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arXiv · 2203.11913

A Primer for Telemetry Interfacing in Accordance with NASA Standards Using Low Cost FPGAs

Jake A. McCoy·Ted B. Schultz·James H. Tutt·Thomas Rogers·Drew M. Miles·Randall L. McEntaffer
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Abstract

Photon counting detector systems on sounding rocket payloads often require interfacing asynchronous outputs with a synchronously clocked telemetry (TM) stream. Though this can be handled with an on-board computer, there are several low cost alternatives including custom hardware, microcontrollers and field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). This paper outlines how a TM interface (TMIF) for detectors on a sounding rocket with asynchronous parallel digital output can be implemented using low cost FPGAs and minimal custom hardware. Low power consumption and high speed FPGAs are available as commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products and can be used to develop the main component of the TMIF. Then, only a small amount of additional hardware is required for signal buffering and level translating. This paper also discusses how this system can be tested with a simulated TM chain in the small laboratory setting using FPGAs and COTS specialized data acquisition products.

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Jake A. McCoy, Ted B. Schultz, James H. Tutt, Thomas Rogers, Drew M. Miles, Randall L. McEntaffer. 2022-03-22. A Primer for Telemetry Interfacing in Accordance with NASA Standards Using Low Cost FPGAs. https://doi.org/10.1142/s225117171640002x

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