FPGA development kit targets satellite systems

Microchip Technology has launched a new FPGA development kit for satellite systems that enables developers to prototype with space-qualified devices rather than commercial off-the shelf silicon. The dev kit includes the flight-ready radiation-tolerant (RT) PolarFire FPGA and interfaces for evaluating designs based on actual in-flight electrical and mechanical characteristics.

“Our new integrated development platform for space applications includes features and interfaces that are ideal for prototyping,” said Shakeel Peera, vice president of marketing for Microchip’s FPGA business unit, in a statement. “Using the same package and silicon that final, in-orbit or deep-space units will have, designers can evaluate high-speed transceivers and test all of their control, DSP, communications and image-processing algorithms.”

(Source: Microchip Technology)

The RT PolarFire development kit supports a variety of daughter boards and includes two fully populated high-pin count (HPC) FPGA mezzanine card connectors, DDR3 DIMM and RT Gigabit Ethernet connection, SPI flash memory and subminiature version A (SMA) connectors. The kit also provides radiation data and the Libero software tool suite for programming the RT PolarFire FPGA.

Microchip said the RT PolarFire FPGA increases mission-critical computing and connectivity throughput compared to SRAM FPGAs, consumes up to 50 percent less power and offers greater immunity to radiation-induced configuration single event upsets (SEUs). One application example cited is solving spaceflight challenges such as reducing satellite signal processing congestion.

Microchip has completed MIL-STD-883 Class B qualification for the RT PolarFire FPGA and is in the process of completing Class Q and Class V qualification.

The RT PolarFire FPGA development kit is available now. Multiple kit options are available based on four versions of Microchip’s RTPF500T RT PolarFire FPGA with different package pin counts and speed grades. The dev kits can be purchased at www.microchipdirect.com.