SemQuest
Overview
Founded in 2000 SemQuest is a design services company specializing in full custom mixed signal ASIC design, FPGA design and PCB and system design solutions. SemQuest designs have notably been employed in the Mars Curiosity Rover Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) and the SemQuest Beam Irradiance on Target (BITS) high energy laser sensor.
Products and Services
SemQuest is pleased to offer the IRIG-B receiver IP solution to potential customers.
The SemQuest IRIG-B receiver Verilog IP decodes amplitude modulated IRIG-B time code using a Microsemi ProASIC3 FPGA and a single serial A/D converter. The A/D converter measures the incoming IRIG-B signal and automatically adapts to a range of amplitudes and modulation ratios and provides the user with a robust means of implementing an IRIG-B receiver with a minimal set of external hardware.
The module uses a total of 2858 blocks with 2494 combinational blocks and 364 sequential blocks. The IRIG-B time standard updates time at a rate of once per second, and the SemQuest IRIG-B receiver records incoming IRIG-B time updates and uses an internal counter to increment the received time such that the time output registers continuously have a valid time available to the user. This allows the user to have an accurate time continuously available rather than have implement logic to service a time input update. An I/O block diagram of the IP is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: IRIG-B I/O block diagram
The SemQuest IRIG-B IP has been instantiated in SemQuest proprietary hardware and has also been demonstrated using the Microsemi A3PE Starter Kit. The customer can purchase the starter kit and the SemQuest IRIG-B IP and have a demonstration system up and running in a few hours.
This IP is appealing because the user can purchase a Microsemi starter kit, assemble an A/D circuit with 9 components available at Digikey (schematic shown in Figure 2) and the user can be experimenting with the IP in a few short hours.
Figure 2: IRIG-B A/D circuit used in the example design.
The algorithm is robust enough that it is likely able to receive and decode un-modulated IRIG time codes and other IRIG standards. The ability to receive these time codes has not been simulated or tested, but the SemQuest staff believes it can be done with minimal technical risk and these modifications can likely be done by the user or via an additional contract with SemQuest.
Deliverables
SemQuest will deliver documentation and synthesizable Verilog source code which the customer is free to employ on any number of their designs and SemQuest will offer limited tech support with the purchase. Additional tech support and design services are also available for hardware and logic design. For information about pricing, IP evaluation and obtaining products or services, please contact John Le Sage of SemQuest at john.lesage@semquest.com.
Contact Information
For additional information, contact SemQuest at:
SemQuest Inc.
320 N. Academy Blvd.
Suite 206
Colorado, CO 80909
U.S.A.
Phone: 719-573-4301
Fax: 719-573-0163
Email: john.lesage@semquest.com
Web: www.semquest.com
