4DSP’s PC870 Delivers High-Bandwidth Analog I/O and UltraScale FPGA Performance for PCIe

February 20, 2015 — Austin, TX – 4DSP announced a new high-performance PCI Express (PCIe) card today called the PC870 which provides one 10-bit analog-to-digital (A/D) channel at 5Gsps and one 10-bit digital-to-analog (D/A) channel at 5Gsps. Adapted from the Kintex UltraScale-based PC820 FPGA carrier card, the PC870 features advanced DSP capabilities, serial connectivity options, 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM, and a PCIe Gen3 interface that can support up to eight lanes.

The low-latency data path of the PC870 enables 2.2GHz of instantaneous analog bandwidth in both the receive and transmit directions. The analog signal input and output are available on the front panel on AC-coupled coax connections. The card also features a single-lane SFP+ module as a serial peripheral interface, and a dual-lane 14.2 Gbps FireFly connector is available as an optional interface.

“The combination of the Xilinx UltraScale FPGA with high-bandwidth A/D and D/A capabilities makes the PC870 a very effective choice for bringing maximum DSP performance to the PCI Express form factor,” said Pierrick Vulliez, CTO of 4DSP. “Furthermore, the SFP+ and FireFly options offer serial connectivity choices for designers of innovative FPGA-based systems.” The PC870 is an excellent choice for applications that require large-band signal digitization or generation through the use of accelerated frequency domain algorithms such as RADAR/SONAR, wireless telecommunications, and aerospace test and measurement instruments.

Features:

Kintex UltraScale XCKU035, XCKU040, XCKU060, XCKU075
Single-channel, 10-bit A/D up to 5Gsps
Single-channel, 10-bit D/A up to 5Gsps
PCIe Gen3 x8
4GB 1600MT/s DDR3 SDRAM
256Mb Serial Flash
Single-lane SFP+ interface
Bidirectional x2 FireFly connection (optional)
AC-coupled analog signals
LVDS IO signaling between A/D, D/A and FPGA for low latency
6 SSMC or MMCX front panel connectors
Clock source, sampling frequency, and calibration through I2C communication
Flexible clock tree enables internal clock source and external sampling or reference clock
Power-down modes to switch off unused functions for system power savings

Applications:

Software Defined Radio (SDR)
RADAR/SONAR
Ultra-wideband satellite digital receiver and transmitter
Wireless communication transceivers and base stations
Direct RF down-conversion
Direction finding
A/D and D/A signal processing
Multi-channel digital receivers
Event processor and recorder
Medical equipment
Aerospace and test measurement instruments

Support:

4FM GUI offers multiple functions including the ability to monitor voltage and temperature; perform memory tests; measure the PCIe bandwidth; update FPGA firmware; and access StellarIP.
StellarIP is available for this product. It provides a simple way to design FPGA firmware with automated code and bitstream generation.
Data analyzer makes it possible to display digitized data real time.
User Manual
Performance Report
Support provided on 4DSP’s support forum private boards
Reference designs available for multiple FPGA carriers

More details about this product can be found here:
http://www.4dsp.com/pc870.php

About 4DSP LLC

4DSP is an innovative Austin, Texas-based corporation dedicated to the design and manufacture of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) board-level electronics, FPGA Intellectual Property (IP Core), and system level solutions. With the most advanced digitizers and FPGA-based products, 4DSP has a reputation for delivering high-performance DSP solutions for the specific embedded computing requirements of Military, Aerospace, Biomedical and Chemical Science applications. As an AS9100 certified company, 4DSP excels at providing solutions that make an impact in both the lab and the field. More information about 4DSP can be found at http://www.4dsp.com.