Nallatech, the domain expert in high-performance FPGA computing solutions, today announces the introduction of two ultra-high-speed analog capture modules featuring the latest Giga-sample Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) from National Semiconductor. These new products offer customers multiple ultra wide band analog I/O capture channels directly coupled to a Xilinx Virtex™-4 FPGA – a powerful combination ideal for addressing the processing requirements of demanding embedded applications such as SIGINT, RADAR and LIDAR (light detecting and ranging). This new product range further strengthens Nallatech’s position as the dominant supplier of COTS FPGA embedded products for the defense and security markets.
Shipping with immediate effect is the Nallatech BenADC 3GTM. This product features two National 8-bit 3 GSPS ADCs, an external clock input and digital trigger. Each ADC083000 ADC can achieve up to 7.0 effective number of bits (ENOB), 44.5 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and 54.5 dB spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) when sampling a 748 MHz input signal at 3 GSPS. Trigger and clock signal inputs allow simultaneous sampling of both channels, enabling synchronous data acquisition on a single card. Two banks of DDR-II SRAM memory are directly coupled to the user FPGA allowing algorithm and ADC data to be locally buffered. National’s LMX2531LQ1500E delta-sigma phase-locked loop and voltage-controlled oscillator (PLL+VCO) integrated circuit is also featured on the BENADC-3G module. It provides a very stable, low noise clock source in order to achieve the highest SNR (or ENOB) possible from the Giga-sample rate ADCs.
The BenADC 1.5GTM features the same FPGA and memory back-end as the BenADC 3G, however utilizes two ADC08D1500 National ADCs providing users with four 8-bit 1.5 GSPS analog capture channels as well as external clock and trigger inputs. This product is the ideal solution for applications such as beamforming that requires a high number of input channels per FPGA. This product will be available Q3 2007. Both products are available with a choice of Virtex-4 SX55, LX100 or LX160 user FPGAs.
“We are extremely excited by these new products; they extend our core FPGA competences, offering users ultra high speed analog I/O modules to enable digital signal processing and conditioning capabilities within close proximity of the sensor front end,” said Stephen Lynas, VP Marketing of Nallatech. “The inclusion of this analog capability within our market leading product range allows us to address a growing market requirement and ease the development of embedded systems for our customers.”
“National’s innovative ADC technology is well-suited to COTS FPGA embedded products and provides Nallatech the analog peripheral features needed to design seamless system solutions with Xilinx Virtex-4 FPGAs,” said Alan Hutton, European Partnership program manager at National Semiconductor. “Our ADCs have a unique folding and interpolating architecture that enables a very flat response of all the dynamic parameters up to Nyquist, with no missing codes guaranteed over the full operating temperature range.”
Both products are delivered with a suite of optimized IP cores and reference designs. Xilinx System Generator library components are also provided allowing non-VHDL users to target the hardware using Simulink. Software support includes Windows, Linux and VXWorks.
About Nallatech
Nallatech is the world’s leading supplier of high-performance COTS FPGA Solutions. Nallatech designs and manufactures high-performance FPGA embedded products, in form factors such as PCI, VME, cPCI, PCI-X and PCI-104. Customers benefit from lower costs, reduction in size, weight and power and improved performance. Headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland, its wholly-owned subsidiary Nallatech Inc. has U.S. Headquarters in Baltimore and Regional offices in San Jose, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. Nallatech has six operating locations worldwide and international partner sales offices in seven countries. For further information please visit – www.nallatech.com
