LEESBURG, VA - June 16, 2009 --Curtiss-Wright Controls Embedded Computing, a leading designer and manufacturer of rugged deployed commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) VME, VPX and CompactPCI products for the Aerospace and Defense market (A&D), has announced that its multi-core CHAMP-AV6 VPX digital signal processor (DSP) engine is now available with an advanced new Air-Flow-Through (AFT) cooling technology. AFT cooling technology can accommodate power densities well in excess of 100 Watts per slot, and has been implemented in multi-slot single line-replaceable units (LRUs) with total power dissipation rated >1,000 Watts. Unlike the classic conduction-cooled model in which the chassis provides the heat-exchange function, the innovative AFT cooling technology implemented by Curtiss-Wright Controls locates the card-to-air heat exchangers within the processing module. Test results for AFT-based systems show significantly improved cooling of high-power modules, such as the CHAMP-AV6, resulting in lower component temperatures for a given inlet air-temperature.
The CHAMP-AV6 AFT design features inlet and exhaust ports that connect and seal directly to the chassis. An AFT system provides a similar level of environmental separation between the cooling air and the module electronics as does a conduction-cooled system.
Curtiss-Wright Controls supports this advanced cooling technology on a wide range of its advanced embedded modules. In addition to the AFT variant of the CHAMP-AV6, AFT versions of the VPX6-185 Single Board Computer, the CHAMP-FX2 FPGA Application Accelerator, and the VPX6-684 Gigabit Ethernet Switch are also available. Curtiss Wright can supply system level solutions including qualified enclosures and power supplies based on AFT with these board products and can adapt other conduction-cooled modules to the AFT format.
"Curtiss-Wright Controls delivers the broadest and most advanced range of cooling and packaging options available in the embedded aerospace and defense market," said Lynn Patterson, Vice President and General Manager of Curtiss Wright''s Modular Solutions group. "Air-Flow Through technology can significantly increase system power densities without resorting to costly and complex alternative liquid cooled approaches. AFT lets systems designers keep pace with the steadily rising power densities presented by the new generation of 32nm processors, FPGAs and Giga-sample/second A/D modules."
The CHAMP-AV6
Curtiss-Wright is an established leader in the development of innovative cooling techniques for embedded A&D hardware and holds several conduction-cooling technology patents. The CHAMP-AV6 is available in conduction-cooled, rugged air-cooled, and air-flow-through versions. The card is designed to the new VPX-REDI industry standard (VITA 48) and takes advantage of the 1.0" pitch option to employ several enhanced mechanical design elements to achieve superior cooling characteristics. The CHAMP-AV6 is also available in a Line-Replaceable Module (LRM) variant that includes top and bottom protective metal covers to ensure safe repair and replacement in-the-field.
The CHAMP-AV6''s VPX format provides backplane connectors capable of handling signaling speeds in excess of 6.25 Gbits/sec. The VPX connectors also enable multi-gigabit/sec I/O to be handled from the board''s onboard XMC/PMC site. The board features four Freescale 8641 single/dual-core processors. The 8641, FreeScale''s latest Altivec-enabled processor, has dual integrated 64-bit memory controllers and offers vastly increased memory read performance compared to prior generations of PowerPC processors. This enhanced performance translates directly to reduced execution times for user application software. For numeric-intense processing the 8641 offers the powerful Altivec instruction set extension that performs up to 8 floating point operations per cycle. In total, the CHAMP-AV6 provides up to 64 GFLOPs of performance.
Multi-processor systems based on the CHAMP-AV6 benefit from the 10 GB/s full duplex bandwidth provided by the board''s four Serial RapidIO (SRIO) ports. Streaming data applications benefit from the board''s 8 GB/s memory bandwidth and up to 4 GB of DDR2 SDRAM.
The CHAMP-AV6 also provides board-level support for 2-level maintenance requirements. 2-level maintenance can significantly reduce sparing and logistics requirements, thus reducing the total life-cycle cost of the systems in which the CHAMP-AV6 is deployed. The board''s VPX connectors include an ESD protection mechanism that, coupled with top and bottom covers at the module level, enable the board to be safely handled in deployed environments where standard ESD precautions are not practical. This support for 2-level maintenance requirements can significantly reduce sparing and logistics requirements, thus reducing the total life-cycle cost of the systems within which the CHAMP-AV6 is used.
CHAMP-AV6 Performance Features: