Transportable Telemetry Workstation for Future Distributed System Environments

Abstract

Over the last four years, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Data Systems Technology Division has designed and developed a number of standard VLSI telemetry data system components and subsystems to meet NASA's high performance telemetry processing needs. Integrated into the standard VME open bus architecture and supported by real time operating system components, these systems presently support sustained data rates to 20 Mbps. While these systems greatly reduce the basic costs for high performance data acquisition and processing, the expected future widespread acceptance and use of distributed telemetry processing will require an even greater reduction in both size and cost per station while maintaining high performance specifications. To meet this need, GSFC, together with Clemson University, has begun development of the Transportable Telemetry Workstation (TTW). This system consists primarily of the adaptation of GSFC's VLSI components and system architecture to the Apple Macintosh II/IIx personal computer and its NuBus architecture. The actual telemetry acquisition and processing components of the TTW function independently from the main user workstation environment (the Macintosh). NuBus cards, augmented by a separate telemetry processing bus system structure to support high data rates, perform telemetry functions. The Macintosh II acts as the user workstation providing control, status, and data exchange through its NuBus backplane to the telemetry processing system. The Macintosh II will provide additional processing of data (quick look data), user control and display services, and network (Ethernet) services as required.