Nallatech SBC
Nallatech (Scotland, UK) can equip VME systems with processing power into the teraflop range using Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) from Xilinx. The Virtex FPGAs can reside on the BenNUEY VMEbus card and on the BenData mezzanine modules, both from Nallatech. They are part of their DIME-II (DSP and image processing for enhanced FPGAs) architecture. It includes their Field Upgradable Systems Environment (FUSE) operating system and DIMEtalk protocol for very fast data transfers between onboard modules. FUSE supports Windows and Linux. The use of a large number of FPGAs instead of microprocessors is similar to the MereGen computer, built by the German research institute, GMD, (now part of Fraunhofer Gesellschaft) using 18 VMEbus cards with 10 FPGAs on each board for dynamic adaptation of the operating mode of the system (see VMEbus Systems, October, 2002, p. 15).
VMETRO analyzer
VMETRO (Norway) has received recognition for their recently introduced Vanguard VMEbus analyzer, which has been nominated for the Electronic Industry Design Award 2004 in the UK. VMETRO received a significant order for their bus analyzer from the French Ministry of Defense. The Vanguard is also used for testing upgraded VMEbus systems on vessels used by the Australian Navy. The Vanguard VMEbus analyzer supports all VMEbus protocols including the new, extremely fast 2eSST protocol for VMEbus Renaissance applications. The analyzer software interprets the hardware bus signals in real time without influencing bus activities. It can also simulate bus traffic or bus errors to test the behavior of the bus at its limits. Several bus analyzers may be remotely controlled via Ethernet or USB.
Conference floor space
Exhibitions and conferences concentrating on industrial control and embedded computing are showing increased acceptance by exhibitors. Both SPS/IPC/Drives scheduled November 23 through 25, 2004 and Embedded World scheduled February 22 through 24, 2005, report increased demand for space by an increasing number of exhibitors. Both events take place at the same exhibition and convention center in Nuernberg, Germany. SPS has increased floor area reservations by 20 percent to 64,000 sq. ft. four months prior to the event. These events are much more focused on the target audience versus the open large events in Hannover, Germany.
SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2004: www.mesago.de
Embedded World: www.embedded-world-2005.de
SBS gains
SBS has reported significant double-digit growth of more than 50 percent of sales in Europe for their 2003/2004 fiscal year, after adjusting the figures for currency differences.
Chunnel train application
Queen Elizabeth II and husband Prince Philip traveled by train through the tunnel underneath the English Channel from London to Paris to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale between the two countries. As reported in a previous edition of VMEbus Systems, part of the control system on this train is based on VMEbus cards manufactured in Germany and integrated into a French-built train.
German train application
Testing and analyzing braking systems for high-speed trains require highly-available and highly-reliable control and instrumentation equipment. That is why MicroNova electronic GmbH (Germany) uses VMEbus based LabCar systems from ETAS (formerly part of Bosch) for their hardware-in-the-loop test environment. The testing can be done automatically and reproducible using the LABCAR-AUTOMATION software suite which runs under the ASCET control software system. The trains to be tested are ICE (InterCity Express) trains, the German high-speed trains which operate at more than 300 km per hour (approximately 190 mph) on standard railway tracks across Germany. A VMEbus system makes up the core of this car testing, analyzing, and simulation system from ETAS as used by MicroNova (Figure 1).
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BMW application
BMW (Germany) is using ES1303 A/D VMEbus cards (Figure 2) in an ES1000.3 VMEbus system from ETAS to analyze motor data synchronized to crankshaft angle position and other motor control parameters in real time while the car engine is running.
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This test and control system can also adjust mechanical and mechatronic parts during operation, even at several thousand rpm. The ES1303 VMEbus card was developed by ETAS in cooperation with BMW engineers. Up to four cards with 16 A/D channels each operate in real time at a 100 KHz sampling rate for each channel in a single VMEbus system. Opto-couplers are too slow and need too much power in this application. Iso-loops were used instead for electrical circuit isolation. This new technology is based on magnetic coupling effects.
These new devices have to operate over the E2 temperature range (-40°C to 85°C). Because of drifting parameters at low temperature, miniature relays were used instead of electronic switches. In field tests, the portable ES1000.3 VMEbus test system can be equipped with a clip-on battery pack. This is important at temperatures around -40°C when the car battery cannot supply stable current to the car and to the test system, which would then record false or meaningless data.
Hermann Strass is an analyst and consultant for new technologies, including industrial automation, computer bus architectures, mass storage technologies, and industrial networking. He is an active member of several national and international standardization committees, and is the VITA Technical Coordinator for European Activities.