Principle of Operation

Model 71861 is an A/D module suitable for direct connection to HF or IF ports of a communications or radar system. Using the XMC format, it includes four 200−MHz
A/D converters, four digital downconverters, and a Xilinx Kintex UltraScale FPGA.

The 71861 features a Xilinx Kintex UltraScale FPGA for signal interfaces and processing. The FPGA is pre−configured by Pentek to provide signal acquisition buffering functions. This FPGA also provides board interfaces including PCIe and XMC. Custom general purpose I/O connections are provided to the FPGA through the optional PMC P14 connector (Option 104). Custom gigabit serial interfaces may be implemented through the optional XMC P16 connector (Option 105).

Four 200−MHz, 16−bit A/D converters provide data to the FPGA, where the data can be formatted, processed, or routed to board resources, including four multiband digital downconverters.

Model 71861 includes an onboard voltage−controlled crystal oscillator (VCXO) and a programmable clock synthesizer for clocking, but can also accept external clocks through front panel connectors. Model 71861 is equipped with an front panel sync bus that allows synchronizing A/D processing on multiple boards.

Model 71861 includes five gigabytes of DDR4 SDRAM. This memory is controlled by the FPGA and is available as a memory resource for custom FPGA applications.

Model 71861 is compatible with VITA 42 XMC carrier boards. This standard provides separate serial data links between the XMC and the carrier. These links support Serial RapidIO, PCI Express, and Aurora protocols and provide a dedicated high−speed streaming data path.

Each member of the Jade family is delivered with factory−installed applications ideally matched to the board’s analog interfaces, including IP modules for ADC acquisition and digital signal processing, a controller for all data clocking and synchronization functions, a test signal generator, and a PCIe interface.

For applications that require specialized functions, users can install their own custom IP for data processing. Pentek Navigator FPGA Design Kits include all of the factory installed modules as documented source code. Developers can integrate their own IP with the Pentek factory−installed functions or use the Navigator Design Kit to completely replace the Pentek IP with their own.