Quick start toward final configuration

Designing with data converters using FPGA technology can present many configuration challenges. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get a quick start with preconfigured IP that gets you over the startup hurdles? The Model 71651 software radio module, a new XMC form factor Multichannel data converter with digital down- and up-converters from Pentek Inc., helps you do just that. Four types of preconfigured IP in the Xilinx Virtex-6 FPGA help simplify the capture, movement, and playback of data. Three Acquisition IP modules accept data from any of the A/Ds, a test signal generator, or the Playback IP in loopback mode. These acquisition modules each have a private memory bank for storing data in capture mode or to serve as a FIFO buffer for the linked-list DMA engine to move data off-board through the x8 Gen 2 PCIe interface. The DMA engines can automatically generate metadata to simplify host processing. With two channels each of 12-bit, 500 MHz A/D and 16-bit, 800 MHz D/A, the Model 71651 delivers more than twice the bandwidth of Pentek’s previous data converters, with room left for User customization.