US / UK : Digital systems design and development continues apace, new tools to speed the process are in continual demand. With this in mind a new RF development platform, the SMT8101, has been launched by Sundance Multiprocessor Technology. Combining the technology of four boards in one PCI (full and compact) compatible board, it promises to boost rapid prototyping and help development teams to get their products into production and to market quickly. It is also available in VME and stand-alone forms.

With the explosion in HDTV applications, the SMT8101 is the ideal flexible, scalable and future-proof tool to help design teams meet current demands and those yet to be discovered. Equally, it will be more than match for Multi-carrier/Multi-standard cellular systems, High Direct-IF infrastructures and RF Test Equipment applications. SDR development teams, scientists, satellite, WiMAX, 3G and other RF system developers, researchers, aerospace engineers and Matlab modellers will all appreciate the capability of the SMT8101.

The first of the four modules that make up the SMT8101 includes a 1GHz 64-bit TMS320C6416T DSP that offers exceptional fixed point processing and is scalable using Xilinx Virtex II Pro FPGAs. The second module is capable of sampling two analogue inputs at 1Gsps with a resolution of 8 bits. An Atmel dual channel ADC (AT84AD001) performs the analogue to digital conversion. From two signals provided by the DSP, the third module outputs two analogue signals with a resolution of 14 bits at 1Gsps. A Fujitsu dual channel DAC (MB86064) performs the digital to analogue conversion. The fourth module is a quad (4) site module carrier developed to provide access to TIM modules over the PCI bus running at 33MHz with a 32-bit data bus. The card has an ‘on-board’ JTAG ACT8990 controller. This allows Code Composer Studio and 3L Diamond applications to be used to debug/upload software to the modules.

Sure to interest the Multi-carrier/Multi-standard cellular systems developers is the implementation of CDMA and UMTS. This helps make the SMT8101 an ideal tool for creating 3G and beyond applications for the telecoms market.

This all adds up to an impressive specification, but what it really means for the developer is stunning performance combined with flexibility. The SMT8101 is a 1Gsps throughput ADC-DSP-DAC, COTS, development platform. As a modular TIM system, with Xilinx RocketIO serial I/Os for up to 1GByte/s interaction with other equipment, it is easy to set-up and connect with other TIMs and systems. The high-level development tool range includes Matlab Simulink-compatible Xilinx System Generator and 3L Diamond making it easy for users to program the SMT8101. A JTAG diagnostic port is provided to simplify and speed debugging.

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