OmniBus® Family

Description

Ballard's new OmniBus family of products takes avionics databus interfaces to the highest level of flexibility and power in the industry. OmniBus supports high channel counts of single or multiple protocols and is available in several platforms. Features include one to four DSPs for protocol processing, a PowerPC user processor, IRIG circuits (for time-tags and synchronization), and digital input/output signals. The efficient, modular design of OmniBus products supports mixed-protocol applications and allows users to upgrade or reconfigure their OmniBus with additional functionality, channels, and protocols as requirements change. Click a link in the table below to learn more about a specific OmniBus board.

Modular OmniBus Products

	PCI	cPCI	VMEbus	Ethernet/ USB
MIL-STD-1553	OmniBus PCI for MIL-STD-1553	OmniBus cPCI for MIL-STD-1553	OmniBus VME for MIL-STD-1553	OmniBusBox for MIL-STD-1553
ARINC 429/575	OmniBus PCI for ARINC 429	OmniBus cPCI for ARINC 429	OmniBus VME for ARINC 429	OmniBusBox for ARINC 429
ARINC 708/453	OmniBus PCI for ARINC 708	OmniBus cPCI for ARINC 708	OmniBus VME for ARINC 708	OmniBusBox for ARINC 708
ARINC 717/573	OmniBus PCI for ARINC 717	OmniBus cPCI for ARINC 717	OmniBus VME for ARINC 717	OmniBusBox for ARINC 717
Serial	OmniBus PCI for Serial	OmniBus cPCI for Serial	OmniBus VME for Serial	OmniBusBox for Serial
CSDB	OmniBus PCI for CSDB	OmniBus cPCI for CSDB	OmniBus VME for CSDB	OmniBusBox for CSDB
Discrete IO	OmniBus PCI for Discrete	OmniBus cPCI for Discrete	OmniBus VME for Discrete	OmniBusBox for Discrete

Fixed OmniBus Products

	PMC
MIL-STD-1553	OmniBus PMC for MIL-STD-1553

OmniBus PCI, cPCI, PMC, VME, and OmniBusBox (Ethernet/USB) products in standard configurations for MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429, ARINC 708, ARINC 717, serial ports (RS-422/232/423), CSDB, and discrete I/O are now in production.

OmniBus Architecture

The sophisticated OmniBus architecture includes more protocols, channels, and processing power in a single product than ever before. Thus, OmniBus boards require less computer space (fewer expansion slots) and provide significant economy of scale. The flexibility and variety of choices of the OmniBus family allows users to order the exact number, functionality, and mix of protocol channels that they need. The OmniBus family also introduces new features and functionality for many avionics protocols. In addition, OmniBus architecture allows users to upgrade or reconfigure their OmniBus (at the factory) as requirements change.

The OmniBus family is designed with an integrated board, core, and module architecture. PCI, cPCI, and Ethernet/USB boards have 1 or 2 cores, and VME boards have up to 4. PMC boards have a single fixed core. Each on-board core has a dedicated protocol processor, IRIG timer, and 3 sync and 3 trigger lines. These cores are the support circuitry for the I/O modules, which contain the interface to the databus protocol(s). Isolating the protocol interface on the I/O module provides the flexibility to create custom, user-specified configurations for single or mixed protocols. The protocol-specific OmniBus architecture provides a better solution with greater performance than general-purpose modular systems (such as IndustryPack™).

OmniBus Configurations

The OmniBus family features high channel counts and also introduces improved functionality and features for many avionics protocols. The table below illustrates the range of capabilities of various single-protocol OmniBus boards.

Single-Protocol Examples:

OmniBus PCI/cPCI & OmniBusBox	OmniBus VME (6U)
Up to 4 MIL-STD-1553 databuses   (dual-redundant)	Up to 8 MIL-STD-1553 databuses   (dual-redundant)
Up to 32 ARINC 429 channels   (various R/T combinations)	Up to 64 ARINC 429 channels   (various R/T combinations)
Up to 8 ARINC 708 channels	Up to 16 ARINC 708 channels
Up to 16 ARINC 717 channels	Up to 32 ARINC 717 channels

The table below illustrates the how a single OmniBus board can host high channel counts of combined protocols.

Mixed-Protocol Examples:

OmniBus PCI/cPCI & OmniBusBox	OmniBus VME (6U)
2 MIL-STD-1553 databuses plus   16 ARINC 429 channels	2 MIL-STD-1553 databuses plus   48 ARINC 429 channels
16 ARINC 429 channels plus   4 ARINC 708 channels	48 ARINC 429 channels plus   4 ARINC 708 channels
16 ARINC 429 channels plus   8 ARINC 717 channels plus   4 serial ports	32 ARINC 429 channels plus   2 ARINC 708 channels plus   8 ARINC 717 channels plus   4 serial ports

Detailed examples of the most popular single- and mixed-protocol configurations can be found on each OmniBus product page (see table at top of page for matrix of products and links).

Software Options

Maximize your productivity by operating your OmniBus with CoPilot, Ballard's Windows software for simulation and testing of avionics systems. CoPilot auto-detection, engineering units conversions, and other features produce quick results. The Plus version of CoPilot adds graphical displays and a powerful scripting engine, as well as software and hardware playback. Because CoPilot can host multiple channels and databuses (MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429, ARINC 708, Serial) in the same project, it is the ideal tool for OmniBus. CoPilot may be purchased as part of an OmniBus system or purchased separately.

Alternatively, software developers can use the included Application Program Interface (API) to quickly develop custom applications. OmniBus products can be easily configured and operated with only a few API calls. The comprehensive library also includes a broad range of functions for specialized needs.

Driver software is included for Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP. Contact Ballard for availability of drivers for other operating systems (Linux, VxWorks®, etc.).