Digitizers and AWGs by Spectrum Now Support ARM-Based NVIDIA Jetson
March 22, 2021
News
Spectrum Instrumentation now offers driver support for the NVIDIA Jetson, a series of embedded computing boards from NVIDIA.
The new driver package means that any of Spectrum's high-performance Digitizers, AWGs, or Digital I/O products with PCIe interface, currently 65 different cards, can be used with this platform.
The NVIDIA Jetson consists of an ARM CPU and a CUDA-based GPU for high-performance parallel processing. In addition, it has one PCIe slot that can accommodate any Spectrum PCIe card. The high-speed parallel processing of the GPU makes it an ideal platform for handling the large volumes of data that can be acquired and generated by the Spectrum products. Spectrum also already offers SCAPP (Spectrum's CUDA Access for Parallel Processing).
Per the company, the NVIDIA Jetson can already be found in a host of onboard mobile platforms such as autonomous robots, drones, handheld medical devices, intelligent vehicles, and smart appliances. In many of these applications, fast analog and digital signals also need to be acquired, generated, and analyzed.
The company currently offers 65 different PCIe cards that can be used directly with the NVIDIA Jetson. For example, Digitizers are available that can acquire electronic signals that may come from sensors or components in a system. Sampling, from 1 to 8 channels on a single card, is possible at rates from 5 MS/s up to 5 GS/s and with resolutions as high as 16-bit. This allows analog signals in the DC to GHz frequency range to be digitized and turned into digital data with suitable accuracy and precision. The resulting data can then be transferred to the NVIDIA Jetson platform where it can be processed and analyzed, delivering answers and information with speed. Similarly, Spectrum has a range of PCIe Arbitrary Waveform Generators (AWGs) that can be used as signal sources for controlling or stimulating other devices. Plug an AWG card into an NVIDIA Jetson and it can produce analog waveforms of almost any shape and form. Models are available, with 1 to 8 channels per single card, that can produce signals with 16-bit resolution and output rates that go from 40 MS/s up to 1.25 GS/s.
The Spectrum product range also includes fast Digital I/O products. These cards are used exclusively for the acquisition and generation of fast digital signals. For example, a single Digital Acquisition card can be used to simultaneously acquire 32 digital signals at clocking speeds over 700 MHz!
Spectrum Instrumentation offers a 5-year warranty for customers. This includes free software and firmware updates for each unit's lifetime. Additionally, customers get support directly from Spectrum's hardware and software engineers.
The new drivers for the NVIDIA Jetson are available for immediate delivery.
For more information, visit: www.spectrum-instrumentation.com
