The MINI-ACE plus family of MIL-STD-1553 terminals

The Advanced Communications Engine (ACE) family of integrated dual redundant MIL-STD-1553 RT (Remote Terminal) and BC/RT/MT (Bus Controller/Remote Terminal/Bus Monitor) terminals with enhanced functions has been upgraded. The Mini-ACE Plus series addresses many of the key issues in today's market; specifically, the demand for COTS/MOTS, reduced cost and size, and requirements for MIL-STD-1760 stores applications. This paper reviews the features and the technology that were used to achieve the cost and functional improvements, and size reduction. The MINI-ACE Plus is a functional equivalent to the initial generation ACE family, but in a package that is half the size. This paper will discuss the processes and the technology used in the development of the MINI-ACE Plus MCM. This includes the issues and advantages of migrating to co-fired ceramic packaging, along with the evolution of the analog transceiver and digital protocol monolithic chips used in the Mini-ACE Plus terminals. This includes a functional overview of the ACE terminals. In addition, the paper discusses new features, involving an option for 64 K/spl times/16 RAM, an RT boot-up option, and additional clock frequencies. Finally, there is a discussion of software-related issues, including compatibility to previous generation terminals, and the availability of libraries that are portable to different hardware and software platforms.