Pentek: Software-Defined Radio
Key Documents
Latest modules double memory size/speed and get 8GB/sec with All Programmable 7 series FPGAs.
With the debut of its high-performance Onyx™ Model 71760, Pentek launched the first of a family of software-defined radio (SDR) modules for demanding unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), radar, and communications applications. The 4-channel, 200 MHz A/D XMC module is based on the Xilinx Virtex®-7 FPGA family, and uses the same modular I/O interfaces as the earlier Pentek Cobalt® family. The migration to the 7 series helped Pentek boost memory, logic, and I/O performance with minimal power increase.
The new Onyx family doubles the DDR3 memory (size and speed) and includes a PCI-Express® interface that has been upgraded to Gen 3 for supporting peak speeds up to 8GB per second. The integrated FPGA is preconfigured with functions for data capture, synchronization, tagging and formatting. Onyx provides an ideal turnkey interface for radar, communications, or general data acquisition applications. For customizing systems, IP can be developed using the Xilinx ISE® Design Suite and the Pentek GateFlow FPGA Design Kit. Onyx also includes enhanced FPGA loading modes to simplify live reconfiguration.
Additional Information
- Read the full press release, "Pentek Debuts First in a Family of Virtex-7 FPGA SDR Modules for Demanding UAV, Radar, and Communications Applications"
- Design win reported by FPGA Gurus, "Pentek Debuts Onyx SDR Module Family Based on Virtex-7"
- Read more, in the article, "Xilinx FPGAs Improve Beamforming System Design" in Xcell Journal Issue 80