PCM-formatter: a powerful, low cost system for PCM telemetry decoding and quick look support

An IBM compatible PC board has been developed to simplify acquisition and execution of quick look on telemetry signals. The pulse code modulation (PCM)-FORMATTER can synchronize and decommutate nonreturn to zero level (NRZL) or split phase level (SPL) streams in the range of 5 kb/s to 128 kb/s. Up to eight different functions can enhance the real time data preelaboration. Periodically the host PC can read the reconstructed format frames from two dual port memory buffers. An application software package helps the user in preparing the board and allows a sensible reduction in the data handling code. This code, which is prepared by the user, works like a subroutine making the required elaboration on an entire format subframe at a time. The faster the execution, the lighter the proportion of the analyzed data. The hardware, based on a field programmable gate array (FPGA), can be adapted by software in a different device to operate different tasks