Development Tactics and Techniques for Small Form Factor RF Signal Recorders

Overview

This white paper by Mercury Systems details engineering strategies and design techniques for developing small form factor (SFF), rugged RF signal recorders capable of handling high data rates from wide bandwidth RF signals, addressing applications such as radar, signal intelligence, beamforming, and electronic warfare.

At the core of these recorders are XMC modules combining high-speed analog-to-digital (A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converters with FPGA technology. These modules enable sampling at rates from 200 MS/s to 6.4 GS/s, allowing capture of signals from narrowband to multi-gigahertz bandwidths with high dynamic range. Precision timing and situational awareness are enabled via integrated small GNSS receivers providing nanosecond-level timestamping and positional data.

The paper emphasizes stringent adherence to military standards like MIL-STD-810 for environmental durability and MIL-STD-461 for electromagnetic interference (EMI) compliance. Techniques such as RF emission filtering, sealed chassis construction, and EMI power filtering ensure reliable operation in harsh field environments while maintaining small size and robustness.

Thermal management is critical: novel designs use conductive thermal paths via integrated heat sinks and plenum tubes with fans to effectively cool sealed electronics, enabling operation from extreme cold high altitudes to hot desert conditions. Lightweight materials like aluminum balance the need for heat dissipation and weight reduction, integral to SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power) goals crucial for airborne and unmanned platforms.

Data storage is simplified through modular high-capacity drive packs housing arrays of solid-state drives (SSDs) with gigabytes-per-second write speeds, hot-swappable from the front panel even when installed. These packs use high-reliability connectors and enable encryption and secure erase, combining ease-of-use with mission readiness.

Mercury’s Talon RTX SFF recorder exemplifies these approaches, featuring a compact 1/2 ATR footprint, removable fans and drives, and bundled SystemFlow® software. The software’s user-friendly Windows GUI and comprehensive RF signal analysis tools support configuration, control, and remote operation via gigabit Ethernet.

Overall, the paper illustrates how advances in semiconductor, storage, and system design technologies converge to deliver high-performance, rugged SFF RF signal recorders that meet demanding military and aerospace requirements. This facilitates deployment in constrained spaces like UAVs and aircraft pods, extending wideband RF recording capabilities to previously inaccessible platforms with reliability, thermal efficiency, and ease of use.