STAR-Dundee’s software suite, STAR-System, provides a high performance software stack for accessing STAR-Dundee interface and router devices, including the STAR-Dundee PCI Mk2, cPCI Mk2 and PCIe devices and the new STAR-Dundee Brick Mk3 device.

One of the primary goals of the STAR-System APIs and drivers is to provide high performance while keeping CPU usage to a minimum. This application note describes how performance of the system is measured, and how you can repeat these tests. Most importantly, it provides details of the performance that can be achieved.

The SpaceWire Link Analyser Mk2 is designed specifically to support the testing and debugging of SpaceWire systems. This application note provides an example of debugging a SpaceWire hardware link fault using a Link Analyser Mk2, saving the engineer significant time and effort in the process.

The SpaceWire Electronic Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) is a test and development unit that simulates instruments or other SpaceWire equipment in real-time. The EGSE is configured using a simple yet powerful scripting language designed specifically for SpaceWire applications. Once configured the EGSE operates independent of software resulting in real-time performance. This can be used to rapidly mimic the behaviour of SpaceWire equipment, vastly reducing traditional development time, risk and cost associated with writing equivalent software in a real-time operating system.

This application note provides an example of how a camera may be simulated using a SpaceWire EGSE. Comparing this to traditional EGSE which requires complex and expensive real-time software development, the time saving, risk reduction and cost benefits provided by the SpaceWire EGSE should become clear.

The SpaceWire Electronic Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) is a test and development unit that simulates instruments or other SpaceWire equipment in real-time. The EGSE is configured using a simple yet powerful scripting language designed specifically for SpaceWire applications. Once configured the EGSE operates independent of software resulting in real-time performance. This can be used to rapidly mimic the behaviour of SpaceWire equipment, vastly reducing traditional development time, risk and cost associated with writing equivalent software in a real-time operating system.

This application note provides an example of how an instrument may be simulated using a SpaceWire EGSE. Comparing this to traditional EGSE which requires complex and expensive real-time software development, the time saving, risk reduction and cost benefits provided by the SpaceWire EGSE should become clear.