System demonstration platform for quick prototyping and evaluation

System design is sometimes complex and requires a good understanding of many different components. If the various parts of the solution can be prototyped and quickly demonstrated, the process can be simplified and, more importantly, the risk faced by the designer can be reduced. With ADI's System Demonstration Platform (SDP), system designers can reuse core components to evaluate and demonstrate design decisions before the final system is implemented.

The components and lab circuit evaluation boards of the Analog Devices family of products are available on the SDP and are updated at any time. Since the platform has been used before, it has a certain awareness, and users can easily evaluate new types of components in a familiar environment. SDP connects to the FPGA evaluation and prototyping platform, making it easy to create and demonstrate custom FPGA embedded designs that communicate with ADI components. Users can quickly build custom evaluation and prototyping systems, and reuse a variety of platform components to demonstrate a wide range of hardware and software concepts that are simple and economical.

As shown in Figure 1, the system demonstration platform consists of a series of controller boards, interposer boards, and daughter boards that are easy to use with ADI components and lab circuits. The controller board is connected to a personal computer via USB 2.0 and connected to the SDP-compatible daughter board via an on-chip connector. The daughter board includes a dedicated component evaluation board and Circuits from the LabTM lab circuit. The interposer board connects the controller board to the daughter board or adjusts the SDP daughter board to accommodate third-party tools. Standard small form factor 120-pin connectors with defined pinouts are common components on all boards on the platform, allowing for custom and easy-to-change systems. There are 120-pin connector connectors on the controller board and socket connectors on the daughter board. The interposer board has connectors or sockets (or both) depending on the function.

As shown in Figure 2, there are two types of controller boards, SDP-B and SDP-S. Both require control and data transfer between the system and the personal computer interface via a USB 2.0 connection.

Controller board: a) SDP-B, b) SDP-S

As shown in Figure 3, the SDP-B is a small form factor board that connects to a personal computer with a USB mini-B connector. The core is the ADSP-BF527 Blackfin® processor. The Blackfin processor functions as a USB controller and also provides a range of peripheral interfaces for the daughter board. These interfaces are provided by two identical 120-pin connectors, including SPI, SPORT, I2C, GPIO, timer, PPI, and asynchronous parallel interface. The SDP-B controller can be used with any daughter board designed for SDP. Two 120-pin connectors for easy simultaneous connection of two daughter boards to one controller board

SDP-B controller function overview

The SDP-S is a small, low-cost, serial-only controller board with fewer peripheral interfaces than SDP-B. The core component of the SDP-S is the USB-serial engine, which has a 120-pin connector that is pin compatible with the connector on the SDP-B. Some peripheral interfaces include SPI, I2C, and GPIO. The SDP-B contains all the functions of the SDP-S, so all boards suitable for SDP-S are suitable for SDP-B. Table 1 compares the peripheral interfaces provided by the SDP-B and SDP-S boards.

Table 1. Controller Board

As shown in Figure 4, there are more and more data converters, mixed-signal and RF component evaluation boards available for the system demonstration platform. With a single control panel, users only need to purchase a single daughter board that can be used in the selection process to prepare specific components or lab circuits for evaluation. The lab circuit combines subsystem-level building blocks with a variety of ADI components to solve common design challenges. These boards are designed, tested, and documented for quick and easy system integration. Once the board is connected to the SDP, the entire lab circuit can be prototyped and the process is as easy as a single component. For a complete list of compatible daughter boards, visit the official website of analog. The sub-boards can be externally powered if necessary, and each sub-board includes corresponding software that can communicate with the personal computer through the controller, as shown in FIG.

System key technology universal evaluation platform

Evaluation System

The SDP includes a variety of interposer boards that can transmit signals between two components of the platform or connect components of the platform to a third-party evaluation system. The SDP breakout board is located between the controller board and the daughter board. There is a 120-pin socket connector on one end that can be connected to the controller board and a 120-pin header on the other end that can be connected to the daughter board. Signals from the outlet can be sent directly to the connector. Each signal line has a through-hole detection point that allows it to be monitored separately. This way, every signal on the 120-pin connector is easily accessible

The BeMicro SDK-SDP interposer connects the SDP daughter board to the BeMicro SDK ((Solution Development Kit) to create an embedded FPGA system prototype. The BeMicro SDK was jointly developed by Arrow from Altera. It has a 120-pin connector connector. Send signals from the component evaluation board or lab board to the Samtec edge connector connected to the BeMicro SDK. The BeMicro SDK is powered by the NIOS® II processor and features an Eclipse integrated design environment that allows users to pass Altera's Cyclone® 4 FPGAs and The Series ADI Evaluation Board makes it easy to customize embedded processor design and prototyping solutions. The BeMicro SDK uses a similar USB stick size from Arrow and Altera. The BeMicro SDK and BeMicro SDK-SDP interposer are available for purchase directly from Arrow. 6 shows the BeMicro SDK, BeMicro SDK-SDP interposer and ADI component evaluation board.

BeMicro SDK, interposer and SDP controller

FPGA system function module

To simplify the system design process, we need to provide easy-to-use demonstration and evaluation components to solve the growing problem, and the system demonstration platform will continue to grow. In September 2011, system function modules will be added to the platform to provide more functions for the existing platform. The first module is the FPGA module. The SDP-FPGA module is located between the controller board and the daughter board, adding flexibility to the demonstration or prototyping system. The SDP-FPGA module connects the 120-pin connector to the controller board and has a 120-pin header that can be connected to the daughter board. The SDP-FPGA board also has a differential connector, and components with differential communication interfaces are available for the SDP platform.

The system demonstration platform provides system designers with the flexibility that was previously not available with a single ADI platform. As the platform continues to evolve, the power of reusable, custom system demonstrations and prototyping will become more apparent. A wide variety of daughter boards, including component evaluation boards and lab circuits, ensure that the system demonstration platform provides a one-stop solution to meet the designer's assessment and presentation needs. Please visit the official website of the analyst to keep abreast of the news of SDP.