PC/104 Cards Support RS-232/422/485

Despite the wealth of new-fangled serial buses that have emerged over the past several years, the venerable RS-232 and its cousins remain popular in embedded applications. Fortunately, vendors continue to support RS-232, RS-422, and RS-485, and that support has extended into the ruggedized realm. Serving that need, Octagon Systems has expanded its PC/104 line with four new serial cards designed for wide temperature operation for military, industrial and other markets. The set embraces a wide range of serial capability including modes of operation and serial interface types.

Both asynchronous and synchronous operation is available with standard and custom baud rates. Standard baud rates to 960 kB are supported as well as RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485 interfaces. Opto-isolation can also be provided. All are compatible with any 16-bit PC/104 Bus CPU. Interrupts, base addresses and interfaces are jumperable. One card in the series is software configurable between RS-232 and RS-485. The cards operate from -40° to 85°C or -20° to 70°C. Software drivers included. Prices range from $145 to $325 in small quantities.

Octagon Systems, Westminster, CO. (303) 430-1500. [www.octagonsystems.com].

Secure Wireless Transceiver Draws Only 1 Watt

Advanced, portable communications gear ranks high in today’s military development efforts. Developers are hungry for high-speed, secure, low power solutions. Feeding that appetite is the 9XTend wireless transceiver from MaxStream. It supports the highest encryption standard available: 256-bit AES encryption. It also supports the highest power output allowed by the FCC at 1 mW to 1 W. The device provides a transmission range of up to 3000 ft. indoor/urban environments, up to 40 miles line-of-sight and a 900 MHz data throughput of up to 115 Kbit/s sustainable RF data rate with up to 230 Kbit/s interface data rate.

The 9XTend is suited for secure, critical and long-range applications including homeland security, remote monitoring, building automation systems, automated teller machines, point-of-sale terminals and keyless/remote access systems, among others. Development kits and production units are available now. Also available is an enclosed, plug-and-play RS-232/485 radio modem. The stand-alone 9XTend RF modem sells for $299 with volume discounts available.

MaxStream, Orem, UT. (801) 765-9885. [www.maxstream.net].

Long gone are the days when radar image capture subsystems took up a whole crate of boards. Sensoray has introduced its Model 2411 Still Image Video Server; a stack of PC/104+ boards programmed to capture single frames from composite sources such as radar, ultrasonic sources and video cameras. Frame capture can be triggered from a software command or from an external switch. Stored images may be compressed before they are downloaded via the unit’s Ethernet port and/or stored in internal memory.

A JPEG compression function allows efficient use of internal storage and speeds the downloading of stored images. Typical compression factors of 20:1 yield quality images.

The 2411 is programmed with an FTP server to facilitate image transfers to a remote computer. The FTP server may also be used to download custom application programs. The server is accessible from a command line or from a browser such as Windows Explorer or onqueror. The price for a single Model 2411 is $787.

Sensoray Company, Tigard, OR. (503) 684-8005.

[www.sensoray.com].

There’s a class of data acquisition applications that requires a large number of high bandwidth channels. Examples include high frequency sonar applications such as mine hunting, transient applications such as weapon and explosive testing and dynamic applications such as rocket and jet engine testing. ICS takes aim at those needs with its ICS-645 ADC Board, a differential input, high-speed, high-precision PCI Bus data acquisition card designed for high frequency sonar and high-speed test and measurement applications. Key features of the ICS-645C are its onboard front-end signal conditioning capability and high impedance differential inputs. A FPDP II provides high-speed output.

The ICS-645C provides up to 32 channels and sample rates of up to 2.5 MHz/channel and includes a PCI interface with DMA capability, and a 400 MB/s FPDP II interface for rapid transfer of ADC data. The on-board data storage capability includes a 2 Msample swing buffer. Data collection may be done either in continuous mode or in capture mode. Price ranges from $13,995 to $17,990, depending on channel count.

Interactive Circuits and Systems, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (613) 749-9241. [www.ics-ltd.com].

The Pentium M processor’s blend of performance and low power continues to attract wins in the embedded market. Concurrent Technologies has weighed in with its PP 30x/02x, a CompactPCI card sporting a 1.8 GHz Pentium processor, the Intel 855GME GMCH chip set and up to 2 GBs of 333 MHz DDR ECC SDRAM. The PP 30x/02x can operate as a system/peripheral slot controller or as a satellite board (blade), all with hot-swap capability. This SBC’s I/O capability includes Ultra-160 SCSI, dual EIDE ATA100 and dual Serial ATA150 interfaces, a 66MHz PMC site, four Gbit Ethernet channels, PICMG 2.16 and PICMG 2.9 (IPMI). For harsher applications, using the 1.4 GHz processor version, operation over -40°C to +85°C and over -25°C to +70°C is supported

To cater to a range of applications, using the EIDE ATA100 interface, there are options to install an on-board EIDE 2.5-inch disk drive or CompactFlash/Hitachi GST Microdrive carrier, while maintaining a single slot. For embedded applications that require the PMC site the board supports an onboard CompactFlash socket as standard. For faster CompactPCI control/data plane throughput, the PP 30x/02x can operate at 66 MHz backplane PCI signaling speeds. PP 30x/02x list prices start from approximately $3,100.

Concurrent Technologies, Ann Arbor, MI. (734) 971-6309. [www.gocct.com].

Device Does 3 GB/min Capture of Hard Drive Data

In today’s military environment, information—capturing it, assessing it, verifying it—can be as vital as bullets. Sometimes that information includes data that must be extracted from a hard drive. Along such lines, Logicube’s Forensic MD5 unit is a forensic hard-drive acquisition system specifically designed for the requirements of law enforcement and the military. This high-speed, hardware-based, data acquisition system runs at 3 GB/minute., simultaneously capturing, imaging, verifying and keyword searching the data at full speed.

The system’s unidirectional, non-tampering drive-capture ensures exact, bit-for-bit duplication and verification, including deleted files, hidden files and file slack. The Forensic MD5 also features DD imaging, allowing the user to choose 650 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB and 4 GB images. The Forensic MD5 is compatible with all standard or proprietary operating systems, virtually any size or type of drive—IDE, EIDE, UDMA, SCSI—and is designed with a controlled airflow system to ensure no loss of data due to drive overheating. The MD5 unit is priced at $3,495.

Logicube, Chatsworth, CA. 1-888-494-8832. [www.logicubeforensics.com].

Because it’s been around for decades in one form or another, Ethernet has won over the hearts of military network developers. But military networks require a level above the robustness common in the IT world. They want redundancy and quick recovery when networks fail. Contemporary Controls serves that need with its RapidRing technology, which provides an automatic backup link in Ethernet networks when wired in a ring topology. RapidRing is available in the company’s managed switch line including the EISX8M, EICP8M or various EISB models.

RapidRing technology enables a network recovery in less than 300 ms. The STP protocol can recover within 30 seconds, and the RSTP protocol can recover within 1 to 2 seconds. Levine states that in order to improve the RSTP recovery time, a mesh network can be utilized 3/4 requiring at least three connections between each switch. The company’s range of managed switched systems range in price from $695 to $1,795, depending on operating temperature and port count.

Contemporary Control Systems, Downers Grove, IL. (630) 963-7070. [www.ccontrols.com].

When your job is to power the critical electronics aboard a combat jet aircraft, there’s no margin for error. What’s required is a VME unit that meets the most stringent avionics specifications and is designed for use in an ATR chassis. With that in mind, Rantec is offering a 460W, conduction-cooled power supply, in the standard IEEE STD 1101.2-1992 6U style, 2 pitch format for military VME ATR applications. The unit accepts MIL-STD-704B-E, three phase, 400 Hz aircraft input voltage and provides isolated 5V, +/-12V and 3.3V outputs.

The design has been qualified to MIL-STD-461E and MIL-STD-810 vibration, shock, humidity, fungus and explosive atmosphere. The MIL-STD-217F MTBF is over 30,000 hours at 55°C in an Airborne Uninhabited Cargo environment. The design is intended for airborne ATR plug-in applications. Rantec also offers single pitch conduction-cooled 6U models of this power supply. Prices for the VME power supply in OEM quantity starts at $7,000.

Rantec Power Systems, Los Osos, CA. (805) 596-6000. [www.rantec.com].

Multi-Function cPCI Blends a Mix of Signaling I/O

The magic of semiconductor integration has enabled designers to cram functions that used to take several boards onto a single card. Exemplifying that trend is a 6-module, multi-function, single slot cPCI card from North Atlantic Industries. This universal card eliminates the complexity and size constraints of using multiple, independent, single-function cards. The 78C1 cPCI card can include the functions of A/D (10-channels), D/A (10-channels), Discrete I/O (16-channels), TTL I/O (16-channels), RTD (6-channels), Synchro/Resolver (4-channels), LVDT/RVDT (4-channels) and Signal Generator (4-channels). The interchangeable multi-function design of the 78C1 provides extensive diagnostics and is available in both commercial temperature range and severe environment, military temperature range.

The 78C1 is suited for military and commercial programs, including airborne, shipboard, ground mobile and C3I applications. Its interchangeable modules increase functional density and reduce power consumption, size and cost of the overall system. The 78C1 is available with operating temperature ranges of -40°C to +85°C and 0°C to +70°C. Conduction cooled versions with wedgelocks are also available. Pricing for 100 pieces of the 78C1 cPCI card starts at $2,000.

North Atlantic Industries, Bohemia, NY. (631) 567-1100. [www.naii.com].

PC RAID Controller Makes Back-Up and Security a Snap

Not all systems can back up to a server on a regular basis, but that doesn’t mean the data is any less critical. A new RAID controller provides data mirroring and back-up to PCs, and occupies only a single 3.5-inch drive bay. The Accordance M100 is an EIDE RAID controller that plugs into a standard PC storage bay and uses two 2.5-inch laptop drives instead of a single 3.5-inch hard disk. The unit requires no additional software or hardware to run and works with any operating system including Windows, Linux and Macintosh.

The RAID controller maintains two identical copies of data on each drive to provide an immediate back-up in the event that one of the drives fails. Its hot swap capability ensures zero down time—the M100 can automatically copy data when a failed drive is replaced, allowing the user to work while data is being transferred to the new disk. Drives are installed in separate locking front-loading trays of the M100 that can be removed for off-site data security or virus protection. The M100 has forced air-cooling and audible alarms for event notification. List price for the Accordance M100, without drives, is $399.

Accordance Systems, Des Moines, IA. (515) 223-4845. [www.accordancesystems.com].

Heisenberg Foiled—Tap into Fiber without Altering Timing

Fibre Channel is used in numerous defense systems for storage, robust data movement and to connect sensors to systems, but hooking in an analyzer occasionally presents traffic problems. Analyzers typically preserve the protocol by repeating the traffic, but the timing of data transfer between devices can be changed due to the latency and possible re-clocking of the data signal as it passes through the analyzer.

The Multimode-50 optical splitter from Ancot provides a convenient method for tapping into data traffic on fiber optic data links and passing the original signal without disturbance. The splitter is “protocol agnostic” and can be used with any data link protocol that utilizes multimode optical fiber. It is especially useful for Fibre Channel considering new techniques such as active speed negotiation between devices, which often requires compatibility with multiple data rates and rapid synchronization to new data rates so as to not interrupt the negotiation process. The splitter works by diverting 25% of the optical signal to the test equipment, allowing it to monitor the data link without any disturbance or timing changes in the data transfer. The Multimode-50 is priced at $990 for single unit quantities.

Ancot Corporation, Menlo Park, CA. (650) 322-5322. [www.ancot.com].

VxWorks Kit Speeds Application Development

Face it: VxWorks is still the most popular deployed RTOS in embedded military systems. But increasingly, “embedded” goes beyond PowerPCs and Pentiums to lower power RISC processors like Intel’s XScale (originally based upon the ARM architecture). Arcom has announced the launch of the PXA255 XScale Development Kit and board support package for Wind River’s VxWorks 5.5 real-time operating system. The kit includes a pre-installed evaluation copy of the VxWorks RTOS and a 30-day evaluation copy of Wind River’s Tornado II IDE development tools.

The development kit comes with the 400 MHz XScale-based VIPER PC/104 single board computer fitted with 64 Mbytes DRAM, 32 Mbytes of Flash and 256 Kbytes SRAM, along with a compact industrial enclosure and uninterruptible power supply. Performance tests demonstrate a worst-case system interrupt latency of 29 microseconds for a heavily loaded system. The board offers TFT flat panel support, 10/100baseTx Ethernet, dual USB 1.1 ports, five serial ports and expansion via the CompactFlash socket and industry standard PC/104 bus. The kit also includes a serial and Ethernet cable set and an optional Q-VGA color display and touchscreen. The kit is $1,295 (no display) or $1,895 (with LCD touchscreen).

Arcom, Overland Park, KS. (888) 941-2224. [www.arcom.com].

One of the biggest advantages of SHARC DSPs in defense is their flow-through data movement capability. Couple this to FPGAs for pre- and post-processing, and you’ve got an ideal signal processing platform. The T2-6U-cPCI (T26U) from BittWare is a new DSP board based on the ADSP-TS201 TigerSHARC. In addition to eight 600 MHz TigerSHARCs, the T26U features two Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGAs, two PMC sites, 64-bit/66 MHz CompactPCI interface, large on-board memory and over 9.6 Gbytes/s of flexible, high-throughput I/O interfaces. By tightly integrating the DSPs, PCI bridge, PMC interface and I/O peripherals with the on-board FPGA, the scalable architecture dubbed “ATLANTiS” (for Advanced Transfer Link Architecture for New TigerSHARC) gives designers extremely flexible options for configuring and routing the high-throughput I/O.

This is integrated with 24 Mbits of on-chip RAM per DSP and four high-speed LVDS link ports running at up to 1 Gbyte/s each. The T26U interconnects two link ports from each DSP to create an interprocessor communications ring, and two are routed to the on-board FPGA for I/O. I/O options include two PMC sites with BittWare’s PMC+ I/O extensions, digital I/O available on the front (via PMC+ interface) and back panels, and RocketIO high-speed serial transceivers available on the front and back panels. Pricing starts at $15,995 in single piece quantity.

BittWare, Concord, MA. (603) 226-0404 [www.bittware.com].

Switchless VXS System Extends VME, Enables Migration

The military is still the single largest user of VME-based systems, and a new VXS system from Bustronic and Pentek is designed to further extend its life—again. Together they have announced a five-slot VXS system that significantly improves VME system throughput and provides full fabric support for three payload cards without the necessity of a fabric switch card. Pentek’s 6821 is a 12-bit/215 MHz A/D and Dual Virtex-II Pro FPGA VME/VXS board and is the first in a family of VXS products supported by this new system.

The VXS Switched Serial standard is the VITA initiative to advance VME technology. Fully backward-compatible with VME/VME64x, it utilizes a new 6.4 Gbit/s high-speed connector in the VME64x backplane, which allows the use of switched fabric signals. The VITA 41 spec includes InfiniBand, RapidIO, Ethernet and PCI Express and gives designers the flexibility to plug in a mix of standard VME64x cards, VXS payload cards and VXS switch cards. VXS switch cards are not yet readily available, making the system ideal for developing and testing new VXS products. The VXS enclosure starts under $2,000 depending on volume, configuration and options. Pricing for Pentek’s 6821 starts at $7,595.

ELMA-Bustronic, Fremont, CA. (510) 656-3400. [www.elma.com].

Pentek, Upper Saddle River, NJ. (201) 818-5900. [www.pentek.com].

Still using VME-based Pentium 4 SBCs in deployed, harsh environment chassis? The 1.4 GHz Intel Pentium M processor is ideal for embedded applications requiring low power consumption. The DPM from Dynatem provides single-slot VMEbus operation with up to 4 GB of bootable Compact Flash. High-speed 855GME & 6300ESB chipsets support a 66 MHZ PCI-X expansion bus that can fully utilize the two Gigabit Ethernet ports available on the DPM, eliminating any data transfer bottleneck. The DPM comes populated with up to 1 GB of DDR-266 SDRAM with ECC and a memory bandwidth of 2.1 GB/s. On-board Compact Flash permits single-slot booting, and a 10/100BaseTX port, an RS-232 port, a DVO/VGA port, and two USB 2.0 ports are all accessible from the front panel.

Additional I/O routed to the backplane includes IDE, two Serial ATA ports, two Gigabit Ethernet ports, DVO/VGA, additional USB 2.0 or a variety of standard PC I/O made available with a Super I/O device on rear plug-in cards. A PMC expansion site permits I/O tailored to users’ application requirements. Ruggedized, IEEE 1101.2-compliant, conduction-cooled versions with heat sink, stiffener bar and wedgelocks are available. Pricing for the DPM starts at $3,350 in single quantity.

Dynatem, Mission Viejo, CA. (949) 855-3235. [www.dynatem.com].

TabletPC Steps into Rugged World

Rugged, powerful and connected—these are the essential features in a field computer. And Getac’s MobileForce CA27, a rugged slate TabletPC designed for demanding computing environments, delivers them all. Weighing in at less than 4.5 pounds, the CA27 is based on a low-voltage 1.1 MHz Intel Pentium M processor that includes 1 MB onboard cache, 64 MB shared video memory, up to 1 GB DDR SDRAM and a 40GB hard drive. Water, dust, and dirt proof, the slate meets MIL-STD-810F and is built to operate in environments with temperatures below 0°F and up to +130°F. The CA27 can be mounted in a vehicle with an optional docking station and wireless keyboard which are also water, dirt and dust proof. The tablet runs the Windows XP Tablet OS and the fully sealed display is a 10.4” TFT XGA LCD with resistive touch screen (with an optional sunlight readable display).

Built for wireless mobility, the CA27 can securely connect to 802.11a/b-based infrastructures, plus a wide range of industry wireless-LAN security standards such as 802.1X, WEP, WPA and AES. A 56.6K modem, PCMCIA slot and the unit’s unique X-bay option let the user add GPRS/GSM and GPS for true global communications. The CA27 is priced at $3,995.

Getac Inc., Lake Forest, CA. (949) 699-2888. [www.getac.com].

Geo-spacial apps, high-resolution imaging and military reconnaissance all consume staggering amounts of storage. To help satisfy the demand, Medéa has released the RAID Shuttle, a small, high-performance disk storage array designed for secure and reliable storage in extreme environments. The RAID Shuttle offers up to 1.6 TB of storage on 3.5-inch IDE removable disk drives and is contained in a shockproof compact enclosure that protects data in harsh environments like mobile land, airborne and high altitude settings up to 40,000 feet.

The Fibre Channel interface provides high data transfer rates of up to 200 MB/s, and sustained data transfer rates of 180 MB/s, all in a package measuring 7.62” x 7.5” x 12.52”. Using standard CPU software, the Shuttle is compatible with all standard Fibre Channel/SCSI software and is also interoperable with all major host adapters. It boasts a built-in 4-port hub for multi-host connections and is available in three configurations that are priced between $12,000 and $20,000, depending on specific options and storage capacity.

Medéa Corporation, Tustin, CA. (949) 852-8511. [www.medea.com].

DC-DC Converter Meets Power-Over-Ethernet Requirements

Beyond tried-and-true serial connections, Ethernet is probably the most popular general-purpose data link in defense systems. Increasingly used to connect to remote sensors or controllers, being able to power end point devices directly over the Ethernet cable is very handy. The HHS05Z55 from Power-One is a 260Watt DC-DC half-brick converter designed for Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) power sourcing equipment and next-generation IP telephony applications. The HHS05Z55 operates over a wide input range, 36 to 75 VDC, to provide a tightly regulated 53.7 VDC, 4.85 amp output, at efficiencies up to 93%.

The HHS05Z55 integrates internal noise filtering, an input-to-output isolation of 2250VDC and a Basic safety insulation rating to facilitate system compliance to the stringent requirements of IEEE 802.3af. In addition to interface capabilities of remote on/off, remote sense and output trim, protection features provided are output overvoltage and overcurrent, undervoltage lockout and overtemperature. Regulatory agency approvals include UL60950-3rd/CSA C22.2 60950-00, TUV EN60950:2001, and IEC60950-1:2001. This power-dense converter measures 2.40” x 2.28” x 0.42” (61.0 x 57.9 x 10.67 mm). Pricing is $80 each in quantities of 1,000.

Power-One, Camarillo, CA. (805) 987-8741. [www.power-one.com].

Compact Flash Serial I/O Adapters Extend Field PDAs

The need to connect to standard PC ports can impose limitations on the use of PDAs for field data acquisition. A straightforward solution is provided by Sealevel Systems, who recently announced four new Compact Flash serial I/O adapters aimed at mobile computing applications. These cards offer a convenient way to add RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485 communications to PDAs and other mobile devices not normally equipped with serial ports. Target applications include data acquisition, medical, control and point-of-sale.

The cards are automatically recognized by hardware running Windows CE and PocketPC, and drivers are included for Windows 2000 and XP. The cards are compatible with 3.3V and 5V devices, include full hardware modem control and can operate at speeds up to 921.6 Kbits/s. One-port models are Compact Flash Type I-compliant, and the RS-232 card can be ordered with a permanently affixed ruggedized cable. The two-port card is Compact Flash Type II-compliant and includes optical isolation on both RS-232 ports for protection against transients and ground loops. All cards provide protection against electrostatic discharge (ESD), are housed in a rugged metal case and are backed by a lifetime warranty. Prices begin at $119.

Sealevel Systems, Liberty, SC. (864) 843-4343. [www.sealevel.com].

To improve battlefield decision making, field personnel increasingly rely on video data from a variety of sources, such as UAVs. Effectively managing and sharing that data, however, has proven to be a significant challenge. To ease the burden Titan has released VideoScout, a video management computer to enable field personnel to easily capture, analyze and relay video intelligence coming from a variety of sources, including manned and unmanned vehicles. VideoScout is a portable, ruggedized Pentium-based system that includes video management software and digital video and image processing board technology. The processing board can capture, compress/decompress and process the large volumes of analog and digital video data coming from vehicle feeds as well as pre-recorded video data. The software is a touch-screen application that allows users to capture video along with system-generated metadata, such as GPS data, altitude and target location and to view, store, analyze and forward relevant video to other locations.

With a magnesium casing and waterproof rubber keyboard, the Windows-based laptop meets stringent MIL-STD-801F standards. A 10/100 Base-T Ethernet port is the primary communication vehicle, with an additional Ethernet port available on the video and image processing board. Single unit pricing is $20,000.

Titan Corporation, San Diego, CA. (858) 527-6100. [www.titan.com].

Currently deployed VMEbus systems run at a theoretical rate of 80 MB/s, but VITA’s new “VME Renaissance” 2eSST (two edge source synchronous transfer) runs at up to 320 MB/s. Accordingly, VMETRO has updated their VME Renaissance-enabled bus analyzer, originally released in January of this year. The recent BusView 4.30 update adds significant enhancements and capabilities to the analyzer, including: address mnemonics, temperature, voltage and timestamp included in trace at trigger functionality, faster USB and Ethernet connections and extended context-sensitive help with mouse over functions.

In addition, VMETRO announced its first Vanguard VME Bus Analyzer expansion module, a VME exerciser. This module provides additional capabilities including a VMEbus master with two DMA engines, built-in script recording and playback, an interrupt generator and handler and full 2eSST protocol support. The price of the Vanguard VME Analyzer starts at $11,900 while the VME exerciser starts at $4,220.

VMETRO, Houston, TX. (281) 584-0728. [www.vmetro.com].

Software & IP Cores

Enterprise Architecture Targets DoD-Specific Needs

Documenting existing and planned enterprise architectures is often mandated by law or government agencies. The U.S. Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF), and other architecture frameworks based on it, such as the UK’s MODAF (Ministry of Defence Architecture Framework), and NAF (NATO C3 Architecture Framework), define a common approach for enterprise architecture description, development, presentation and integration for both warfighting operations and business processes.

Providing a tool for just such needs, Telelogic’s Enterprise Architect for DoDAF is a comprehensive solution for defining and constructing enterprise architectures compliant with DoDAF, which supersedes the framework known as the C4ISR AF. Enterprise Architect for DoDAF provides a comprehensive solution for defining and constructing DoDAF-compliant enterprise architectures and uniquely bridges the gap between describing and implementing architectures by leveraging the world’s leading requirements management product, Telelogic DOORS, and advanced modeling technology in Telelogic TAU/Architect. As an added benefit, integration with Telelogic SYNERGY provides support for managing change throughout the development lifecycle. Pricing for Enterprise Architect for Department of Defense Architecture Framework ranges from $1,500 to $16,995 depending on the type of license and current Telelogic products being used.

Telelogic, Irvine, CA. (949) 830-8022. [www.telelogic.com].

IDE Gets DSP Development in Tune

In contrast with general-purpose processors, DSPs have their own peculiar software development needs. Unfortunately, the range of tools hasn’t been as robust in the DSP space. Tools like Texas Instruments Code Composer help bridge that gap. TI has just released its Code Composer Studio Tuning Edition (TE) Integrated Development Environment (IDE). CCStudio TE accelerates the development process by providing an integrated collection of seven tools that make it easier and faster for DSP programmers to optimize code for speed and size.

CCStudio TE’s tools proactively review program code, track potential areas for improvement and offer suggestions to help programmers optimize system performance and memory usage. These features speed development time and help programmers unleash the full potential of TI’s TMS320C6000 DSP platform devices. TE’s centerpiece is its dashboard, a user-friendly configurable display that reduces the learning curve typical of detailed code optimization tools. The dashboard is made up of four windows—the Advice Window, the Goals Window, the Profile Setup and the Profile Viewer. CCStudio TE is available today for $3,595. For current C6000 Code Composer Studio subscribers, TE is free under their active subscription.

Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX. (281) 274-4170. [www.ti.com].

Software Helps Track COTS Project Costs

The importance of tracking, managing and estimating costs has reached a new plateau for today’s military system developer. PRICE Systems eases that burden with its newest release of its suite of cost estimating and analysis models and knowledge management tools, TruePlanning 2004. The software package is designed to help project planners dramatically improve the estimating, forecasting and management of complex software, information technology and weapon system projects. It includes PRICE cost models, industry-specific, standard parametric cost models and benchmarks for software and information technology.

Features have been improved and added throughout the TruePlanning 2004 suite, including improved usability, powerful reporting tools and embedded uncertainty analysis capability. In this release, special attention has been placed on addressing the critical need to improve cost planning and management of COTS projects. The release includes project audit reports that provide visibility into estimate development and justification. The release also includes the ability to export TruePlanning results to Microsoft Project and to PDF and HTML formats for improved presentations. Average price range of the TruePlanning product is $25,000-$50,000 per year depending on configuration and deployment.

PRICE Systems, Mount Laurel, NJ. (856) 608-7217. [www. pricesystems.com].