A transputer-based instrument for the ESA/NASA Cluster mission

This paper describes the evolution and implementation of a multiple transputer based instrument, the Digital Wave Processor (DWP), for the ESA Cluster mission. The DWP is a fault-tolerant instrument responsible for the control of five wave-processing experiments, and the data processing and compression of their output. Novel features include low-power modes of the DWP where some transputers are powered off and others may run at a reduced clock speed.