About USM™ Universal Submodules

USM™ is an open-system approach built around the standard mezzanine card formats of PMCs and XMCs, conduction cooled PMCs and M-Modules™, outfitted with FPGA capability and a versatile plug-on module to map unique I/O signals from the customized FPGA to the standard mezzanine card connector.

The USM™ concept uses common hardware and software building blocks to set up a solution, but leaves the assignment of hybrid I/O needs to the discretion of the embedded systems developer. Such versatility and affordability offers numerous advantages for a broad base of control applications across all markets based on CompactPCI®, VMEbus and stand-alone systems.

USM™ main modules (i.e. the basic M-Module™ or PMC) include FPGAs with up to 33,000 logic elements, up to 8 MB of non-volatile Flash, 32 MB SDRAM memory, and 46 available pin connections between the FPGA and the USM™ plug-on module on each mezzanine card. A 50-pin receptacle connector at the front panel of the mezzanine card provides peripheral connections for the various I/O signals. The hardware configuration of the FPGA is loaded during the boot phase from an onboard Flash memory containing the source code for a minimum configuration of the FPGA. Once the FPGA is programmed with the basic configuration, the hardware configuration for the application itself can be loaded into the second area of Flash memory, for example via the PCI bus. The soft-core processor also implemented in the FPGA can provide local intelligence where needed.

The USM™ submodule is a plug-on module that plugs on the USM™ main module. It enables the system designer to map the specific connections between the FPGA and the connector mounted at the end of the USM™ main module (the M-Module™ or PMC). The line drivers related to the specific functions of the IP cores on the FPGAs are decoupled from the mezzanine and are implemented on the USM™ submodule. It supports data transfer rates up to 20 Mbit/s. The mechanical setup utilizes the same 67.0 mm by 43.5 mm module size and the same connector spacing for interchangeable compatibility among any of the four available mezzanine card formats.

A USM™ development kit is available for M-Modules™ to simplify implementation (PMC kit on request). This kit enables users to turn very specific I/O requirements or individual functional combinations not available as a standard configuration into a fully configured product solution. The kit includes a USM™ main M-Module™ (or PMC), a USM™ submodule in wire-wrap technique, a test board, cabling and an FPGA starter package.