PLDA Collaborates with National Instruments to Unveil the Industry's First FPGA-Based PXI Express Development Kit

San Jose, Calif. -- August 4, 2006—PLDApplications (PLDA) will launch the PXIe XpressLite CY2 Development Kit for CompactPCI Express on August 8th during the 12th annual NIWeek worldwide virtual instrumentation conference and exhibition. The x1 Endpoint add-in board, based on Altera's Cyclone II FPGA, is a complete production-ready or system prototyping solution.

“We're very excited to have PLDA offering the first CompactPCI Express FPGA-based Developer Kit and leading the charge on PXI Express with National Instruments,” says Richard McDonell, group manager of PXI marketing at National Instruments. NIWeek runs from August 8 – 10 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas (www.ni.com/niweek/).
PXI Express (based on the PCI Express protocol) is backward compatible with PXI and offers designers up to 2 GB/s dedicated per-slot bandwidth in addition to the industry's highest-performance timing and synchronization capabilities.

"PLDA is a strong leader in the high-speed bus market, producing innovative IP controllers and prototyping boards for more than ten years," continues Mr. McDonell. "Their PCI Express expertise and existing product line of CompactPCI products will streamline the efforts of engineers developing PXI Express modules using the new PXIe XpressLite CY2 Development Kit."
The PXIe XpressLite CY2 is a complete and low-cost solution. The Dev Kit includes a free PCI-SIG® compliant PCIe IP controller, a free testbench, and features the Philips PX1012A-EL1 PHY. Additional deliverables include a Software Development Kit, a comprehensive simulation environment, complete technical documentation, and technical support provided directly by the design team.
 
The PXIe XpressLite CY2 is also a proven solution. The XpressLite family of boards, which has shipped more than 20 times since Q1 2006, is proven PCI-SIG® compliant.
 
The board includes an x1 PXIe male connector, a Mictor connector for probing, and a prototyping matrix for daughter card extensions (Santa Cruz). It also has LEDs and switches to simplify development and is programmable via a JTAG connector or the EPCS16 (AS configuration).
 
The board is designed for direct system implementation as well as prototyping. Thanks to its rich feature set, the PXIe XpressLite CY2 can be easily and quickly integrated into a production environment. Getting Started: a Case Study (http://www.plda.com/download/pxi/getting_started_case_study.doc), explores a typical integration. Depending on the complexity of the need, the PXIe XpressLite CY2 can be adapted to a particular task within weeks in such fields as high-speed imaging, streaming communication, real-time signal processing, data acquisition, and modular instruments.
 
The PXIe XpressLite CY2 for CompactPCI Express applications is shipping now. For more information, please visit www.plda.com/products/board_pxie_cy2.php or contact sales@plda.com.
 
About PLDA
 
PLDA designs and sells a wide range of ASIC and FPGA interfacing solutions for the PCI Express, PCI-X, PCI and derivative protocols. The company offers complete solutions, including IP cores, hardware, software, consulting services, and comprehensive technical support provided directly by the IP designers.
 
Founded in 1996 and profitable since its inception, PLDA is privately owned. The company maintains offices in California and France, and has a strong international Distributor's network. For additional information about PLD Applications, please visit http://www.plda.com.

About National Instruments
 
For 30 years, National Instruments (www.ni.com) has been a technology pioneer and leader in virtual instrumentation – a revolutionary concept that has changed the way engineers and scientists in industry, government and academia approach measurement and automation. Leveraging PCs and commercial technologies, virtual instrumentation increases productivity and lowers costs for test, control and design applications through easy-to-integrate software, such as NI LabVIEW, and modular measurement and control hardware for PXI, PCI, PCI Express, USB and Ethernet. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 4,000 employees and direct operations in nearly 40 countries. For the past seven years, FORTUNE magazine has named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Readers can obtain investment information from the company’s investor relations department by calling (512) 683-5090 or visiting www.ni.com/nati.