<title>Analog and digital interface solutions for the common large-area display set (CLADS)</title>

Abstract

Battelle is under contract with Warner Robins Air Logistics Center to design a common large area display set (CLADS) for use in multiple airborne command, control, communications, computers and intelligence applications that currently use unique 19 inch cathode ray tubes (CRTs). The CLADS is a modular design, with common modules used wherever possible. Each CLADS includes an application-specific integration kit, which incorporates all of the unique interface components. Since there is no existing digital video interface standard for high resolution workstations, a standard interface was developed for CLADS and documented as an interface specification.One of the application-specific modules, the application video interface module (AVIM), readily incorporates most of the required application electrical interfaces for a given system into a single module. The analog AVIM, however, poses unique design problems when folding multiple application interface requirements into a single common AVIM for the most prevalent workstation display interface: analog RGB video. Future workstation display interfaces will incorporate fully digital video between the graphics hardware and the digital display device. A digital AVIM is described which utilizes a fiber channel interface to deliver high speed 1280 by 1024, 24- bit, 60 Hz digital video from a PCI graphics card to the CLADS. A video recording and playback device is described, as well as other common CLADS modules, including the display controller and power supply. This paper will discuss both the analog and digital AVIM interfaces, application BIT and power interfaces, as well as CLADS internal interfaces.