Project brief
A compact, high-reliability ARINC 429 interface card replacing discrete ARINC chips with a single FPGA implementation. The design supports 8 simultaneous transmit channels and 16 receive channels with hardware label filtering, reducing avionics bay weight by 40% and significantly improving MTBF. The card is DO-254 Design Assurance Level C compliant and operates over the full military temperature range.
The documented scope centers on a configurable avionics interface card, with protocol logic, electrical interfacing, and diagnostic functions presented together.
The engineering challenge
Consolidate parallel avionics bus channels while preserving predictable message handling and fault visibility.
Engineering approach
- Implement channel logic and label filtering in the FPGA.
- Separate the bus transceivers from the digital control path.
- Combine self-test, input protection, and power redundancy in the interface architecture.
Features & capabilities
- 8 TX / 16 RX simultaneous ARINC 429 channels in single Xilinx FPGA
- VHDL implementation with comprehensive self-test capability (BITE)
- Hardware label filtering — up to 256 labels per receive channel
- DO-254 Design Assurance Level C hardware compliance package
- MIL-STD-704F 28VDC aircraft power input with full protection
- Operational range: -55°C to +85°C with conformal coating
- 1553B monitoring capability via secondary interface port
- Dual redundant power supply with automatic switchover
Software & engineering tools
Xilinx Artix-7 XC7A100T FPGA, VHDL/Vivado, Altium Designer (8-layer MIL-SPEC PCB), MIL-SPEC passive components, Holt HI-3585 ARINC transceivers