A JTAG-based management bus on backplane for modular instruments

Abstract

In physics experiments, various modular electronic instruments are developed in custom chassis, where several modules communicate and work jointly through a backplane. For maintaining the normal operation of these instruments, it is always necessary to fulfill routine management tasks on the modules. In this paper, we realize a JTAG-based modular instrument management bus on the backplane, with which the modules can be efficiently managed in batches. This management bus is built in a single-ring daisy-chain architecture and offers excellent compatibility with relevant hardware and software from different FPGA manufacturers. For surmounting the main disadvantage of this single-ring daisy chain, we designed a new automatic-check module integrated in the bus, based on which the communication between the modules on the backplane can be retained with empty slots in the chain. In addition, this bus is capable of being applied to different backplane infrastructures as long as they support the standard JTAG protocol. Based on these designs, our management bus can raise the working efficiency of custom scientific modular instruments.