July 28, 2009–Pentek released the 7800 series of high-performance I/O boards built upon a versatile half-length x8 PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 carrier board. The carrier board hosts a PMC/XMC module to fulfill a wide range of software radio, data acquisition and beamforming applications. Now designers can utilize PCI Express, FPGAs and high-speed interfaces in low-cost PCs as well as in blade servers.
Design Features
- In addition to the x8 PCIe interface, the 7800 carrier board features a number of high-speed gigabit serial connectors for inter-board communication.
- A built-in fan provides forced-air cooling that can be invaluable in dissipating heat developed by high-speed A/Ds, D/As and FPGAs, without requiring an extra slot.
- A 4-pin standard disk drive power connector accepts power directly from the PC power supply to augment PCIe slot power.
- 7841 – Dual Multiband Transceiver with FPGA
- 7842 – Multichannel Transceiver with Virtex-4 FPGAs
- 7850 – Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D with Virtex-5 FPGAs
- 7851 – 256-Channel DDC with Four 200 MHz, 16-bit A/Ds
- 7852 – 32-Channel DDC with Four 200 MHz, 16-bit A/Ds
- 7856 – Dual 400 MHz A/Ds, 800 MHz D/As with Virtex-5 FPGAs
- 7890 – Multifrequency Clock Synthesizer These modules are all fully-assembled and factory-tested PCIe assemblies so customers can simply plug them into their systems.
Using protocols such as Xilinx Aurora and Serial Rapid I/O, these interconnections support communication between multiple 7800 Series boards completely independent of the backplane.
This provides a critical advantage for high-connectivity systems such as radar and beamforming applications, where significant data must be transferred across multiple boards.
This supports modules with power consumption as high as 50 watts or greater.
PCI Express 2.0 Carrier Board
The new 7800 carrier board includes an x8 PCIe 2.0 interface capable of plugging into an x8 or x16 slot in a PC or a blade server.
As a half-length board approximately 6.5 inches long, it fits virtually in any PC.
Pentek’s Complement of 7800 X8 PCI Express Products
The first two digits of the model number, 78, designate the 7800 carrier board, and the second two digits identify the PMC or XMC module attached to it.
At this time Pentek is introducing the following modules:
In the months ahead, Pentek plans to expand the 7800 Series as new PMC/XMC modules are developed.
Software Support
The family of 7800 products are sold as complete PCIe subsystems with all necessary software and documentation.
This includes the GateFlow FPGA design kits and ReadyFlow board support libraries.
The 7800 product line supports Linux and Windows operating system environments.
Price and Availability
Pentek’s Model 7800 is available immediately with prices starting at $9,995 USD.
Delivery is 8 weeks ARO.
