Editor’s Choice for September

September 2021 COT’S PICKS

Abaco Systems Announce New 16-Port Serial Controller and XMC Carrier Card to Protect from Obsolescence

Abaco Systems announced the PMC523 16port serial controller and the SPR518 PCI Express ® XMC carrier card. Both provide innovative upgrade paths to protect our customers from obsolescence. The SPR518 and the PMC523 each deliver a necessary and beneficial technology refresh which continues Abaco’s ongoing commitment to innovation at every turn.

The PMC523 is a flexible solution and a technology insertion that integrates multiple serial I/O channels onto single-board computers (SBCs) with PCI Mezzanine Card (PMC) sites. Its efficient design packages 16 serial channels onto a single PMC. Additionally, this serial controller utilizes dual octal UARTs to increase overall performance through the reduction of programmed I/O operations. This provides an evolutionary path for enhanced software and ultimately protects customers who have already designed systems utilizing the previous generation PMC423.

The SPR518 provides an upgrade path for customers by offering a replacement for the existing SPR418A. This card is a short form factor PCI Express (PCIe®) carrier for XMC modules which allows for use with traditional PCs. The PCIe interface provides for unimpeded data transfers at the full rate supported by the mezzanine card and is enhanced by a PCIe Gen3 Redriver. This enhancement allows for the safe operation of XMC modules on PCIe mainboards, where previously the SPR418A could only support Gen2.

Pete Thompson, VP of Product Management for Abaco said, “Abaco’s commitment to our customers expands beyond the life cycle of one product, and innovation doesn’t stop after it hits the market. Our team listens to our customers’ needs to develop solutions that will outpace current products and provide an upgrade path to avoid obsolescence in the long run. Both the PMC523 and SPR518 are evidence of that commitment, as they each deliver a clear upgrade path with solutions that will enable our customers to succeed.”

Abaco Systems www.abaco.com

Rugged AI Data Processing Hits New Performance Heights with Aitech’s A179 Ultra-SFF Supercomputer

SWaP-optimized, GPGPU-based system enables exceptional computing performance, low power consumption at-the-edge

Aitech has expanded its GPGPU-based product offerings with the A179 Lightning, a rugged, fanless AI supercomputer that delivers more performance than any other rugged system on the market in a similar form factor.

With an ultra-compact footprint, roughly the size of a cell phone, the new SWaP-optimized A179 is powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX platform based on the Volta GPU, which packs up to 384 CUDA cores and 48 Tensor cores. The incredibly high-performance, low-power unit reaches 21 TOPS INT8 at a remarkable level of energy efficiency.

Adding to the applications already employing AI-based supercomputers, such as situation awareness systems, EW systems, and drones, the new A179 helps bring this powerful computing to even more military applications, including a smart soldier and man-portable systems, augmented reality, and an even broader set of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). is the leading-edge advantage in military intelligence. Being able to use GPGPU-based systems in the harshest environments gives system engineers the ability to forge new ground in rugged embedded computing. Aitech is focused on delivering this exceptional technology to our military and defense customers to use in their applications worldwide.”

In addition to the 21 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second, INT8) that the A179 Lightning provides, it offers 1050 GOPS/W INT8, the best available performance per watt as well as an H.264/H.265 hardware encoder/decoder.

Video capture is made easy with several input types that enable multiple video streams simultaneously. These include SDI (SD/HD), four FPD-Link™ III (to MIPI CSI) camera inputs, and eight composites (NTSC/PAL) channels.

Standard I/O ports, such as Gigabit Ethernet, USB 3.0 & 2.0, DVI/HDMI out, CANbus, UART Serial, and a number for discrete, offer flexibility in data management. The system also accommodates up to two optional expansion modules (via factory configuration), such as additional I/O expansion modules or an optional NVMe SSD. The system allows for a removable Micro SD card and features 8 GB of LPDDR4x.

Aitech https://aitechsystems.com/

September 2021 COT’S PICKS

TTTech Aerospace’s highperformance radiation-hardened TTEthernet® network controllers for space entering series production

TTTech Aerospace’s TTEthernet® Systems on Chip (SoCs) network controllers (TTESwitch Controller HiRel and TTEEnd System Controller HiRel) have successfully been qualified by STMicroelectronics to be used for space flights.

These are the world’s first radiation-hardened TTEthernet® SoCs space controllers to enter series production.

The fully deterministic TTEthernet® network controllers uniquely support standard Ethernet, rate-constrained, and time-triggered traffic.

High Gigabit/second bandwidths allow for high data payload and control data transfers on a single network.

Two launcher programs and one robotic program have already implemented avionics systems based on these TTEthernet® SoCs network controllers.

TTTech Aerospace and its semiconductor partner STMicroelectronics have completed the development, industrialization, and qualification of highly integrated, radiation-hardened TTEthernet® Systems on Chip (SoCs) network controllers. They are used in deterministic, fault-tolerant, Ethernet-based networks for space applications. The successfully qualified TTESwitch Controller HiRel and TTEEnd System Controller HiRel are already being used in the avionics systems of two major launcher programs and on one robotic program.

Electronic components used in a spacecraft need to fulfill very high quality and production standards and work reliably in extremely harsh environments. With the qualification completed, TTESwitch Controller HiRel and TTEEnd System Controller HiRel are now available as series products, ready for use in a broad variety of space flight applications, such as launch vehicles, satellites, or robotic applications.

TTTech Aerospace’s TTEthernet® network controllers (TTEEnd System Controller HiRel and TTESwitch Controller HiRel) uniquely act as Systems on Chip (SoCs). They support three traffic classes: standard Ethernet (IEEE802.3), rate constrained, and time-triggered traffic (SAE AS6802) for a wide variety of networking applications. Thanks to their high Gigabit/second bandwidths, the network controllers are ideal for real-time transfer of high data payloads (e.g. high-resolution images and videos) and hard real-time transmission of safety-critical control data with short latency over one single network. A wide range of interfaces allows for high flexibility in connecting to electronics hardware for easy integration.

“Our TTEthernet® SoCs network controllers are the first of their kind worldwide to enter series production. They act as a ‘central nervous system’ connecting all systems in the spacecraft. Their modular and deterministic nature supports design optimization and a significant reduction in software complexity and equipment size. This reduces system integration as well as verification and validation effort, enabling faster development of more capable, lower cost, fault-tolerant computing platforms for avionics and control applications,” explains Christian Fidi, Senior Vice President Business Unit Aerospace, TTTech.

The TTEEnd System Controller HiRel and TTESwitch Controller HiRel are equipped with an integrated LEON2 CPU for system management and diagnostics that ensure automatic time synchronization of the application to the network. The chip is based on a radiation-hardened design process and packaged in a cost-efficient plastic package. This ensures reliability in harsh environments requiring high radiation tolerance for applications like launch vehicles and low earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

TTTech Aerospace’s www.tttech.com

September 2021 COT’S PICKS

WIN Enterprises Announces HighPerformance 1U IoT Server with up to 40 Processing Cores and 1TB Storage

WIN Enterprises, Inc. announces the PL-50270, a 1U rackmount server for intensive IoT applications. The platform supports the Intel® Ice Lake-SP processor and features DDR4 RDIMM storage up to 1TB.

Features • Supports 3rd Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processor (Ice Lake-SP), Socket P+, LGA 4189 • Supports Max 1TB DDR4 2933/3200MHz & Intel Optane DC Persistent Memory • Max support for 8x PCIe Gen4 x8 slots for Network Expansion Modules • Supports BMC/IPMI & hardware Bypass function

The PL-50270 is a 1U Rackmount hardware networking system. The device supports Intel® Whitley/ Ice Lake-SP and Intel® C621A PCH (code-named Lewisburg). The new generation platform provides a high-performance CPU with up to 40 processing cores, 3 Ultra Path Interconnect (UPI) links up to 11.2 GT/s. The PL-50270 supports 8x channels DDR4 registered ECC RDIMM (up to 3200 MHz) and a maximum memory capacity of up to 1TB with 64 PCI Express lanes per CPU.

The PL-50270 supports up to 8x Network Expansion Modules; and supports multiple Ethernet modules to enable flexible port configurations, such as 1/10/40/100 Gigabit Fiber with or without BYPASS function. The maximum Ethernet bandwidth capacity is up to 1,000 GbE. The strong IO elements of PL-50270 include two management ports (one for management; another for optional IPMI function), a console port, USB ports, LEDs for power/ HDD/ 2x GPIO. In addition, the PL-50270 supports one front panel hot-swappable 2.5” SATA HDDs/SSDs and onboard Compact Flash™/m-SATA/mini PCIe, and M.2 slot for network storage applications.

WIN Enterprises www.win-ent.com

Infineon launches industry’s first radiation-tolerant, QML-V qualified NOR Flash memory for space-grade FPGAs

Space-grade field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) require reliable, high-density non-volatile memories that contain their boot configurations. To address the growing need for high-reliability memories, Infineon Technologies LLC, an Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) company, today announced the industry’s first high-density radiation-tolerant (RadTol) NOR Flash memory products qualified to MIL-PRF-38535’s QML-V flow (QML-V Equivalent). The QML-V flow is the highest quality and reliability standard certification for aerospace-grade ICs.

Infineon’s 256 Mb and 512 Mb RadTol NOR Flash non-volatile memories deliver superior, low-pin count, single-chip solutions for applications such as FPGA configuration, image storage, microcontroller data, and boot code storage. When used at higher clock rates, the data transfer supported by the devices matches or exceeds traditional parallel asynchronous NOR Flash memories while dramatically reducing pin count. The devices are radiation-tolerant up to 30 krad (Si) biased and 125 krad (Si) unbiased. At 125°C, the devices support 1,000 Program/Erase cycles and 30 years of data retention, and at 85°C 10k Program/Erase cycles with 250 years of data retention.

As a leader in space-grade memory products, Infineon leveraged the 65 nm floating gate Flash process technology to develop the RadTol 256 Mb quad-SPI (QSPI) and 512 Mb dual Quad-SPI NOR Flash. Both are featuring 133 MHz SDR interface speed. The 512 Mb device comprises two independent 256 Mb die that fit side by side in a single package solution. This provides flexibility for designers to operate the device in dual QSPI or single QSPI mode on either die independently, offering an option to use the second die as a backup solution. Infineon is collaborating closely with leading FPGA ecosystem companies such as Xilinx on space-grade applications.

“Our radiation-tolerant dual QSPI non-volatile memories are fully supported by the latest space-grade FPGAs. They enable a superior, low pin count, single-chip select solution to configure processors and FPGAs,” said Helmut Puchner, VP Fellow of Aerospace and Defense at Infineon Technologies LLC. “The entire image for the Xilinx Kintex ® UltraScale™ XQRKU060, for example, can be loaded in about 0.2 seconds in dual-quad mode.”

The NOR Flash devices can be programmed in-system through the FPGA or a standalone programmer, offered in the same 36-lead ceramic flat package. Infineon’s development kit and software further enable easy design implementation.

Infineon www.infineon.com

September 2021 COT’S PICKS

New 220mm Deep Version of Pixus’ RiCool Chassis Platforms for OpenVPX

Pixus Technologies, a provider of embedded computing and enclosure solutions, has announced a new chassis for extra deep OpenVPX 6U boards.

The RiCool chassis platform allows up to 16 slots of 220mm boards at a 1.0” pitch or 14 slots at a 1.2” pitch. The enclosure also facilitates an optional mix of various slot pitches as well as card guides for either air or conduction-cooled boards. Versions for extra deep 3U OpenVPX boards are available upon request.

Pixus’ modular power supply options allow a versatile range of up to 6 voltage output options. Military-grade ruggedized enclosures for 220mm OpenVPX boards and/or SpaceVPX are also available. The company also has a wide range of chassis options for the standard OpenVPX 160mm depth boards.

Pixus Technologies https://pixustechnologies.com/

September 2021 COT’S PICKS

First Aerospace-qualified Baseless Power Module Family Improves Aircraft Electrical System Efficiency

Microchip’s BL1, BL2, and BL3 family, developed with the Clean Sky consortium, is qualified to stringent aerospace standards for AC-to-DC and DC-to-AC power conversion

In the race to reduce aircraft emissions, developers increasingly are moving toward more efficient designs including electrical systems that replace today’s pneumatics and hydraulics powering everything from onboard alternators to actuators and Auxiliary Power Units (APUs). To enable next-generation aircraft electrical systems, new power conversion technology is required. Microchip Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: MCHP) today announced its development with Clean Sky, a joint European Commission (EC) and industry consortium, of the first aerospace-qualified baseless power modules enabling higher-efficiency, lighter, and more compact power conversion and motor drive systems.

Partnering with Clean Sky to support aerospace industry goals set by the EC for stricter emission standards that result in climate-neutral aviation by 2050, Microchip’s BL1, BL2 and BL3 family of baseless power modules provides greater efficiency in AC-toDC and DC-to-AC power conversion and generation through the integration of its silicon carbide power semiconductor technology. Forty-percent lighter than others due to the modified substrate, the innovative design also produces an approximate 10% cost savings over standard power modules that incorporate metal baseplates. Microchip’s BL1, BL2, and BL3 devices meet all mechanical and environmental compliance guidelines outlined in RTCA DO-160G, the “Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment,” Version G (August 2010). RTCA is the industry consortium that develops consensus on critical aviation modernization issues.

The modules are available in low-profile, low-inductance packaging with power and signal connectors that designers can solder directly on printed circuit boards, helping to speed development and increase reliability. And, the same height between the modules in the family enables them to be paralleled or connected in a three-phase bridge and other topologies to achieve higher-performing power converters and inverters.

”Microchip’s powerful new modules will help to drive innovation in aircraft electrification and, ultimately, progress toward a future of lower emissions,” said Leon Gross, vice president of Microchip’s discrete products business unit. “This is an enabling technology for the systems ushering in a new era of flight.”

The family incorporates silicon carbide MOSFETs and Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBDs) to maximize system efficiency. In packages delivering 100W to more than 10 KW of power, the BL1, BL2, and BL3 family are available in numerous topology options including phase leg, full-bridge, asymmetric bridge, boost, buck, and dual common source. These high-reliability power modules are available in voltage ranges from 600V to 1200V in silicon carbide MOSFETs and IGBTs to 1600V for rectifier diodes.

Microchip’s power module technology as well as its ISO 9000- and AS9100-certified fabrication facilities provide high-quality units through flexible manufacturing alternatives.

While introducing innovations the company also teams with system manufacturers and integrators on obsolescence management, supporting customers’ efforts to minimize redesign work and lengthen life cycles, thereby reducing overall system costs.

The company’s baseless power modules complement its aerospace portfolio of motor drive controllers, storage integrated circuits, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors (MPUs), timing products, semiconductors, and point-of-load regulators – providing designers with total system solutions for a wide variety of aerospace and defense applications. Microchip also provides a full portfolio of silicon carbide technology solutions for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications.

Microchip Technology Inc. www.microchip.com

September 2021 COT’S PICKS

Leading-edge, in more than just bandwidth

congatec introduces 20 new Computeron-Modules following the launch of Intel’s 11th generation Core processor for IoT. Featuring 11th Gen Intel Core vPro, Intel Xeon W-11000E, and Intel Celeron processors, the new modules target the most demanding IoT gateway and edge computing applications.

Built on Intel’s 10nm SuperFin technology in a two-package design with dedicated CPU and platform controller hub (PCH) the new flagship COM-HPC Client and COM Express Type 6 modules impress with a new bandwidth benchmark of up to 20 PCIe Gen 4.0 lanes for massive connected real-time IIoT gateway and intelligent edge computing workloads. To process such massive workloads, the new modules boast up to 128 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM RAM, integrated AI accelerators, and up to 8 high-performance CPU cores that achieve up to 65% gain [1] in multi-thread performance and up to 32% gain [2] in single-thread performance. Moreover, visualization, auditory, and graphics-intensive workloads are enabled with a boost of up to 70% compared to predecessors [3], enhancing performance for these immersive experiences even more.

Flagship applications that directly benefit from these GPU enhancements can be found in surgery, medical imaging, and e-health edge applications as congatec’s new platform supports 8K HDR videos for optimum diagnostics. Combined with the platform’s AI capabilities and the comprehensive Intel OpenVINO toolkit, doctors can gain easy access and insights into deep learning-based diagnostic data. But this is just one benefit of the integrated Intel UHD graphics, which also supports up to four 4K displays in parallel. In addition, it can process and analyze up to 40 HD 1080p/30fps video streams in parallel for 360-degree views in all directions. These AI-infused massive vision capabilities are also important for many other markets, including factory automation, machine vision for quality inspection in manufacturing, safe spaces & cities, as well as collaborative robotics and autonomous vehicles in logistics, agriculture, construction, and public transport, to name just a few.

AI and deep learning inference algorithms can seamlessly run either massively parallel on the integrated GPU, or on the CPU with built-in Intel Deep Learning Boost that combines three instructions into one, accelerating inference processing and situational awareness.

The new COM-HPC Client and COM Express Type 6 platforms have integrated safety functions that are important for the fail-safe operation of many mobile vehicles and robots, as well as stationary machinery. As real-time support is mandatory for such applications, the congatec modules can run RTOSes such as RealTime Linux and Wind River VxWorks, and provide native support from Real-Time Systems’ hypervisor technology, which is also officially supported by Intel. The result for customers is a truly rounded ecosystem package with the most comprehensive support possible. Further real-time capabilities include Intel Time Coordinated Computing (Intel TCC) and TimeSensitive Networking (TSN) for real-time connected IIoT/industry 4.0 gateways and edge computing devices. Enhanced security features that help to protect systems against attacks make these platforms ideal candidates for all types of critical customer applications in factories and utilities.

The feature set in detail

The conga-HPC/cTLH COM-HPC Client Size B modules (120mm x 120mm), as well as the congaTS570 COM Express Basic Type 6 modules (125mm x 95mm), will be available with new scalable 11th Gen Intel Core, Xeon, and Celeron processors, with selected variants even for extreme temperatures ranging from -40 to +85°C. Both form factors support up to 128 GB DDR4 SO-DIMM memory with 3200 MT/s and optional ECC. To connect peripherals with massive bandwidth the COM-HPC modules support 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes (x16 and x4), and the COM Express versions support 16 PCIe lanes. In addition, designers can leverage 20 PCIe Gen 3 lanes with COM-HPC, and 8 PCIe Gen 3 lanes on COM Express.

To support ultra-fast NVMe SSD, the COM-HPC module provides a 1x PCIe x4 interface to the carrier board. The COM Express board has NVMe SSD even onboard for optimum utilization of all native Gen 4 lanes supported by the new processor. Further storage media can be connected via 2x SATA Gen 3 on COMHPC, and 4x SATA on COM Express.

Where the COM-HPC module offers the latest 2x USB 4.0, 2x USB 3.2 Gen 2, and 8x USB 2.0, the COM Express module offers 4x USB 3.2 Gen 2 and 8x USB 2.0 in compliance to the PICMG specification. For networking, the COM-HPC module offers 2x 2.5 GbE, whereas the COM Express module executes 1x GbE, with both supporting TSN. Sound is provided via I2S and SoundWire in the COM-HPC version and HDA on the COM Express modules. Comprehensive board support packages are provided for all leading RTOSes, including hypervisor support from Real-Time Systems as well as Linux, Windows, and Android.

congatec www.congatec.com

September 2021 COT’S PICKS

New OnLogic Fanless Computers for the IoT and Edge are Powered by New Intel Processors

The OnLogic Helix 300 Series incorporates the latest Intel Celeron and Pentium CPUs, formerly known as “Elkhart Lake”, in fanless devices built for reliability in challenging environments.

Global industrial computer hardware manufacturer and IoT solution provider, OnLogic (www.onlogic.com), has announced the immediate availability of two new fanless computing platforms powered by the Intel® Celeron® N and Pentium® J series processors, formerly known as “Elkhart Lake”. The new Helix 310 and Helix 330 are highly customizable, fanless devices specifically engineered for Industry 4.0, Edge Computing, and Industrial IoT applications.

“The Helix 300 Series hits that sweet spot of power, performance, efficiency, and value that so many developers, integrators, and OEMs are looking for,” says Mike Walsh, OnLogic Industrial Line Product Manager. “Intel’s Elkhart Lake processors provide the perfect complement to our industrial chassis because they were also built specifically for IoT applications.”

Helix 300 Series Specifications

With support for triple independent 4K displays, a 0°C to 50°C operating temperature range, and a wealth of configuration options, the Helix 310 and Helix 330 were engineered with versatility in mind.

Features and specifications include:

• Dual-Core Celeron N6211 or Quad-Core Pentium J6425 CPU • 3 USB 3.2 & 3 USB 2.0 ports • 2 COM • 3 DisplayPort • 1 Gb LAN port (2 Gb LAN available with Pentium CPU) • 12-24 V power input • Up to 32 GB memory • Optional features: • DIO • 2 additional COM • CAN Bus • 3 additional antennas

The Helix 330 comes equipped with 2 additional Gb LAN ports standard.

Configurable for Specialized Solutions

IoT-specific features of the Helix 300 Series include the Intel Programmable Services Engine (Intel PSE). The Intel PSE is a dedicated offload engine for IoT workloads powered by an ARM Cortex-M7 microcontroller, which enables enhanced real-time computing. The Helix 300 Series also features OnLogic’s unique ModBay expansion technology, which allows users to customize systems with additional connectivity options via available M.2 and mPCIe slots.

OnLogic www.onlogic.com

COTSCOTS

ADVERTISERS

Company Page # Website

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COTS Journal (ISSN#1526-4653) is published monthly at; 3180 Sitio Sendero, Carlsbad, CA. 92009. Periodicals Class postage paid at San Clemente and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to COTS Journal, 3180 Sitio Sendero, Carlsbad, CA. 92009.