High-precision, very low-noise instrumentation system with PolarFire OnBoard Computers (High-speed ADC/DAC function)
- May 2, 2026
- CAVU Aerospace UK
We usually have onboard computers with a single peripheral board for ADC/DAC sub-systems. However, for very low-noise instrumentation systems, we would not recommend combining this circuitry on the same add-on card as the high-frequency CameraLink frame grabber.
Mixing the precision analog section with the CameraLink high-speed digital interface on a single card would not be the right approach from a noise, layout, grounding, and signal-integrity perspective. We still keep same std. OBC & CameraLink Add-on card but needs a new bespoke Instrumentation Add-on card.
We suggest a separate dedicated Instrumentation Add-on Card in a triple-stacked configuration:
[Instrumentation Add-on Card] ↔ [OBC-Cube-Polar- Std.] ↔ [CameraLink Add-on Card]
All 3 boards will be communicating with Samtec High-speed connector & fitted in a AL7075-T6 chassis as enclosure box in Cube form factor.
This arrangement provides much better isolation between the high-speed digital interface and the precision analog circuitry, and is the more suitable architecture where high resolution, very low noise, and stable analog performance are required.
All the connectors and cables to this instrumentation board have to be micro-coaxial type interconnects in order to preserve analog signal quality and minimize noise pickup.
Simplified block diagram for this card:
