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 PCM-formatter can synchronize SPL and NRZ (nonreturn-to-zero) bit rates from 5 kb/s to 128 kb/s. Up to eight different functions can enhance the real-time data preprocessing. 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 his board, and allows an appreciable 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 is, the higher proportion of the analyzed data. The hardware, based on a field-programmable gate array can be adapted by software in a different device to do different tasks