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The -L and -M suffixes indicate the FPGA size in an RG408 unit. The smaller FPGA is supplied in RG408-L units. An
Extra Resources “-M” option (on the RG408-M) supplies greater processing and memory facilities. This provides
for more than four ports on a DSI, for double the recording buffer memory on an MSR, and for more ports or
larger RMAP memories on an SRR.
3.4.3
Handling and Transportation
The 4Links RG platform products are designed to be robust, and are capable of being transported to support
SpaceWire testing.
Units should be packaged in protective foam or similar material to prevent them from being subjected to
excessive shocks during handling.
Units should not be subjected to condensation; transferring them directly from a cold shipping container to a
moist warm laboratory atmosphere is not recommended.
The micro-miniature D-type SpaceWire plugs and sockets are fragile. Connections should be made with care. If
the units are in an environment where they are frequently re-connected, consideration should be given to the use
of sacrificial connectors or an external router (such as the 4Links Flexible SpaceWire Router).
3.4.4
RG Platform Firmware
Firmware for the 4Links RG platform products is supplied on CompactFlash memory cards. These
cards may be hot-swapped - i.e. plugged and unplugged from a live unit. RG Platform units boot from an installed
memory card when they are powered up, as well as when they detect that a memory card has been newly-
inserted. Ejecting and then re-inserting a memory card is therefore an acceptable method of re-booting a unit.
A memory card may be ejected by pressing the eject button on the right-hand side of the card slot with a non-
conductive device.
CAUTION:
Do not attempt to remove the memory card using a conductive object (e.g. a pen or a screwdriver).
Memory cards are configured for a particular 4Links hardware platform, and are only intended for use with that
unit. If one attempts to boot a 4Links unit with a memory card that was built for another unit, or with a non-
4Links memory card, then the boot self-test display will display a failure message at the fifth step - which
indicates that the card is unsuitable for this unit.