Pixus develops ruggedised versions of software defined radios

Embedded computing and enclosure specialist Pixus Technologies has developed ruggedised versions of commercial software defined radios. The first in the series of small form factor ruggedised devices is the RX310. It uses the USRP software defined radios from Ettus Research, a National Instruments brand. The weatherproof enclosure features IP67 sealing to protect against water and dust ingress. It is also designed for MIL-STD-810 for shock/vibration and MIL-STD-461 for EMI. The RX310 contains two extended bandwidth daughterboard slots covering 10MHz to 6GHz with up to 160MHz of baseband bandwidth, dual 1/10GigE high speed interfaces, and a large user-programmable Kintex-7 FPGA from Xilinx.  The unit is 302 x 400 x 98mm tall with conduction-cooled fins for heat dissipation.

The RX310 series can be used in various types of airborne, shipboard, ground vehicle, or outdoor designs. Typical applications include SIG-INT, spectrum monitoring, passive radar, smart agriculture, smart energy, and prototyping systems for advanced wireless standards. Pole-mount and other special mounting options are available, adds the company. Light-rugged versions of the enclosure are also available upon request, as well as ruggedised versions of other software defined radios offered by Ettus Research.

Pixus Technologies specialises in electronics packaging. It was founded in 2009 by senior management from Kaparel Corporation, a Rittal company. Its embedded backplanes and systems are focused primarily on  ATCA, OpenVPX, MicroTCA, and custom designs. The company also produces VME-based and cPCI-based solutions.

In May 2011, Pixus Technologies became the sole authorised North and South American supplier of the electronic packaging products previously offered by Kaparel Corporation and Rittal.

http://www.pixustechnologies.com