LEESBURG, VA – April 19, 2007 — Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing, a leading designer and manufacturer of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products for rugged defense and aerospace markets, has launched a new innovative, initiative to standardize Power Management features on its, high-performance embedded COTS single board computer (SBC) and DSP engine products. These new features will provide system designers with sophisticated tools to control power dissipation and consumption and ease the technology insertion of next generation solutions into existing systems.
The Power Management features are supported through a new Curtiss-Wright developed common software API and include Power Disconnect, CPU power throttling, Peripheral Component power throttling, and Power Surge Protection. The Power Management features will become available on the Company’s COTS Continuum™ VPX/VPX-REDI, VME and CompactPCI board products beginning in Q2 2007, and will first be offered on the SCP/DCP-1201, VPX6-185, and SCP/DCP-1901 SBCs and the CHAMP-AV 5 and CHAMP-FX2 DSP engines.
“The use of new denser, more highly integrated microprocessors and components in the defense and aerospace market has driven a greater need for power management solutions,” said Lynn Patterson , Vice President and General Manager of Curtiss Wright’s Modular Solutions group, Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing. “This cutting-edge technology delivers greater performance but also dissipates more power, which creates integration challenges for existing chassis and systems. The COTS Continuum Power Management capability addresses this problem by providing flexibility for system designers when configuring onboard processing and connectivity features. It also addresses power dissipation at the device level, which results in less cost for customers who want to use new technology in existing systems.”
Power Management features will provide users with flexible control over system and device power across the core COTS Continuum product line, making it easier to integrate and upgrade systems with a broad range of Curtiss-Wright products. Use of these new features will greatly reduce the power management design hurdles faced by system integrators using the most advanced, high-performance technology, while reducing integration time and costs.
The COTS Continuum Power Management features will include:
Power Management Software API
A common software API for power management enables customers to quickly and easily control their board configuration to ensure that system power is optimized and all requirements are met. Use of this standardized API across product lines and roadmap generations will enable ease of subsystem integration and technology insertions.
Power Disconnect
The Power Disconnect feature provides users with the ability to power down a module via an external hardware mechanism. This feature can be used to support a fail-over concept for system configurations that require redundant CPU modules at the chassis level. For example, in a system containing an array of common processing elements, a spare processor could be kept in a power-off state when not required, and then powered on by the system master when it is needed to replace a failed processor card.
CPU Low Power Mode
Some applications require the ability to throttle frequency/power as part of a system level thermal management solution. The CPU Low Power Mode feature enables the board’s CPU to operate at lower power modes under software control. This feature also provides a single variant configuration that supports both low- and high-performance modes to reduce logistics costs. The same model of a board can be configured for different power performance levels, eliminating the need to specify and order a different model for each power mode variant required.
Peripherals Component Low Power Mode
The Peripherals Component Low Power Mode feature enables users to reduce power dissipation for component functions not being used by a given application, via software control. Software control prevents applications from using a component until it is ready for operation when brought back online. For example, a PCI Express (PCIe) switch can be set to lower power modes or unused switch ports can be disabled; similarly Serial RapidIO switch ports can be disabled.
Power Surge Prevention
To reduce power-up surge currents, the Power Surge Prevention feature enables the control of power-up sequencing of modules in a system. This provides a significant benefit for technology insertion applications when a legacy chassis’s power supply is unable to support dynamic performance. Sequential system power-on can ensure that the legacy power supply experiences a waiting period in between providing power to each individual board to eliminate power-up surge currents.
About COTS Continuum
COTS Continuum is Curtiss-Wright’s new product architecture designed to make customers more productive and able to leverage new technologies more quickly and with less risk. The COTS Continuum architecture includes a common software, hardware and mechanical architecture for future Curtiss-Wright products. It standardizes I/O routing and pin-outs, electrical interfaces, and API’s to all hardware functionality, and provides a common HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) and user documentation across product lines. The net result is a common out-of-box experience between product families and next generation products benefiting all users by easing their technology insertions.
Sales inquiries: Please forward all Sales and reader service inquiries to Jerri-Lynne Charbonneau, Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing, Tel: (613) 254-5112; Fax: (613) 599-7777; e-mail: [email protected].
For editorial information regarding Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing products or services, contact John Wranovics, Director of Public Relations, Curtiss-Wright, Tel: (925) 640-6402; email. [email protected] . Web site: www.cwcembedded.com.
About Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing
Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing is the industry’s most comprehensive and experienced single source for embedded solutions, ranging from Processing, Subsystems, Data Communication, DSP, and Video & Graphics to the most advanced board level components and fully integrated custom systems. The Embedded Computing group serves the defense, aerospace, commercial and industrial markets and is part of Curtiss-Wright Controls Inc. For more information about Curtiss-Wright visit www.cwcembedded.com.
About Curtiss-Wright Controls, Inc.
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Curtiss-Wright Controls is the motion control segment of Curtiss-Wright Corporation (NYSE: CW). With manufacturing facilities around the world, Curtiss-Wright Controls is a leading technology-based organization providing niche motion control products, subsystems and services internationally for the aerospace and defense markets. For more information, visit www.cwcontrols.com.
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