PICARD: Platform Concepts for Prototyping and Demonstration of High Speed Communication Systems

Nowadays, new and powerful algorithms are developed by telecom engineers to enhance the communication link capacity and robustness. However, the step to build a demonstrator in order to validate the performance of the algorithm is huge. Therefore, we conceived a generic platform that closes this know-how gap by defining reusable modular hardware concepts and Linux driver development software. The hardware concepts feature dedicated high-speeddata links, flexible configurable hardware, integration of Intellectual Property (IP) cores and built-in debug facilities. The boards are Compact PCI compliant and can be plugged in a standard shelf to build a system. These platform concepts will find a first application in the demonstration of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) system.