New family of avionics devices for test and simulation

Abaco Systems has launched a new family of avionics devices that highlight the Thunderbolt 3 interface, including Thunderbolt 3-to-PMC/XMC interfacing with ARINC 429 and MIL-STD-1553 protocols. The new platforms have combined Thunderbolt 3 to set a new standard for high-speed, low latency portable devices for a wide range of avionics applications. All of the Thunderbolt 3-equipped products comprise a rugged, all-aluminium design along with Power-over-Thunderbolt 3 to maximize portability. “Increasingly, our customers are finding that their existing portable avionics equipment is becoming obsolete,” said Peter Thompson, vice president, Product Management at Abaco Systems. “Modern PCs and laptops rarely feature the ExpressCard or PCMCIA interfaces on which our customers have historically relied. While USB and Ethernet theoretically provide alternatives, their inherent latency limits real-time interaction with data, and channel density is limited.” “Beyond this,” Thompson continued, “recent government-mandated security requirements have presented a challenge to avionics data loader customers in that migrating to newer operating systems and hardware creates significant technical obstacles.” “Thunderbolt 3 is rapidly becoming the de facto standard for peripherals: 40Gpbs is the fastest PC connection available,” concluded Thompson. “These new products, combined with Abaco’s proven, flexible and easy-to-use software provide new levels of performance and usability, and deliver invaluable tools for any organization involved in bus analysis/simulation, system integration or flight-line - including data loading and maintenance, repair and overhaul - and will provide a clear path forward for our customers.”