Actel's New ARINC 429 IP Core Reduces Cost and Simplifies Integration for Avionics Systems Designers

- Underscoring its longstanding position as a leading supplier of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to the aerospace industry, Actel Corporation (Nasdaq: ACTL) today announced a new intellectual property (IP) core designed to reduce development time and improve the performance of aircraft communications systems. The new Actel Core429 is a bus interface core that implements the ARINC (Aeronautical Radio, Inc.) 429 communications standard and is optimized for use with Actel's nonvolatile FPGAs, including its ProASIC Plus and Axcelerator devices. A highly flexible solution that eases system design, Core429 offers several unique features including full channel configurability as well as programmable FIFO depth and interrupt capability. Additionally, when combined with Actel's nonvolatile FPGAs, Core429 is the world's only firm-error immune, programmable ARINC 429 solution.

"ARINC 429 is one of the most popular communications bus standards used in commercial aircraft today and the new Core429 IP solidifies Actel's reputation as a technology innovator and FPGA supplier of choice to the aeronautics industry," said Yankin Tanurhan, senior director of applications and IP solutions at Actel. "Core429 enables a fully compliant ARINC receiver and transmitter in an industrial-temperature, reprogrammable, nonvolatile FPGA for less than $20, providing significant cost savings in addition to enabling system-level integration. For legacy applications, our Core429 has the option to be code compatible with existing ARINC 429 ASSPs and can interface to standard ARINC line drivers and receivers, making it suitable for new or replacement applications."

Flexible Solution Delivers Unique Features, Firm-Error Immunity
Unlike existing processor-based ARINC 429 devices that have a fixed number of transmit and receive channels, Actel's Core429 enables a configurable number of channels (from 1 to 16 transmit and receive), that can all utilize on-chip memory, which can lead to significant cost reduction. Customers gain further flexibility with an integrated FIFO that is programmable up to a depth of 512 ARINC 429 words. The programmable depth and interrupt capability of the FIFO improves system performance by reducing the workload on the host processor. In addition, because of its state-machine design that is optimized for ARINC 429 applications, Core429 uses less power and is much easier to program compared to processor-based products.

When used with an Actel flash-based or antifuse-based FPGA, Core429 is the industry's only firm-error immune ARINC 429 solution, leading to significant improvements in system reliability. Firm errors are neutron-induced configuration upsets that result in logic errors and can cause the functional failure of an FPGA device. SRAM-based FPGAs are particularly vulnerable to firm error failures, especially in high-altitude environments. Because the effects of firm errors on an aircraft's ARINC 429 system can be devastating, even resulting in loss of communication, it is important that these systems be as protected as possible. By incorporating flash and antifuse technology, Actel's FPGAs are immune to the configuration upsets caused by firm errors, making them more appropriate for high-reliability applications.

To help simplify design integration and verification of Core429 systems, Actel offers a development kit that demonstrates operation of four ARINC 429 channels. The Core429-DEV-KIT includes a reprogrammable Actel ProASIC Plus FPGA as well as a daughter card with standard line drivers and receivers to interface with the 429 bus. The development system is programmed with one Core429 configured with four transmit and four receive channels as well as Actel's Core8051 as a host processor. The development kit is also pre-fitted with connections for Ethernet, RS-232, USB and IrDA communications.

Pricing and Availability
Actel's Core429 is available in evaluation, netlist and RTL versions. The evaluation version, a ModelSim compiled simulation model, is available for free. The netlist version simplifies system integration while the RTL version allows full user customization. Pricing starts at $5,000. Netlist and RTL versions are delivered with testbenches and all versions of Core429 are well documented to ease the integration task.

The Core429-DEV-KIT is priced at $1,800 and includes the Libero Platinum evaluation software, FS2 debugger software for 8051 code debugging, a daughter card, programming files, documentation, appropriate cables and a power supply. Owners of Actel's Platform8051 Development Kit can purchase the Core429 daughter card (Core429-SA) for $1,250.

Actel DirectCore and CompanionCore Solutions
Actel offers its own system-level IP solutions, called DirectCores, specifically designed and optimized for use with Actel devices. The company also offers third-party IP blocks, called CompanionCores, that have been tested and verified in Actel FPGAs. Covering applications ranging from embedded systems to consumer and communications, the cores offered include bus interfaces, communication controllers and interfaces, processors and peripherals, encryption and memory controllers, as well as multimedia and error correction.

Actel DirectCore and CompanionCore products offer seamless implementation through Actel's suite of internal and third-party EDA development tools and quality documentation service, and support, thereby streamlining the design process, enabling faster time to market and minimizing design costs and risks.

About Actel

Actel Corporation is a supplier of innovative programmable logic solutions, including field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) based on antifuse and flash technologies, high-performance intellectual property (IP) cores, software development tools and design services, targeted for the high-speed communications, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) replacement and radiation-tolerant markets. Founded in 1985, Actel employs more than 500 people worldwide. The Company is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ACTL and is headquartered at 2061 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA, 94043-4655. Telephone: 888-99-ACTEL (992-2835). Internet: http://www.actel.com.

# # #

Editor's Note: The Actel name and logo are trademarks of Actel Corporation. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.