of VME board-level technology, today announced the availability of the Model
4994 Linux kernel v2.4 drivers. These drivers provide developers complete
access to the capabilities of the hardware through driver calls for Pentek’s
PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) boards and PMC (PCI Mezzanine Card)
modules. Many Linux applications, including image, audio, voice and signal
intelligence processing are now emerging as value-added features in
high-performance embedded products.
First in a series of Linux-supported Pentek boards are the Model 7631 PCI
board and the Model 7131 PMC module. Both feature two A/D converters, 16
multi-band receiver channels and user-programmable Virtex-II FPGAs (Field
Programmable Gate Arrays). The PCI board brings software radio functionality
to the world of desktop computers, while the PMC module attaches to a wide
range of Pentium or PowerPC single-board computers.
“Due to dramatic gains in clock speeds, many real-time signal processing
tasks formerly handled by DSPs are now migrating to workstation processors.
These platforms are much less expensive and Linux is gaining significant
ground as the operating system (OS) of choice for several good reasons,”
said Rodger Hosking, vice president of Pentek, Inc. “Engineers can scale the
Linux kernel to minimize unnecessary overhead, customize OS functions for
special needs and often save significant runtime licensing costs. Our new
Linux drivers allow customers to realize all of these benefits for two of
our most popular software radio products.”
Pentek Drivers for Linux
Pentek Linux drivers are designed to reduce development time not only during
the initial stages of software development, but also when new I/O hardware
is added to the system. Each driver is designed to control the specific
hardware features of the I/O interface being used. As a bonus, these drivers
are built with a consistent style and parameter naming convention, so that
similar parameters on different I/O modules have nearly identical driver
calls. This greatly shortens the application development learning curve when
a system is modified or expanded.
16-Channel Multiband Receiver PMC Module with A/Ds and FPGA
Since the Model 7131 is a PMC module, it can be attached to any processor
board with one or more PMC sites. Two 105 MHz 14-bit A/D converters, plus
four quad digital downconverters, are coupled with FPGA technology to
deliver one of the densest and most flexible boards in software radio today.
The Model 7131 accepts two analog inputs on front-panel SMA connectors,
either from baseband HF sources or IF outputs from communications receivers.
Both inputs are transformer-coupled to Analog Devices AD6645 14-bit A/D
converters capable of operating at sampling rates up to 105 MHz. Four Texas
Instruments/Graychip GC4016 quad digital receivers accept samples from both
A/Ds. Each of the 16 receiver channels can be independently tuned to center
frequencies from DC to 40 MHz with output bandwidths ranging from 4 kHz to
2.5 MHz. A special channel-combining mode boosts the bandwidth to 10 MHz to
handle new wideband modulation signals.
New Software Radio Solutions for Desktop Linux Workstations
The same features and resources offered by the 7131 PMC module have been
adapted to the Model 7631 PCI board, opening up a wide range of
possibilities for PC-based solutions. Pentium and PowerPC workstations
running Linux can now take advantage of this extremely powerful software
radio front end for telecom, signal intelligence, radar and satellite
communications applications.
User Programmable FPGAs
Pentek’s GateFlow FPGA Resources include the GateFlow FPGA Design Kit
supporting customer-developed FPGA algorithms, the GateFlow IP Core Library
for high-performance FFTs (Fast Fourier Transform), digital receivers and
radar pulse compression algorithms, and GateFlow Factory Installed IC Cores
so customers can take immediate advantage of FPGA technology with zero FPGA
development effort.
Pricing & Availability
The Model 4994 Linux v2.4 kernel drivers are immediately available for the
Pentek Model 7631 PCI and Model 7131 PMC modules. Linux driver support
starts at $1,500 US. A one-year subscription is also available for $2,500
US.
About Pentek
Pentek develops, manufactures and markets innovative DSP systems to original
equipment manufacturers, distributors and value-added resellers. Pentek
offers powerful VME, PMC, VIM and VXI boards for data acquisition, software
radio and digital signal processing featuring Texas Instrument’s C6000 DSPs,
Motorola’s G4 PowerPC and Xilinx FPGAs. Pentek’s I/O includes A/D’s, D/A’s,
digital receivers, digital upconverters and more. Pentek equips its products
with high-performance interfaces including RACE++ and FPDP-II and offers
strong DSP software support.
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Pentek, VIM and GateFlow are registered trademarks of Pentek, Inc. Brand or
product names are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective
holders.
North American Sales Contact: Mario Schiavone, Pentek, Inc., One Park Way,
Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458-2311; telephone 201-818-5900, ext. 760; fax
201-818-5904; email news@pentek.com; website www.pentek.com. International
Sales Contacts: VSystems SA in France at 130070060, VSystems Electronic GmbH
in Germany at 892737630, VSystems s.r.l. in Italy at 11.966 1319, VSystems
AB in Sweden at 84441550, VSystems UK at 1142813123, WTI in Israel at
99-563163 and MISH International in Japan at 42-538-7650.
