Part 1 of this article looked at the classic, highly refined, mature gyroscope-based IMU used for the Apollo moon mission; this part looks at the very different technologies which have largely replaced it. Gyro-based IMU: obsolete, or not? Inertial navigation relies on a stable platform with an orientation which is fixed in space and maintains […]
Aerospace and Defense
Inertial Measurement Units: The hidden key to Apollo success, now a MEMS device (part 1)
Transforming the gyroscope from a child’s toy to a precise guidance system for the Apollo moon landings demanded the ultimate in analytical, engineering, and manufacturing effort: now, MEMS-based units have largely replaced these gyro-based systems. With the 50th anniversary of the Apollo manned lunar landing on July 16, 1969, 9:32 AM GMT-4, there have been […]
Precision six-axis inertial measurement unit comes in a small package
The NavChip Series 3 high precision Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) boosts bias in-run stability to 3º/hr (typical), 5º/hr (max.); over the ± 16 g operating range (other ranges available upon request). The previously introduced NavChip had a bias in-run stability of 5º/hr (typical), 10º/hr (max.). Other significant enhancements include a 1,000-Hz update rate, embedded AHRS […]
Dev kit includes 3U SGC, RF processing for electronic warfare projects
Abaco Systems today announced the VP430 Development Kit, which is designed to enable application developers to make a fast start on the creation, debugging and optimization of advanced electronic warfare applications. The VP430 Development Kit includes a VPX370 development platform, pre-integrated with a 3U VPX SBC329 single board computer, and the VP430 Direct RF Processing System. The […]
Miniature high-temp oscillators target down-hole applications
Q-Tech Corporation announces the availability of the QTCH Series of ultra-miniature crystal oscillators for high-temperature, applications. With a wide operating temperature range of -55C to 200C and offered in small, low-profile, surface-mount package sizes, the QTCH series is ideal for down-hole drilling as well as a host of other high-temperature, high shock/vibration applications. The QTCH series […]
Dev board speeds development of SpaceVPX-compliant data networking systems
Microchip Technology Inc. via its Microsemi subsidiary, collaborated with STAR-Dundee to create an evaluation platform that implements SpaceFibre technology, which was recently recognized by the VITA Standards Organization (VSO) as a control-and-data plane option for its SpaceVPX interconnect standard. The SpaceFibre standard is already published as a very high-speed serial link standard by the European Cooperation […]
24-channel ARINC board features 24 RX and 16 TX channels
United Electronic Industries (UEI) announced the release of the DNx-429-516 ARINC 429 interface for use with UEI’s Cube and RACKtangle chassis. With 24 RX and 16 TX channels coupled to a high-performance FPGA, the board provides unprecedented flexibility to record, playback, process, and test their ARINC-429 traffic. The DNx-529-516 board supports high speed (100 kHz) […]
RF beam-forming transmitters, receivers provide 6-bit phase resolution
Integrated Device Technology, Inc. announced that it is broadly sampling a portfolio of microwave and millimeter-wave (mmWave) beamformer products for satellite communications (Satcom), radar, test and measurement and other applications that utilize phased array antennas. The portfolio consists of three families of transmit and receive silicon ICs that support Ku, Ka and CDL frequency bands. […]
Next-gen crystal oscillators target low-earth-orbit apps
The QT780 Series of space qualified crystal oscillators are designed for use as primary clocks in low-earth orbit, small communications and broadcasting satellites. The QT780 series is offered with a broad range of operating frequencies (230 kHz – 162.5 MHz) to serve a variety of LEO programs and ECCN:EAR99 listing to facilitate procurement to qualified […]
Rugged computer systems employ 16-Core/32 thread Xeon Processors
Small tactical computer systems (STCS) is billed as the first sealed, flexible processing system on the market, offering a fast, light, and small system rugged enough to be survivable in the field and powerful enough for data processing, ISR processing, and mapping. STCS systems are candidates for use as ground control stations or processing large […]
