GDSS - Generic Data Switching System
New satellites, growing amounts of data, and different acquisition rates complicate a ground station's reception and processing abilities. That's why Array developed an advanced, user-friendly signal routing system -- the Generic Data Switching System (GDSS) -- for ground station operators anywhere in the world.
Array's GDSS connects incoming signals to the right processing environment quickly and easily.
Hardware
Array's GDSS uses cost-effective hardware and includes the following attractive features:
- A PC-based Data Path Controller
- A Digital Generic Data Switching System
- An Analog Generic Data Switching System
- Ability to process commands from the host computer to control and select the data signal path of digital and analog switches
- A digital path switcher that establishes connections between any 24 digital input and output equipment ports (each digital equipment port has 2 signals, data and clock)
- A single ended ECL, 200 MHz, 50 Ohms
- An Analog Generic Data Switching System that establishes a connection of up to 16 input and output analog devices
- Bandwidth 50 Hz to 250 kHz, 50 to 1050 Ohms, 0.05V to 5V pp
The GDSS System can be controlled by the local PC-based controller or by a remote host computer through an IEEE-488 interface or an RS-232 interface link. The control and interface software are stored in the local PC-based controller.
When under remote control by the Ground Station host, the GDSS continuously provides status information. The GDSS unit is mounted in a nineteen-inch (19") rack and is equipped with rack slides.
Panel connections use BNC sockets and a TwinAx/CoAx converter option is available.
Software
The state of the switch is represented graphically on two display pages, which are shown cascaded in the main GDSS window. One page is for the analog switch and the other page is for the digital switch. Each display page has three panes, which show the unused inputs, unused outputs, and the active connections for the switch. The display pages and panes are derived from Windows objects and may be resized and repositioned using standard Windows operations.