MSC develops reference design platform

This platform has been developed using technologies from Gleichmann Electronics Research, Intel Corporation, Altera Corporation and 3S-Smart Software Solutions.

Target markets for the reference platform are industrial automation applications such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human machine interfaces (HMIs), panel PCs and industrial drives.

The core of the industrial reference platform Hpe\\_IRP is the MSC Q7-US15W computer-on-module from MSC Vertriebs.

The board is based on the open Qseven standard and comes in a compact form factor of 70mm x 70mm.

The module integrates an Intel Atom processor Z530 with a clock speed of 1.6GHz and the corresponding Intel System Controller Hub US15W.

The MSC Q7-US15W features many standard PC interfaces, such as two PCI Express lanes, eight USB 2.0 hubs, two serial ATA ports, LPC, SDIO, Intel High Definition Audio as well as high-performance integrated graphics.

Thanks to its compact dimensions and power efficient processor technology, the integrated Qseven module is specifically designed for fan-less, energy efficient deployment in industrial environments.

'The flexible Hpe\\_IRP development kit from MSC demonstrates Intel Atom low-power x86 processor technology in a SoftPLC real-time application for industrial automation,' said Jonathan Walsh, general manager and group director of software engineering, Intel Embedded and Communications Group.

In the Hpe\\_IRP, the Q7-US15W module is connected via PCI Express to a base board that includes an Altera Arria GX FPGA.

A selection of industrial-rated I/O and industrial automation specific interfaces, such as any of the industrial Ethernet standards and CANopen, can be implemented in the FPGA.

The FPGA may be configured by the designers using library components or their own VHDL code to implement flexible hardware extensions for application specific requirements.

To enable a range of different interface functions in the FPGA the base board includes PHYs for interfaces such as RS-232, RS-485, CAN and industrial Ethernet for fieldbus connectivity.

The Arria GX FPGA provides users with full re-programmability, allowing the system to be updated to meet the latest industrial automation standards or application requirements.

To support multiple fieldbus and real-time Ethernet protocols the Hpe\\_IRP integrates Codesys, the IEC-61131 software programming system from 3S-Smart Software Solutions.

The MSC Hpe\\_IRP development kit comes complete with the hardware platform, base board schematics, demo examples, development software, IPs and Linux drivers.

The package also includes an evaluation version of the 3S-Smart Software Solutions Codesys.

The software integration is based on Open Source Automation Development Lab (OSADL) Linux.