Success Stories - Missing Link Electronics

FPGA Drives Next-gen Automatic Test Equipment

August 1, 2023test & measurement

Advantest is a world-class manufacturer of advanced automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry. Missing Link Electronics (MLE) has been involved in our advanced FPGA design efforts over several different tester models.

In 2021 and 2022 we engaged MLE to help in supporting the development of PCIe Gen 5 and NVMe interface on our ATE systems.

The MLE engineers that were assigned to work with us were experienced and very knowledgeable.

They coordinated with our internal team extremely well and were able to deliver working designs on-time and within budget.
AAI

Advantages of Using TCP for GigE Vision Devices

May 12, 2023Network Acceleration, NPAP, TCP/IP, Video Streaming

Allied Vision Technologies GmbH in Stadtroda, Germany, has worked with Missing Link Electronics (MLE) to integrate and to optimize MLE NPAP, the TCP/UDP/IP Full Accelerator Stack from Fraunhofer HHI, into a series next-generation camera products. NPAP, the TCP/IP Full Accelerator from Fraunhofer HHI, provides TCP connectivity in accordance with the GigE Vision standard.

For more than 30 years, Allied Vision Technologies GmbH has been helping people to reach their imaging goals. Allied Vision supplies camera technology and image capture solutions for industrial inspection, medical and scientific imaging, traffic monitoring, and many more application areas in digital imaging. With a deep understanding of customers’ needs, Allied Vision finds individual solutions for every application, a practice which has made Allied Vision one of the leading camera manufacturers worldwide in the machine vision market. The company has nine locations in Germany, Canada, the United States, Singapore, and China and is represented by a network of sales partners in over 30 countries.

For more information about the Advantages of Using TCP for GigE Vision Devices please read this White Paper.

Future-proof PCI Express Card With Microchip PolarFire FPGA

November 11, 2022PCI Express

To future-proof an FPGA-based PCI controller card, Mattson Thermal Products GmbH in Ulm, Germany, worked with Elemaster and Missing Link Electronics (MLE) to re-design the card for PCI Express (PCIe).

Using MLE’s PCIe Connectivity subsystem for Microchip PolarFire FPGA, the former PCI card implemented in Xilinx Spartan 2 FPGA could be replaced without changes to the operating system PCI/PCIe device drivers.

Mattson Technology, Inc. designs, manufactures, markets and globally supports semiconductor wafer processing equipment used in the fabrication of integrated circuits.

Microchip PolarFire FPGA deliver the industry’s lowest power at mid-range densities with exceptional security and reliability and are ideal for a wide range of applications such as industrial automation. MLE is a Premier Design Partner of the Microchip Ecosystem.

Network Element Virtualization (NEV) With FPGA

April 25, 2022Network Acceleration

To enable Network Element Virtualization (NEV) for telefommunications Algoblu Co. L.t.d. from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, has worked with Missing Link Electronics (MLE) to design and test FPGA-based turnkey solutions.

With NEV technology, carriers can virtualize the underlying network and can fine-tune the management of network resources to provide multi-tiered services with end-to-end service quality assurance. At Provider Equipment (PE) level, NEV has been implemented as an FPGA-based PCIe card to accelerate Algoblu software running on server CPUs. For the corresponding Customer Premise Equipment (CE) a turnkey solution was designed based on an off-the-shelf FPGA System-on-Module. For more information on the NEV technology, please read the Network Element Virtualization (NEV) Whitepaper here.

Real-time Parallel Voice, Data and Video Streams in Defense System Solutions

February 24, 2022TCP/IP, Video Streaming

Elbit Systems Deutschland is a vendor for mobile high performance communications and tactical data links. This allows parallel voice, data and video streams in real time. Furthermore, Elbit Systems Deutschland provides expertise for communication and reconnaissance technologies with ongoing engagement in security related systems which makes Elbit Systems Deutschland a reliable and competent partner in defense system solutions within the fields of radio communication, electro optics, protection systems, uncrewed systems up to complete cyber solutions.

Since 2018 Elbit Systems Deutschland has been relying on Missing Link Electronics (MLE) for FPGA design services. MLE brings expertise in implementing various protocols like TCP/IP, I2C, SPI, I2S, and in line processing and system integration of timecode protocols like IRIG, HaveQuick and pulse-per-second, and deep knowledge in FPGA technology like AMD Spartan 7, AMD Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC and ARM based Microcontrollers.

MLE has implemented application specific FPGA functionality and corresponding custom device drivers and included them into an up-to-date Yocto build flow. MLE has verified the design by tests and demonstrations on the target hardware platform.

All tasks were delivered within time, budget and in close communication with the Elbit Systems Deutschland team which allowed alignment and efficient progress of both engineering teams.

Multi-RAID SSD NVMe Streamer System

January 19, 2022NVMe Streamer, SSD

Collaboration to develop a high performance, Multi-RAID SSD Streaming System to incorporate into high performance data recording systems for the US Defense Dept.

DEC is a Government Contractor working with the US Defense Dept. When we needed to develop a fast, SSD multi-RAID NVMe streamer for one of our projects, we became aware of Missing Link Electronics by way of Xilinx’s Premier Partners Program.

This project required advanced knowledge of both specialized hardware and communication protocols to meet our customers exacting requirements. MLE came in, evaluated our needs, and developed the technical design using their own NVMe IP and in-depth hardware and software expertise to provide, on time and on budget, a board level solution to integrate into our system design. MLE provided unique benefit by having great access to our supplier’s technology, advanced IP, and specialized, hands-on expertise. I recommend MLE to others needing advanced expertise in programmable hardware and software design. Working with them is a pleasure and produces excellent results.
Dan Whitehead, Electrical Engineer at DEC

DEC specializes in advanced sensor and processing technologies for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Unmanned Systems, and Self-Protection applications for the defense industry.

High-Speed Camera Interfaces with Fraunhofer HHI TCP/IP

September 16, 2021TCP/UDP/IP, Video Streaming

Excelitas PCO GmbH has licensed MLE NPAP, the TCP/UDP/IP Full Accelerator originally invented by Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute (HHI).

Martin Schwarzbauer, Product Development Manager Camera Systems at PCO, says: “We rely on the TCP protocol because we need reliable data without a backup layer for lost data at the application level. TCP takes place at the center protocol layer of the OSI model and is implemented as an IP core in FPGA logic. This results in significantly shorter latency, avoiding costly external DRAM buffers. Plus, due to the flow-control mechanism of TCP, the transmission bandwidth can be much higher between the between the camera and subsequent processing in a PC.”

Alexander Grünig, CTO of PCO, adds: “The IP core from Missing Link Electronics fits perfectly our streaming concept, because it operates in programmable logic without the need for a CPU core. During our benchmarking and evaluation phase we clearly saw the advantages of this technology.”

PCO, an Excelitas Technologies® Corp. brand, is a leading specialist and Pioneer in Cameras and Optoelectronics with more than 30 years of expert knowledge and experience of developing and manufacturing high-end imaging systems. The company’s cutting edge sCMOS and high-speed cameras are used in scientific and industrial research, automotive testing, quality control, metrology and a large variety of other applications all over the world.

The PCO® advanced imaging concept was conceived in the early 1980s by imaging pioneer, Dr. Emil Ott, who was conducting research at the Technical University of Munich for the Chair of Technical Electrophysics. His work there led to the establishment of PCO AG in 1987 with the introduction of the first image-intensified camera followed by the development of its proprietary Advanced Core technologies which greatly surpassed the imaging performance standards of the day.

Today, PCO continues to innovate, offering a wide range of high-performance camera technologies covering scientific, high-speed, intensified and FLIM imaging applications across the scientific research, industrial and automotive sectors.

Acquired by Excelitas Technologies in 2021, PCO represents a world renowned brand of high-performance scientific CMOS, sCMOS, CCD and high-speed cameras that complement Excelitas’ expansive range of illumination, optical and sensor technologies and extend the bounds of our end-to-end photonic solutions capabilities.

Valens Semiconductor Ltd.: Design Services for FPGA and ASIC

February 8, 2018

Valens is the inventor and the world leader in HDBaseT technology and a top provider of semiconductor products for the distribution of ultra-high-definition multimedia content, through a single cable, according to the needs of its target markets: AV, automotive, industrial, and consumer electronics.

Valens is always looking for the best in the class partners for innovative ideas development. At 2017 I had a pleasure to work with MLE on one of such ideas. MLE’s team showed responsiveness, professionalism, quality of work and competence during the work with Valens and helped to realize the goals. I found at MLE a talented and highly professional partner that contributed a lot to our success. Highly recommended !!!
Valens

Jitter reduction in a streaming video processing FPGA

September 29, 2014Video Streaming

TQ-Systems wireless HD-video interface enables you to transmit uncompressed full HD-Video data up to 1080p60 using license free 5 GHz band and without line of sight.

TQ-Systems’ technology creates a radio standard that achieves the outstanding video quality of the HDMIT and 3G-SDI used on cable – without video delay (lip syncing) and with low energy consumption. [http://www.modul-number-one.de/modul-no-1.html]

“MLE supported us in getting the maximum out of the selected FPGA device, including timing-closure at HD-SDI speeds. Their anti-jitter solution could be added to the target design, which allows us to reduce the BoM while delivering signal quality according to SMPTE standards.” says Harald Kaderabek, Head of R&D at TQ-Systems Durach.

TQ-Systems Durach GmbH, formerly known as SRI Radio Systems GmbH, is part of the TQ-Group, a group of companies which provides extensive system services right from the idea to the finished product.