Vmetro's Phoenix family, the VPF2 will be available in a number of environmental build options ranging from air-cooled commercial to rugged conduction-cooled.
The VPF2 will ship to customers in Q4 2007. Request a free brochure from Vmetro ...
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