FireTrac AS5643 interface card

FireTrac Advanced AS5643 Interface Card

FireTrac is a powerful AS5643 interface card. It clearly is the
next generation AS5643 data processing, simulation and testing solution.
It offers both Standard & Extended OHCI functions and works ideal together with FireStack.

FireTrac Advanced AS5643 Host I/O Card

The FireTrac AS5643 interface card is a powerful host I/O card and is designed to complement DapTechnology’s successful FireSpy and FireAdapter product lines. The AS5643 interface card clearly is the next generation AS5643 data processing, simulation and testing solution.

DapTechnology has seen an increasing demand for more streamlined hardware systems - specifically advanced AS5643 interface card -  for the processing of AS5643 (and generic 1394) data streams. Customers get more and more involved in monitoring the actual data content rather than the 1394 layer. And for simulation purposes they require advanced error insertion capabilities that can only be accomplished with non-off-the-shelf Link Layer implementations. IRIG time-stamping of monitored events on the bus is a typical requirement.

What makes FireTrac an "advanced" AS5643 interface card? FireTrac provides a winning solution for a critical market need. It is designed to natively (not just as an add-on protocol) support AS5643. Besides the standard IEEE1394 features, FireTrac has been architected to provide hardware level support for SAE AS5643 which reduces host processor burden, specifically for packet encapsulation, data extraction, receive/transmit STOF offsets, etc. As a key example, the FireTrac AS5643 interface card handles AS5643 transmission timing entirely in hardware therefore making it a lot more accurate. It is important to understand that FireTrac is a dedicated and optimized solution for the processing of AS5643 type traffic. Support for this protocol is embedded in the hardware and not just in a software layer (as typically provided with other solutions that rely on COTS OHCI chipsets).

In order to get the best out of the unique feature set of the FireTrac AS5643 interface card the interface platform is supported by FireStack, i.e. DapTechnology's home grown software stack. FireStack optimally supports the hardware and firmware layers embedded into FireTrac. As FireTrac’s host interface uses FireLink Extended (and not a standard OHCI Link Layer chip) functionality that has been tailored and optimized for the support of the AS5643 standard brings the combination of FireTrac and FireStack to an entirely new level.

FireTrac is a registered Trademark of DapHolding B.V.

Key features

  • IEEE 1394b-2002
  • SAE AS5643 and Mil1394 enhancements
  • S200b, S400b, S800 transfer rates
  • multiple independent bus channels (FireLink, PHY, transformers)
  • multiple active transformer coupled 1394 ports (adapter cable)
  • multiple native form factors (XMC, PCIe, PMC)
  • other form factors with carrier cards (PCI, PCIe, cPCI, etc…)
  • PCI-X 2.0a Host Interface,
  • PCI Specification 3.0 compliant
  • DMA Transfer (sustained 3x 800Mb/s 1394 bus traffic at max bus load)
  • IRIG B122 and IEEE1344
  • Field-upgradable
  • Support for:
    • MS Windows
    • Linux
    • VxWorks
    • LabVIEW on Windows
    • LabView (RT)
    • LabWindows (RT)
    • QNX
  • C/C++, LabVIEW and Python APIs
  • Abstraction Layers for Operating System (OSAL) and Link (LAL)

 

Product Life Cycle Status

Active FireTracx46bT-CC Initial Release/Shipping: Nov. 2023
FireTrac2x46bT-CC Initial Release/Shipping: Nov. 2023
FireTrac3x45bT Initial Release/Shipping: Oct. 2021

FireTrac3x24bT

Initial Release/Shipping: Sep. 2020

FireTrac4x24bT Initial Release/Shipping: Aug. 2019
FireTrac3460bT V3 Initial Release/Shipping: Dec. 2008
EULA/EOSA
EOS

-

-
EOL & EOM

FireTrac3460bT V1/V2

Obsolete

A powerful Mil1394 Solution

FireTrac Advanced AS5643 Host I/O Card

The FireTrac AS5643 interface card provides a very universal approach to dealing with AS5643 type of traffic. It is uniquely suited for SAE AS5643 level Data

Extraction and Analysis (RX) but also Data Generation and Device Simulation (TX).

With the FireTrac platform DapTechnology has enabled dedicated implementations needed in the A&D environment. Such application-centric solutions are focused on very specific tasks and, due to their very clearly defined requirements, DapTechnology is able to even further optimize the firmware and software architecture.

Examples for such “customized” solutions are:

  • Data Recorders (single/multi-channel, with/without Stealth, …)
  • System Simulators (multi-streams generator, error injection, …)
  • System Monitors (Health, Data Extraction, …)


The FireTrac AS5643 interface card uses a combination of 1394 and AS5643 support in hardware, as well as a robust, well-designed 1394 software stack (FireStack) running on a host computer. Interfacing to this stack can be done via an API that offers C/C++ and Pyhton interfaces on multiple platforms and a LabVIEW interface on Windows. Currently, DapTechnology supports Windows, VxWorks, Linux, QNX, LabVIEW(RT), and RTX64 platforms.

An essential feature of FireTrac is its adaptable software and firmware layers. In order to be usable in embedded designs having limited resources, great emphasis was given to keep the footprint and host system resource utilization fairly small. And, in order to optimize and streamline performance, the individual features and functions of FireTrac are grouped into so-called Personality Profiles. These profiles may be purchased separately so that the user may configure their system based on individual requirements.

 

 

The Personality Profiles allow the solution to be adapted for use in embedded systems which typically have limited resources, and/or with powerful host processors that can utilize even the fully featured profile.

The following profiles are available:

  • Low-Level API Profile
  • 1394 Software Stack Profile
  • 1394 Software Stack + Bus Mgmt. Profile
  • AS5643 Bus Interface Profile

FireLink Extended IP Core

All products within the FireTrac family use multiple instantiations (one per bus) of DapTechnology's FireLink Extended IP Core. FireLink® Extended features OHCI compliant DMA engines as well as firmware level support for the AS5643 (Mil1394) protocol. The AS5643 module is designed to offload the AS5643 support from the host processor. The following features are supported in firmware:

  • AS5643 Protocol timing
  • STOF Generation: Accuracy: 0.3 msec
  • TX Frame Offset Time: 0.3 msec
  • RX Frame Offset Time Stamps: Accuracy : 0.3 msec
  • AS5643 Protocol encapsulation
  • Vertical Parity Check Insertion and Verification
  • Hardware RX Filter on ASM MessageID and/or Channel


Compared with other implementations using off-the-shelf 1394 LLC silicon (and AS5643 support implemented in SW) FireTrac's usage of this AS5643 extension to the extended version of FireLink drastically improves the overall system performance, offloads the host processor and guarantees timing deadlines that otherwise can only be accomplished with real-time operating systems.

QuickSpecs - Configuration
FireTrac Advanced AS5643 Interface Card

Product

PHY and number of buses Link Layer Connectivity (per bus)

Host Interface

FireTrac x46bT-CC

FT446bT-CC: 1x TSB41BA3 (or newer)

FT846bT-CC: 1x TSB81BA3 (or newer)

1x FireLink Extended IP Core

Extended OHCI

Mil1394 Module

3x Transformer-Coupled Ports 

XMC P16 offboard

S200b-S400b / S400b-S800b

Optionally an S100b-S200b version is available

PCI Express 2.0
four Lane
FireTrac 2x46bT-CC

FT2446bT-CC: 2x TSB41BA3 (or newer)

FT2846bT-CC: 2x TSB81BA3 (or newer)

2x FireLink Extended IP Core

Extended OHCI

Mil1394 Module

3x Transformer-Coupled Ports 

XMC P16 offboard

S200b-S400b / S400b-S800b

Optionally an S100b-S200b version is available

PCI Express 2.0
four Lane
FireTrac 3x24bT

FT3424bT: 3x TSB41BA3 (or newer)

FT3824bT: 3x TSB81BA3 (or newer)

3x FireLink Extended IP Core

Extended OHCI

Mil1394 Module

3x Transformer-Coupled Ports 

SFF-8614 (interleaved)

S200b-S400b / S400b-S800b

Optionally an S100b-S200b version is available

PCI Express 2.0
four Lane

FireTrac 4x24bT

FT4424bT: 4x TSB41BA3 (or newer)

FT4824bT: 4x TSB81BA3 (or newer)

4x FireLink Extended IP Core

Extended OHCI

Mil1394 Module

4x Transformer-Coupled Ports 

SFF-8614 (interleaved)

S200b-S400b / S400b-S800b

Optionally an S100b-S200b version is available

PCI Express 2.0
four Lane

FireTrac3445bT 3x TSB41BA3

3x FireLink Extended IP Core

Extended OHCI

Mil1394 Module

3x Transformer-Coupled Ports 

High-Density Connector

S200b and S400b

Optionally an S100b-S200b version is available

CXMC Form factor compliant with
ANSI/VITA 42.0-2016

PCI Express 2.0
four Lane

 

FireTrac 3460bT

3x TSB41BA3

3x FireLink Extended IP Core

Extended OHCI

Mil1394 Module

3x Transformer-Coupled Ports 

High-Density Connector

S200b and S400b

Optionally an S100b-S200b version is available

PMC Form factor

PCI-X 2.0a and PCI 3.0

Carrier Cards available for

PCIe, PCI, cPCI, PXIe, ...