Preconfigured 6U VPX system suits tight R&D schedules

The Model 8264 is delivered with customer selected Pentek hardware configured for either Windows 7 Professional or Linux operating systems along with ReadyFlow BSP drivers and software examples, fully installed and tested. This pre-integrated system not only targets research and development in a lab environment, but also serves as a platform for deployed applications.

The Model 8264 extends the family of SPARK development systems that also includes the Model 8267 3U VPX and the Model 8266 PC development systems giving customers a choice that meets their needs. In all configurations, the hardware is pre-installed in the appropriate slots and fully configured with proper cabling, power and cooling strategies. The CPU board is configured with optimised BIOS and operating system settings. The customer simply needs to unpack the system, power up and start developing or run example applications right out-of-the-box.

Pentek teams up with customers to select from the extensive family of Cobalt and Onyx 6U VPX modules and then evaluates system requirements to configure the Model 8264 most appropriate for the final application. Engineering teams, big and small alike, can take advantage of Pentek expertise and SPARK to jumpstart a tight development schedule.

Pentek ReadyFlow drivers and board support libraries are preinstalled and tested. ReadyFlow includes example applications with full source code, a command line interface for immediate control over hardware without the need for compiling any code, and Pentek’s Signal Analyser, a full-featured analysis tool that continuously displays live signals in both time and frequency domains.

Built on a professional 6U 9-slot, rackmount workstation, the Model 8264 is populated with a high-performance VPX single board computer with an Intel Core i7 processor and DDR3 SDRAM. All necessary analogue and timing cables are installed and tested, providing SMA connectivity for all analogue I/O lines. The Model 8264 can be configured with 64-bit Windows Professional or Linux operating systems. These features accelerate application code development and provide unhindered access to the high-bandwidth links connecting the Cobalt and Onyx analogue and digital I/O modules.

“The Model 8264 SPARK development platform slashes development time by weeks, because the development team can start coding immediately,” stated Rodger Hosking, Vice President, Pentek. “The value of a pre-configured system with pre-compiled example code is priceless at the early development stage, where the learning curve can be quite steep.”

The Model 8264 starts at $17,495 for the base platform. Price includes the VPX chassis with all power supplies and fans, CPU board with rear transition module, switch card, ReadyFlow board support libraries, cables, integration, testing and set up. Delivery is 10 to 12 weeks ARO. Pentek provides free lifetime support for all products.