Implementing an Open Setup Environment Across Multiple Vendor Products Using TMATS

Abstract

The Inter-Range Instrumentation Group (IRIG) introduced the Telemetry Attributes Transfer Standard (TMATS) in IRIG 106-93. This long needed standardization was designed to provide a common thread through which test programs could move from one test range to another without significant re-work in the setup environment. TMATS provides the definition of telemetry attributes and specifies the media and data format necessary to permit the ready transfer of the information required to setup telemetry receiving/processing functions at a test range. These attributes are defined as those parameters required by the receiving/processing system to acquire, process and display telemetry data received from a test item or source. As the telemetry vendor community develops more and more board level products designed to be integrated into various platforms such as Personal Computer (PC), VME, and VXI, the necessity of providing a setup environment, which is independent of a specific vendor product, becomes essential. An significant advantage of TMATS lies in its ability to provide a mechanism for setup of "multiple vendor systems" without the necessity of restructuring telemetry attribute information for each unique vendor's product. This paper describes the use of TMATS for the setup of a VXI based telemetry acquisition system containing board level products (including Antenna Control Units, RF Receivers, Combiners, Bit Synchronizers, PCM Decommutators, and PCM Simulators) from multiple vendors.