Software Radio Transceiver Wields Virtex FPGA

The Model 7140 PMC software radio transceiver module combines both transmit and receive capabilities with a Virtex II-Pro field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and supports the emerging VITA 42 XMC standard with optional switched-fabric interfaces. It is available in a variety of form factors including PCI, 3U and 6U cPCI, and a conduction-cooled PMC. The front end accepts two +4 dBm, full-scale analog RF inputs, and a transformer couples them into 14-bit a/d converters running at 80 MHz or 105 MHz. The digitized output signals pass to the FPGA for signal processing or routing to other module resources. These include a quad digital down converter, digital up converter with dual d/a converters, 512 MB of DDR SDRAM, 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. Preset FPGA functions include data multiplexing, channel selection, data packing, gating, triggering, and SDRAM control. Design support is via the GateFlow FPGA design kit, which includes all VHDL source code and device configuration for the basic factory-installed functions. Also available are the GateFlow IP cores, including wideband digital receivers, FFT, and pulse-compression algorithms. Single-unit prices start at $6,995. For more info, contact Mario Schiavone at PENTEK INC., Upper Saddle River, NJ. (201) 818-5900, ext. 765.