New PMC carrier card provides a low-cost interface enabling use of I/O mezzanine modules in a PCI computer system

Acromag's new APC-PMC provides an easy and low cost solution that enables use of a PMC mezzanine I/O module in a standard PCI computer system. The carrier card acts simply as an adapter to route PCI bus signals to and from the PMC module through the PCI card slot edge connector. Each APC-PMC carrier holds a single PMC module on a half-length PCI card. All Acromag PMC modules and those from other vendors are supported. Priced at just $225, the APC-PMC economically converts a PMC module into a board that is ready for insertion into a PCI bus slot.

The APC-PMC carrier card supports a 32-bit, 66 MHz PCI interface. Modules with front or rear connections for I/O cable access may be used. Both 5V and 3.3V signaling are accommodated.  more

Cytonome, Inc. based in Watertown, Massachusetts, is an early stage biotechnology company.  Cytonome is producing competitive DNA sequencing instrumentation similar to the existing Perkin Elmer Corp. products.

Cytonome selected Acromag's PMC-DX501 FPGA Module, 500K–gate FPGA with 64 bidirectional digital TTL I/O lines to develop and emulate external I/F equipment as well as to test system performance.

After reviewing several FPGA Board vendors Acromag was selected for its overall technical capability, documentation, I/O functionality, and cost performance.

BKL Technology is the local support sales representative for Cytonome and the New England territory.

To request product literature use our
on-line form.

See Acromag at the Real-Time & Embedded Computing Conference which is designed for those developing computer systems and time-critical applications serving multiple industries; data communication and telephony, military and aerospace, industrial control, instrumentation, consumer electronics, image processing, process control, medical instrumentation, vehicular control and maintenance, embedded appliances and more.

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Question: We have been working with Acromag's PMC-DX501 digital I/O module with re-configurable FPGA for about a year now.  We currently have a problem with one of our images.  It operates correctly when programmed into the FPGA but if we load it into the flash, as soon as we access any local space, the PC hangs.  We have verified our load program by downloading a different image (we developed) and the original Acromag image (from the design kit) into the Flash and it works fine.  Is this scenario possible?

Answer:The problem you are experiencing is probably related to how you compiled your FPGA code. If you note in the Readme_DX501.txt there are specific properties that need to be set prior to running the compiler.

Process -> Properties    Then select Startup Options tab
	FPGA Start-Up Clock	CCLK
	Enable Internal Done Pipe	Do not Check
	Done (Output Events)	6
	Enable Outputs (Output Events)	5
	Release Write Enable	5
	Release DLL	Default
	Match Cycle	Default
	Drive Done Pin High	Check

If these setting are not set prior to compiling, the resulting code will not work properly when stored in Flash Memory, but will work correctly when you down load directly to the FPGA. This is due to the difference on how data is passed to the FPGA from the bus versus from Flash memory.

Acromag receives "Gold" rating as a Top-30 supplier of Embedded Boards from Venture Development Corporation

Venture Development Corporation (VDC), an independent market research and consulting firm, named Acromag as a 2005 "Gold" vendor rating award recipient.

These rankings are driven by VDC's research into the markets for merchant computer boards for embedded and real-time applications. Ratings were derived through the use of an impartial model, proprietary to VDC, which measures customer experiences with these firms. more 

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Acromag, Inc.
30765 S. Wixom Rd.
P.O. Box 437
Wixom, Michigan 48393-7037
Phone: 248-624-1541
Fax: 248-624-9234
e-mail: solutions@acromag.com
www.acromag.com

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Arthur M. Schlesinger