The VPX6-490 GPU (graphics processor unit) Application Accelerator brings the new generation of NVIDIA Fermi architecture class of graphics processor unit to the rugged deployed application developer. The VPX6-490 packs the punch of a pair of 240 core GPU devices into the 6U OpenVPX form factor. The VPX6-490 is designed to work with Intel® processor based single board computers (SBCs) such as the Curtiss-Wright VPX6-1956 2nd Generation Core i7, as well as the CHAMP-AV8 dual 2nd Generation Core i7 multiprocessor board.

Rugged JBOD SANbric from Curtiss-Wright

The SANbric rugged fibre channel (FC) storage subsystem enables commercial Fibre Channel rotating or solid state drive (SSD) disks to be used for highspeed, streaming data recording applications in harsh environments. The SANbric rugged data storage system mounts in a shock isolation unit (SIU) or lab rack mount chassis. During deployment, the SIU isolates the SANbric from harsh operating environments.

Challenges in Mixed Signal Design: Article by Rajaram Shastri, Senior Architect - Mistral Solutions

Designers who are working on next generation designs need to intermix and deal with a variety of RF elements, data converters and complex digital designs. As the clock speeds increase, voltage levels reduce and circuit sizes shrink, the engineers are forced to understand and address the analog behavior of digital components. The current market trend forces IC manufacturers to high level of integration, by putting RF, analog and digital circuits in a single package. This forces designers to address the mixed signal behavior like never before. This article by Rajaram attempts to address these challenges.

Product Focus: Real-Time Operating Systems– Article featured in Avionics.com

During the next few years, the technology needed to meet NextGen requirements will be added to aircraft cockpits already bristling with advanced systems. As it is doing now for many safety-critical systems on commercial and military aircraft, real-time operating system (RTOS) software will likely provide support for those NextGen systems, such as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B).

Adhering to stringent safety standard requirements, technology companies are developing and deploying complex RTOS environments designed to execute applications and help hold down size, weight and power use as new functionality is added.

Multi-processor, multi-board real-time software architecture for DefenseApplications: Article by Subramanian A L, Senior Architect - Mistral Solutions

Modern day defense electronic systems running complex software applications demand very huge processing power. These systems require enormous memory and high-speed data bus for transfer of data in real-time. These are complemented with processors running at high clock speeds, with specialized signal/vector processing engines. In this golden era of shrinking integrated electronic circuits, the scope of building powerful systems, in small form factors is becoming feasible. Concern regarding the weight and size of defence electronics systems has driven the designers to look for processing boards, of smaller form factors with very high processing power. This has led to evolution of board design, especially boards with multiple processors to meet the demand of these high computation intensive applications. This article by Subramanian will outline a basic approach for designing real-time applications using these multi processor boards.

Mistral Joins Altera´s Design Services Network (DSN) program

Mistral is now a certified member of Altera´s Design Services Network (DSN) program. Altera Corporation is a major manufacturer of high-end PLDs (programmable logic devices). The Altera Design Services Network (DSN) program helps customers accelerate FPGA design productivity and innovation through a global network of Altera-qualified design experts. As a certified member of the Network program, Mistral will be designing, building and deploying customized FPGA based solutions based on Altera that integrate custom software and hardware engineering for Defense, Aerospace, Networking and Telecom verticals.

Mistral´s Paper Presentation at ESC India on FPGA

Mistral´s engineering team presented a paper on “High Performance Computing on FPGA” at the prestigious Embedded Systems Conference 2012, India (ESC) held from 18-20 July 2012 at the NIMHANS Convention Centre in Bangalore. The paper was presented by Jake Machado, Rajesh Chakkingal and Sarath Mohan K T from Mistral. In its sixth year now, ESC India attracts over 500 embedded system engineers and technical experts to attend, share knowledge, network and update their information.

Mistralite´s Achievement: Global Communication across the frequency spectrum

Some time back we had mentioned about Mistral´s Gajendra Kumar´s (GK) achievement of reflecting signals off the moon and communicating via the natural satellite. This was done on the VHF band, the higher end of the frequency spectrum, now we have news from the lower end of the spectrum. GK has been actively experimenting on Low frequency medium wave bands which is not regularly used by many due to the need for a large antenna, vast space and the ability to combat the highly prevalent noise. The range of communication is also very restricted and calls for a high power transmitter.

GK has been actively experimenting on Low frequency medium wave bands which is not regularly used by many due to the need for a large antenna, vast space and the ability to combat the highly prevalent noise. The range of communication is also very restricted and calls for a high power transmitter. GK has won appreciation globally, for designing several low noise receiving and low profile transmitting antennas.

An authority on low frequency medium wave communications, John Devoldere, in his latest book on “Low-Band DXing”credits GK for setting up the smallest antenna in the world for 1.8MHz. GK used a 70 watts transmitter with a 10m vertical wire supported by a bamboo and fiberglass pole and with about 5m of top loading wire in two directions. This antenna was mounted on the roof of a two storied house. The roof space is just 9m x 12m. Usually, setting up an antenna like this requires towers and masts of over 30m of height and the space required for such a set up is huge atleast 80m x 80m. With careful optimization and making best use of the space, GK was able to communicate with many stations across the globe and holds several records.

Devoldere mentions that GK´s feat is very encouraging for amateur radio enthusiasts around the world who are trying to set up antennas for this low frequency in cities and with space constraints.