The Abaco Systems / Condor Engineering CEI520A-44 is a PCI short-form ARINC interface board engineered for avionics databus applications. It delivers up to 16 independent receive and 16 transmit ARINC 429 channels operating at 12.5 kHz or 100 kHz, with dual-mode support for ARINC 717/573, CSDB, Harvard Bi-Phase (HBP), and Bi-Polar Return to Zero (BPRZ) protocols. The board integrates a 100 MHz Intel 80960 processor paired with large, configurable buffers and on-board message scheduling to handle high-throughput avionics traffic without host CPU overhead.
Technical Specifications
ARINC 429 Interface
• Receive channels: Up to 16 at 12.5 kHz or 100 kHz
• Transmit channels: Up to 16 at 12.5 kHz or 100 kHz
• Receive input levels: Standard ±6.5 to ±13 V (A to B); Parametric ±0.1 to ±13.5 V (A to B)
• Transmit output levels: Standard ±10 V (A to B); Parametric 0 to ±10 V (A to B)
• Label and SDI filtering on receive
• Parity support: Odd, Even, or None
• Error injection options: Parity, Gap, High or Low bit count
• Automatic transmit slew rate adjustment
ARINC 717/573 and Extended Protocol Support
Dual-mode functionality enabling HBP or BPRZ operation across a wide range of bit rates and sub-frame combinations. Supports 2-wire ARINC 573, 575, 717, CSDB, and legacy bi-phase standards.
Discrete I/O
• Configurable inputs: 0, 8, or 16 channels (avionics-level or TTL/CMOS)
• Configurable outputs: 0, 8, or 16 channels (low-side switches, 0.5 A sink capability per channel)
Processor and Memory
On-board 100 MHz Intel 80960 processor. Three buffering modes: Dedicated, Buffered (per-channel circular buffers), and Merged (single time-sequenced buffer).
– Key Features
• Time-tagging of all received messages
• Label-based message filtering and on-board scheduling
• Parity error detection and reporting
• Parametric threshold tuning for non-standard signal conditions
• PCI signaling compatibility: 3.3 V and 5 V
• PCI-X 1.0 compliant
– Typical Applications
Mission-critical avionics test, ground support equipment (GSE), aircraft health management systems, and real-time flight data acquisition.
– Compatibility & Integration
High-level API support for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and VxWorks. Sample programs provided in C/C++, C#.NET, Visual Basic (VB6 and VB.NET), VxWorks, and LabWindows/CVI.
