ExpressCard interface leverages higher performance of new generation laptops, commercial and military applications, and range of available configurations.
GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms have announced three ExpressCard interfaces for testing critical aircraft systems. The R15-EC is a dual port MIL-STD-1553 ExpressCard Interface; the RAF-EC is a dual port ARINC 664 ExpressCard Interface; and the RAR-EC is a multichannel ARINC 429 ExpressCard interface. GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms are available from Metromatics .
The ExpressCard interface has replaced the older PCMCIA interface for laptop computing, and gives users access to much higher performance. Leveraging the higher bus speeds that are especially important in the commercial avionics market utilizing AFDX/ARINC 664, these interfaces enable bus traffic capture through the high performance of ExpressCard technology.
The three ExpressCards are available in a range of configurations, including card only, card and appropriate analyser, and a full turnkey portable analyser system that includes the interface card, protocol analyser and semi-rugged laptop.
The R15-EC MIL-STD-1553 ExpressCard Interface provides one or two 1553 channels integrated with powerful API software that provides instant access to all 1553 databus functionality. Standard features include IRIG-B Receiver (AM or DC/TTL), Generator (DC/TTL), real-time bus playback (with ability to edit out RTs), aperiodic message insertion, error injection/detection, conditional BC branching, 45-bit timetags and “Oneshot” BC operation. The Bus Monitor mode provides monitoring of a fully loaded 1553 bus.
The RAF-EC ARINC 664 ExpressCard Interface is a high performance interface for monitoring, generating and analysing full-bandwidth AFDX-ARINC 664 protocol traffic. GE Fanuc’s pipeline architecture maximises packet throughput using parallel controllers and efficient DMA transfers and avoids bottlenecks of CPU-based interface solutions.
Configurable as either one dual-redundant AFDX/ARINC 664 interface or two independent ports, users have complete access to all frame and header data. Each incoming packet is tagged with a 20 nsec resolution, 64-bit time-tag. Real time traffic generation is highly accurate. An IRIG-B receiver/generator is included for synchronisation to external IRIG-B time sources and for synchronising multiple CNIC boards. In addition, I/O triggers, error detection/injection, BIT and link/protocol statistics are provided.
The GE Fanuc RAR-EC is an intelligent, high-density, ExpressCard interface that provides up to seven receive and four transmit fully independent ARINC 429 channels, along with up to four bi-directional avionics level I/O discretes. Features include programmable data rates and parity, error detection, multiple buffering modes, timetagging and automatic transmit slew rate adjustment. Configuration options include selection of channel count, a mix of ARINC 429 and ARINC 573/717, and a Dataloader configuration.
All three products benefit from GE Fanuc’s comprehensive software support to significantly reduce development and integration time.