Opal-RT Technologies Introduces SignalWire

Next-generation serial data link provides the flexibility of IEEE 1394 with three times the performance

DETROIT, March 8 -- Opal-RT Technologies Inc. (www.opal-rt.com ), the world leader in distributed real-time simulation on PC-based platforms, today introduced SignalWire(TM) -- an FPGA-driven real- time data transfer technology that meets the performance demands of engineering simulation applications, particularly those that require sub 10 microsecond time steps over a distributed network of real-time processors.

A standard feature of the Opal-RT FPGA product family (See press release "Opal-RT Technologies Launches New Family of FPGA I/O Products" dated Monday, March 8, 2004), SignalWire is an enhanced inter-processor communication technology that has been developed for high-performance real-time applications using RT-LAB(TM) Engineering Simulators.

The introduction of SignalWire represents a next logical step for Opal-RT. The company has been a leader in the development of PC-based real-time simulation technologies that utilize IEEE 1394 since launching RT-LAB in 1997.

"As data transfer demands grow, the use of off-the-shelf real-time links for RT-LAB target clusters is becoming less and less feasible," said Paul Goossens, Vice President of Marketing at Opal-RT Technologies. "As part of our FPGA product strategy, Opal-RT has developed SignalWire, providing RT-LAB users with a high speed technology that is complementary to IEEE 1394 but with increased performance."

While IEEE 1394 interprocessor communications provides very rapid data transfer from one processor to another, it was not designed for the type of data transfer required for distributed real-time simulation. One disadvantage is the latency overhead of approximately 2 microseconds, which becomes highly significant in simulations that require cycle times below 50 microseconds.

SignalWire overcomes the latency issues of IEEE 1394 and provides a three- fold increase in data transmission speed -- up to 1.25 Gbits/s full duplex.

By using SignalWire, simulation sampling time can be increased from 20 kHz to 100 kHz and beyond. This is particularly important for next generation multi-ECU Hardware in the Loop (HIL) systems as well as for high-performance HIL simulators' need to simulate electric hybrid vehicles.

SignalWire is tightly integrated with the Opal-RT's RT-LAB platform through the company's family of FPGA IO products. This fits with the company's objective of developing a wide range of remote, intelligent data I/O modules that operate separate from the main CPU but communicate at high speed with it. This removes the traditional limitation on the number of I/O devices installed on a PCI bus and alleviates problems with remote sensors in electrically noisy environments by carrying out the conversion locally before sending the data over the SignalWire link to Target PCs.

Pricing & Availability

Opal-RT FPGA products are now available directly from Opal-RT Technologies and the company's worldwide network of distributors. Special pricing is available where systems are to be used in academic research projects.

About Opal-RT Technologies Inc.

Opal-RT provides software, hardware, and related solutions for real-time simulation applications, with the aim of enabling real-time parallel processing through flexible and affordable technologies. The company offers a full range of engineering simulation products -- from enabling technologies to turnkey engineering simulators -- and consulting services that include systems integration, software development, simulation and modeling, problem-solving, and training. Opal-RT's core expertise is in distributed hard-real-time simulation, with experienced engineers designing real-time simulators for automotive, electrical power, aerospace, robotics, and other industries where fidelity and fault tolerance requirements push rapid prototyping and hardware- in-the-loop testing to their limits. Opal-RT's unique approach integrates parallel, distributed computing with commercial-off-the-shelf technologies. The resulting RT-LAB product range enables customers to develop simulations quickly, easily, affordably, and competitively. For more information about Opal-RT's range of Engineering Simulators and Distributed Processing Tools, see www.opal-rt.com .

About RT-LAB

RT-LAB is the real-time technology that revolutionizes the way model-based design is performed within the engineering organization. Through its openness, RT-LAB has the flexibility to be applied to any simulation and control problem, and scalability to provide a low-risk entry point for any application, allowing the developer to add computation power where and when needed -- whether to dramatically speed up simulations or for real-time hardware-in-the-loop applications.

RT-LAB and SignalWire are registered trademarks of Opal-RT Technologies Inc.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Opal-RT Technologies Inc., 2004 SAE World Congress, Booth #1222, Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan.