Controller Boards System Demonstration The two types of controller boards, the SDP-B and the SDP-S, are shown in Figure 2. Both require a USB 2.0 link for control and data transfer between the system and the PC-based user interface. Platform Facilitates Quick Prototyping and Evaluation By Rosemary Ryan System design can be a complex problem with many different elements to comprehend, but the ability to prototype and quickly demonstrate subsections of the solution can simplify the process and, more importantly, reduce the risks faced by designers. With Figure 2. Controller boards: a) SDP-B. b) SDP-S. the Analog Devices (ADI) System Demonstration Platform (SDP), The SDP-B, with an ADSP-BF527 Blackfin processor at its core, system designers can reuse central elements, allowing subsections is a small-form-factor board that uses a USB mini-B connector of their designs to be evaluated and demonstrated prior to the for PC connectivity, as shown in Figure 3. The Blackfin processor final system implementation. Component and reference circuit functions as the USB controller, and also provides a range of evaluation boards from across ADIs portfolio are now available peripheral interfaces to the daughter board. Available via two on the SDP, with more becoming available all the time. The identical 120-pin connectors, these interfaces include SPI, familiarity gained from prior use of the platform makes it easy for 2 SPORT, I C, GPIOs, timers, PPI, and asynchronous parallel. The users to evaluate new categories of components in an environment SDP-B controller can be used with any daughter board designed they already know and understand. The SDP connects to FPGA for the SDP. The two 120-pin connectors facilitate simultaneous evaluation and prototyping platforms, allowing easy creation connection of two daughter boards to a single controller board. and demonstration of customized FPGA embedded designs that communicate with ADI components. Users can build customized evaluation and prototyping systems quickly, and the ability to reuse various platform elements makes demonstrating a wide variety of hardware and software concepts easy and affordable. Platform Overview As shown in Figure 1, the System Demonstration Platform comprises a series of controller boards, interposer boards, and daughter boards that implement an easy to use evaluation system for ADI components and reference circuits that use them. Controller boards connect to a PC through a USB 2.0 link and to SDP-compatible daughter boards via on-board connectors. Daughter boards include dedicated component evaluation boards and Circuits from the Lab reference circuits. Interposer Figure 3. SDP-B controller functional overview. boards connect controller boards to daughter boards, or adapt SDP daughter boards to third-party tools. A standard, small- The SDP-S, a small, low-cost, serial-only controller board provides footprint, 120-pin connector with defined pinout is common a reduced set of peripheral interfaces as compared to the SDP-B. to all boards in the platform, allowing a customized system to With a USB-to-serial engine at its core, the SDP-S has a single be built and altered easily. Controller boards have a 120-pin 120-pin connector that is pin-compatible with the connectors on connector header daughter boards have a receptacle connector 2 the SDP-B. Its subset of peripheral interfaces includes SPI, I C, and interposer boards have a header, a receptacle, or both, and GPIOs. All boards designed to work with the SDP-S will work depending on their functionality. with the SDP-B, as the SDP-B provides a superset of the SDP-S capabilities. Table 1 compares the peripheral interfaces available with SDP-B and SDP-S boards. USB PLUG CONTROLLER BOARDS Table 1. Controller Boards Peripheral Interface SDP-B SDP-S SPI RD SDP DAUGHTER 3 PARTY SPORT INTERPOSER BOARDS BOARDS DESIGN TOOLS GPIO 2 I C Asynchronous Parallel RD EVALUATION SIGNAL MONITORING EVALUATING WITH 3 SYSTEM ON EVALUATION SYSTEM PARTY TOOLS PPI Timers Figure 1. System Demonstration Platform overview. Analog Dialogue 45-08 Back Burner, August (2011) www.analog.com/analogdialogue 1Easy Integration with FPGA Design Daughter Evaluation Boards The BeMicro SDK-SDP Interposer connects SDP daughter boards An increasing variety of data-converter, mixed-signal, and RF to the BeMicro SDK (solution development kit) for the creation component evaluation boards are being designed to work with the of embedded FPGA system prototypes. The BeMicro SDK System Demonstration Platform, as shown in Figure 4. With a was developed by Arrow in association with Altera. Its 120-pin single controller board, customers need only purchase a daughter connector header routes signals from component evaluation boards board for the specific component or reference circuit that they or Circuits from the Lab reference circuit boards to a Samtec want to evaluate during their selection process. Circuits from edge connector that attaches to the BeMicro SDK. Powered by a the Lab reference circuits are subsystem-level building blocks NIOS II processor and paired with an Eclipse-based integrated- that combine multiple ADI components to solve common design design environment, the BeMicro SDK allows users to customize challenges. Engineered, tested, and documented for quick and embedded processor designs easily and prototype solutions with easy system integration, connecting these boards to the SDP Alteras Cyclone 4 FPGA and a range of ADI evaluation boards. allows users to prototype complete reference circuits as easily as Provided by Arrow in association with Altera, the BeMicro SDK individual components. A full list of compatible daughter boards utilizes the familiar USB stick form factor. The BeMicro SDK and can be found at www.analog.com/sdp. Daughter boards may be BeMicro SDK-SDP Interposer can be purchased directly from externally powered if necessary, and each includes software Arrow. Figure 6 shows the BeMicro SDK, BeMicro SDK-SDP for communicating with the PC via the controller, as shown Interposer, and an ADI component evaluation board. in Figure 5. SAR ADCs ADC + AMP + ADC + AMP + ISOLATION + VREF RF SYSTEM DIGITAL PRECISION DEMONSTRATION POTENTIOMETERS DACs PLATFORM DDS RF + ADC + VREF RF ICs Figure 6. BeMicro SDK, interposer, and SDP controller. Figure 4. Universal evaluation platform for Purchasing Platform Elements system-critical technologies. More information on the controller boards, interposer boards, Interposer Boards and daughter boards can be found at www.analog.com/sdp and The SDP includes a variety of interposer boards that route signals www.arrownac.com/interposer. Table 2 shows platform board pricing. between two elements of the platform or connect elements of the Table 2. Platform Board Pricing platform to third-party evaluation systems. The SDP breakout board sits between a controller board and a daughter board. One Board Price end has a 120-pin receptacle connector allowing connection to a SDP-B 99 controller board the other end has a 120-pin header connector SDP-S 49 allowing connection to a daughter board. The signals from the receptacle are routed directly to the header. Each signal line SDP Breakout Board 49.95 has a through-hole probe point allowing it to be individually BeMicro-SDP Interposer 30 monitored. In this way, each signal on the 120-pin connector Daughter Boards From 50 can be easily accessed. Figure 5. Evaluation setup. 2 Analog Dialogue 45-08 Back Burner, August (2011)