FPGAs for Speed and Flexibility

Benefits of FPGA Modules derived from their Speed and Flexibility - You Can’t Do More for Less 

Learn about FPGA-based system design for embedded computing I/O signal processing applications. 

This white paper discusses how Advanced Xilinx Virtex and Altera Stratix FPGAs make use of multiple digital clock managers and simultaneous parallel execution to rapidly compute a set of integrated processes including FFT, SERDES, FIFO management, logic sequencing, DDR control, and more. With integrated I/O and enablers such as a soft CPU and IP cores, plus tools such as Xilinx ISE, Altera Quartus, SimuLink, and MathLab; the FPGA can process logic much faster than any real-time system with less effort than ever before.

Ethernet I/O Simplifies Communication Between One PLC and Multiple Remote Locations

Defining the Problem:

A customer has multiple remote locations linked over an Ethernet network, each requiring discrete outputs. They all need to be sent the same communication signal at the same time.

Implementing the Solution:

1. Set up Ethernet communication between master PLC device and the BusWorks XT discrete I/O module (XT1111).
2. Connect the XT1111 module and the remote site discrete I/O modules (989EN) to an Ethernet network.
3. Configure the XT module to use Acromag’s i2o peer-to peer communication to replicate the PLC’s discrete signal to 8 other multiple locations by IP address.

Featured Products:

• 16-Channel Discrete I/O, Modbus/TCP XT1111-00
• 16-Channel Discrete I/O, with Counter/Timers 989EN-4C16
• Software Interface Package XT-SIP

Why Acromag:

Our BusWorks XT Modbus/TCP remote I/O modules include a peer-to-peer feature known as i2o, where two or more slaves can talk to each other without requiring a master. With i2o communication, one signal from the PLC is split by the XT1111 module and sent to multiple locations. The XT1111 automatically re-transmits the discrete level to each 989EN module’s IP address, thus reproducing the status of the original PLC input.

System Requirements

All remote sites need to be controlled simultaneously from one central control room via Ethernet protocol

Acromag has recently released the XMC-7A200 user-configurable Artix-7 FPGA Modules

An FPGA Module designed for applications requiring low-power without sacrificing high performance.

Acromag’s  XMC-7A200 is a XMC mezzanine module enhanced with Xilinx® Artix® -7 FPGA for low-power consumption and exceptional 128M x 16-bit Quad DDR3 SDRAM processing performance.

The rear I/O provides 8-lane high-speed serial interface on the P16 XMC port. Select I/O or LVDS pairs plus global clock pairs direct to FPGA via rear P4 or P16 port. The FPGA module serves as a co-processor applying custom logic and algorithms to streams of remote sensor data.

The reconfigurable Artix-7 FPGA module is possible via a direct download into the Flash configuration memory over the PCIe bus or the JTAG port. Four-lane high-speed serial interface on rear P15 connector for PCI Express Gen 1/2 (standard), Serial RapidI/O, and Xilinx Aurora implementations are supported.

In combination with the new Kintex®-7 series, the new XMC-7A Artix®-7 family further expands Acromag’s offer of FPGA products. The XMC-7A will provide users with an unbeatable lower-end combination of capabilities; lower power consumption, excellent functionality and a balanced mix of I/O, all based on Xilinx’s® latest Vivado® development package

Typical applications include hardware simulation, communications, in-circuit diagnostics, military servers, signal intelligence, and image processing.