Altera’s next-gen industrial networking,
motor control,
and safety solutions
Clive Maxfield
11/23/2010 1:44 PM EST
Good grief – it sounds like the place to be at the moment is the SPS/IPC/DRIVES 2010 Electric Automation Exhibition and Conference in Nuremberg, Germany, because a whole bunch of stuff is being announced there.
For example, the folks from Altera are demonstrating their next-generation embedded industrial solutions. Visitors to Altera’s booth will learn how FPGAs expand and enhance the capabilities of advanced embedded processors.
As part of their in-booth demonstrations, the folks from Altera will be unveiling their new I/O companion reference design that has been developed for Linux support on Kontron’s COM Express FPGA Baseboard using an Intel Atom processor with Altera’s Cyclone IV GX FPGA.
This approach simplifies implementation and maintenance of time-critical and hardware-specific I/O functions, enabling developers to quickly get an I/O companion system up and running. With the addition of PCI Express (PCIe) interfaces to both FPGAs and an Intel Atom E600 processor-based Kontron Computer-on-Module nanoETXexpress-TT, Altera’s I/O companion solution enables a low-cost, easy-to-use and flexible development platform for custom industrial applications.
Altera’s I/O companion development framework includes:
- FPGA reference design with peripherals built using Altera’s Quartus II development software
- Full documentation describing: (a) How to use the tools to customize the reference design peripheral set, (b) How to integrate the supplied peripheral drivers into the Linux operating system, and (c) How to integrate new intellectual property (IP) into the framework and FPGA design.
- I/O companion-specific tools
- X86 program code
- Support for Altera and partner IP for networking, video and standard communications interfaces for use in industrial and automotive applications
Additional Altera in-booth demonstrations showcasing its FPGA technologies include:
- Kontron’s PCIe/104 MICROSPACE MSMST reference design for Intel Atom E6xx processor series with HSMC interfaced companion boards
- The Intel Atom E600 processor series demonstration
- IXXAT’s 1588 and Industrial Ethernet demos on Terasic’s Industrial Networking Kit (INK)
- Softing’s Industrial Ethernet demos on the INK
- EBV/University of Cologne’s three-level IGBT control demo for motor control and photovoltaic inverter applications
- TÜV Rheinland’s safety consultancy and certification services with related papers
In addition to the in-booth demonstrations, Altera will be hosting a free Industrial Safety Seminar on November 23 to 24, 2010, featuring information on the Industrial Safety Data Package in the Lissabon Room, CCN Mitte, Messezentrum, Nürnberg.
SPS/IPC/DRIVES Electric Automation Exhibition and Conference 2010 will take place November 23 to November 25, 2010, at Messezentrum, Nürnberg, Germany.
For additional information about Altera’s participation at the event,
visit www.altera.com/pr/sps.
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