New Earth observation, atmospheric sounding, planetary exploration and, generally, scientific missions require the capability to handle large amount of data and to process them on board applying both first level trigger procedure and compression algorithms. Moreover short development times and the control of costs and risks, together with improving of on-board intelligence and elaboration autonomy, are strong requirements not compatible with the traditional pattern to develop highly specialised and customised satellites, targeted only on one specific mission. All these points led to define a new approach for payload data system development, made up with common elements for platform control and data handling with dedicated parts depending on the specific mission objective.
These concepts drove to a flexible, programmable and modular Integrated Payload Data Processing and Storage System (IPPM) unit, able to operate as a real single board compact computer suitable for supporting requirements coming from different mission scenarios.
The unit, developed by Aurelia Microelettronica in close collaboration with CAEN Aerospace, features:

• High processing capability (100 Mips) thanks to a LEON2 rad-hard CPU able to ensure an effective multi-tasking control and offering numerical computation power too (double precision floating point unit included)

• CPU dedicated large volatile memory on board

• PCI mezzanine to connect mission specific equipment as PCI peripheral board

• Very Low, Low and Medium data rate Instruments control capabilities through CAN Bus

• Avionics control capabilities through a second CAN bus or MIL-STD-1553

• SpaceWire routing with 8 links capability on board for interfacing of High Data Rate Instruments, external

Mass Memory modules and equipments for ground support

• Debug Support Unit on board for tracing and debugging

• Single power supply requested thanks to a customised DC/DC converter on board

Radio Frequency Identification technology has drastically changed the traditional barcode technology giving birth to an effective mean to automatize logistics and simplify the supply chain processes. This technology is predicted to have a big impact on competitiveness of production and on efficiency in the labelling of goods and transport packaging.
EASY2READ® is a brand new product line for the European UHF RFID market, which aims to provide customers with the best hardware solution to handle every Radio Frequency Identification requirement in the UHF band.
Three families of readers constitute the new product line, depending on target applications: small, medium and large sized readers.
Small readers are addressed to solve the problem of proximity reading/writing of tags and labels, where transponders are up to 1 m distance from the reader and where compactness is the most important feature, thus allowing integration into PDAs, handheld devices and label printers. Two products representing this family, ready for EPC Gen2, will be available: a multiprotocol compact OEM module with low power consumption and a fully integrated compact reader with USB interface and an integrated antenna.
Medium sized readers combine compactness and full power availability to the antenna, addressing the less demanding installations. The two devices belonging to this product family are an OEM module and a standalone reader equipped with an IP65 housing, both compliant to the new ETSI 302 208 standard and ready for EPC Gen2.
Finally, compliant to the new ETSI 302 208 standard and ready for EPC Gen2, our large sized reader is an evolution of the existing CAEN Long Range UHF Reader (A928), including a complete set of interfaces and full power to up to four antennas, in order to allow effective portal installations.
EASY2READ® products join the award winning A928 Reader, already successfully deployed in several European RFID test centres and pilot installations, such as the Danish EPCglobal Compliance Test Centre, the Finnish RFID Lab and the ABB Drives factory in Helsinki.
For additional information, please visit:
http://www.caen.it/rfid/downloads.php

CAEN is proudly committed in the design and development of a compact data acquisition and power supply system, housed in a water cooled special crate, for the readout of the TOF (Time Of Flight) detector of the ALICE experiment at CERN.
The Crate contains a 12 slot VME64X bus that houses 2400 multi-hit 25ps TDC channels (TDC Readout Module: TRM), a local Trigger Module (LTM), a Clock Distribution Module (CPDM) and a Data Readout Manager (DRM board) with two optical links and Ethernet.
The TRM features the High Performance TDC chips, developed by CERN, succesfully tested on the CAEN catalog Multi-hit TDC family (V1190A/B, V1290A/N, VX1190A/B, VX1290A/N).
The DRM task is to read data on VME backplane (from TRM), to format and send data to central Alice DAQ through DDL (Data Detector Link), to provide interface with trigger TTC (Timing Trigger and Control) and Slow Control function/access to VME via SLC (Slow Control link).
The CPDM provides clock and test pulse distribution; LTM produces trigger signals from coincidence of OR output of FEA (ALICE Front End Cards).
Due to the radioactive environment, an accurate choice of components is required and the VME boards implement protections from Single Event Latch-up and from Single Event Upset.
The same crate hosts the power supply modules for the VME boards and the TOF detector front-end modules. The power supply channels are remotely controlled through a CAEN masterpiece: the EASY BUS.
The whole system shall be used close to the TOF detector and will work under moderate radiation and intense magnetic field (1.2 Gy/10 years TID, 5 KGauss).

The AMS-02 HV Brick has successfully concluded its qualification test campaign at CIEMAT (Madrid); qualification tests  included Vibration, Thermo-Vacuum, Thermal Cycling and EMC. The Flight Models production is currently in progress.
The AMS-02 HV Brick will supply all the AMS-02 Photomultiplier Based Detectors. It accommodates up to 4 (2 main + 2 redundant) HV Power Supplies feeding 80 (40 main + 40 redundant) Linear Regulators, providing up to 2.3 kV. The output voltages are programmable with 10 bit resolution over the FSR. Each output channel is equipped with an overcurrent protection. The HV System is controlled via an LVDS serial link.