New Boards Unleash DSP Power – with a Green Twist

When is enough DSP power, enough? In rapid prototyping, the answer is: never. With this in mind, the new SMT348 and SMT368 from DSP experts, Sundance Multiprocessor Technology, pack extreme DSP processing-power density and are designed to deliver performance like Ferraris on steroids.

Based on the Xilinx Virtex4 range, the SMT348 features 16MB of blistering fast QDRII memory; ensuring ample capacity to develop today’s demanding applications. With 8MB of ZBTRAM, the lower cost SMT368 is also more than capable of reducing prototype development times.

Besides raw speed, both the SMT348 and SMT368 are scalable and future-proof. They include SHB interfaces and the SLB (Sundance LVDS Bus) interface. These provide quick and easy connection to Sundance’s rapid ADC and DAC modules, such as the SMT390 (capable of 210MSPS) and the SMT391 (capable of 1GSPS), for data acquisition or software radio systems. Also, they are both in the Sundance TIM-compatible form-factor. This ensures they integrate easily with a large range of other DSP and FPGA modules.

Not just impressive stats, importantly, this all adds up to a tremendously quick platform for developers of Multi-carrier/Multi-standard cellular systems, High Direct-IF infrastructures and RF Test Equipment applications. Also SDR development teams, scientists, satellite, Radar, WiMAX, 3G and other RF system developers, researchers, aerospace engineers and Matlab modellers, will all appreciate the capability and return on investment promised by such a rapid prototyping tool.

DSP system analyst with Sundance, Sebastien Maury, explained, “The introduction of the SMT348 and SMT368 means Sundance can offer rapid prototype development teams more than 250 possible combinations of COTS DSP, FPGA and TIM boards to meet their constantly changing needs.”

So what is the Green twist? The SMT348 and SMT368 are one hundred percent compliant with the RoHS (Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances) directive. The modules are built on Sundance’s in-house vapour-phase production process. Sundance’s QA manager, Ann Rosenhagen, commented, “From my time at the London School of Economics, I have always been interested in the impact of products on the environment. It is great to work with a company that takes the issue seriously and is taking a lead to reduce harmful waste.”