TAMC900 User Manual Issue 2.0.1
Page 16 of 71
4.2 Tracking Buffer
The tracking buffer is the central unit of the module. It is used to realize the different operation modes by
using the on-board QDR-II memories. The modes are described in the following chapters.
Note that an operation mode is set for entire channel group and cannot be done for every
channel in a different way.
The use of the QDR-II memory in the data path has another reason. In case of PCI Express transmission
gaps the memory can buffer the data so that the data integrity is still held. Based on the internal organization
structure there are 256k words for a single channel.
At a sample frequency of 105 MHz a period of approximate
2.4 m sec
can be buffered before the loss of data
occurs.
The restriction on channel groups has impacts on the buffer technique. The throttle mode is shared by the
concatenated channels. It is used to stop providing new data to the DMA Engines if one engine signalizes
that its dedicated channel FIFO is running full.
One stalled channel may cause that all channels of the group get into error state due to buffer
overflow.