March 30, 2020 – Pentek announced its most recent addition to the Jade Architecture family, the Jade Model 71871, a four-channel 1.25 GHz D/A converter XMC for RF and IF waveform generation. The Model 71871 combines two Texas Instruments DAC3484s to deliver four independent analog outputs each through its own digital upconverter and 16-bit D/A with sampling rates to 1.25 GHz. A Xilinx Kintex Ultrascale FPGA contains factory-installed functions that include a sophisticated D/A waveform generation IP module.
It allows users to deliver waveforms stored in either on-board memory or off-board host memory to the four D/As. Complex output waveforms, each with bandwidths up to 250 MHz, can be independently translated to programmable IF frequencies. The Model 71871 can be configured with a range of Kintex UltraScale FPGAs to match specific requirements of the processing task, spanning the entry-level KU035 (with 1,700 DSP slices) to the high-performance KU115 (with 5,520 DSP slices). The KU115 is designed for for demanding beam-forming, modulation, encoding and encryption of the signals prior to transmission. A pair of front-panel μSync connectors allows multiple modules to be synchronized.
The Model 71871 can be optionally configured with a P14 PMC connector with 24 pairs of LVDS connections to the FPGA for custom I/O to the carrier board. An optional P16 XMC connector adds an 8X gigabit link to the FPGA to support serial protocols.
