High-Speed Data Acquisition is essential for modern applications such as radar, software-defined radio (SDR), medical imaging, 5G wireless infrastructure, and electronic test equipment, where large volumes of analog data must be captured, processed, and transmitted with speed and precision. These demanding applications require high-bandwidth interfaces that enable efficient connectivity between high-speed data converters and FPGA-based processing platforms, ensuring reliable and real-time signal processing.
JESD204B has become the industry-standard serial interface for connecting Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) and Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs) with FPGAs and SoCs. By reducing board complexity while supporting deterministic latency and multi-gigabit data rates, JESD204B enables the development of next-generation embedded signal processing systems.
To help developers accelerate product development, iWave offers a JESD204B-enabled data acquisition and processing solution built on the AMD Zynq™ UltraScale+™ MPSoC Development Platform.
What is JESD204B?
JESD204B is a high-speed serial interface standard developed by JEDEC for connecting data converters to programmable logic devices. Compared to traditional parallel interfaces, JESD204B reduces the number of PCB traces, minimizes routing complexity, and supports significantly higher data rates.
The protocol enables deterministic latency, synchronized multi-device operation, and efficient serial communication, making it ideal for applications that require precise timing and high-throughput data transfer.
Why Choose JESD204B for High-Speed Data Acquisition?
As converter sampling rates continue to increase, conventional parallel interfaces become increasingly difficult to route and synchronize. JESD204B addresses these challenges by providing:
- High-speed serial communication with lane rates up to 12.5 Gbps
- Deterministic latency for time-critical applications
- Multi-lane and multi-device synchronization
- Simplified PCB layout with fewer signal traces
- Lower power consumption
- Improved signal integrity
- Scalability for future high-speed designs
These advantages simplify hardware design while improving overall system performance.
AMD Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC Development Platform
The iWave Development Platform combines an AMD Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC System on Module with a feature-rich carrier board, providing a flexible environment for evaluating and developing high-speed signal processing applications.
Key Hardware Features
- AMD Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC with up to 504K logic cells
- 4 GB ECC DDR4 memory for the Processing System
- 1 GB DDR4 memory for Programmable Logic
- Dual FMC HPC connectors
- SFP+ interface
- PCIe x4 expansion
- SATA interface
- USB Type-C connectivity
- Gigabit Ethernet
- High-speed programmable logic transceivers up to 16.3 Gbps
- Processing System transceivers up to 6 Gbps
The platform enables rapid integration of high-speed ADCs, DACs, networking interfaces, and storage devices.
Why AMD Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC?
The AMD Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC architecture is well suited for JESD204B-based applications because it combines multicore Arm® processors with programmable FPGA logic and high-speed serial transceivers on a single device.
The integrated transceiver architecture supports:
- High-speed serial communication
- Adaptive Equalization (EQ)
- Clock and Data Recovery (CDR)
- Automatic Gain Control (AGC)
- Pre-emphasis for improved signal integrity
- Efficient serial-to-parallel data conversion
These capabilities simplify JESD204B implementation while ensuring reliable operation at multi-gigabit speeds.
iWave JESD204B Demonstration Platform
iWave has successfully demonstrated high-speed analog data acquisition and processing using the Analog Devices AD-FMCDAQ2-EBZ evaluation module connected to the AMD Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC through the FMC HPC interface.
The demonstration showcases seamless communication between high-speed data converters and programmable logic using the JESD204B interface.
Demonstration Hardware
The platform includes:
- AMD Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC Development Kit
- Analog Devices AD-FMCDAQ2-EBZ FMC module
- AD9680 dual-channel 14-bit 1 GSPS ADC
- AD9144 quad-channel 16-bit 2.8 GSPS DAC
- Signal generator
- Mixed-domain oscilloscope
- High-speed storage through M.2 SATA
Demonstration Workflow
Demo 1 – Real-Time Analog Signal Processing
In the first demonstration, a 25 MHz analog sine wave generated externally is digitized by the ADC and transferred to the FPGA over the JESD204B interface.
The programmable logic captures the incoming data and transfers it to the processing system for:
- Real-time signal processing
- Data buffering in DDR4 memory
- Optional storage on M.2 SATA
- Ethernet streaming for remote analysis
The processed digital data is then transmitted back through the DAC to reconstruct the analog waveform for verification using laboratory measurement equipment.
Demo 2 – FPGA-Based Pattern Generation
The second demonstration highlights digital waveform generation directly within the FPGA.
A predefined waveform stored in internal memory is transmitted to the DAC through JESD204B. The analog output is looped back into the ADC, allowing the platform to verify signal integrity after acquisition and processing.
Captured data can be:
- Buffered in DDR4 memory
- Stored on onboard storage
- Streamed over Ethernet
- Visualized using GNU Plot for waveform analysis
This workflow demonstrates reliable end-to-end data acquisition, processing, and verification.
Applications
The JESD204B-enabled platform supports numerous high-speed embedded applications, including:
- Test and Measurement Equipment
- Radar Systems
- LiDAR Processing
- Software-Defined Radio (SDR)
- 4G and 5G Wireless Infrastructure
- Medical Imaging Systems
- Electronic Warfare
- Satellite Communications
- Motor Control
- High-Speed Data Acquisition
- Scientific Instrumentation
Accelerate FPGA Development with iWave
Beyond hardware platforms, iWave provides complete FPGA development support to accelerate customer projects.
Its capabilities include:
- RTL design and implementation
- FPGA IP integration
- High-speed interface development
- Custom carrier board design
- Reference FPGA designs
- Board Support Packages (BSPs)
- Third-party IP integration
- End-to-end embedded hardware and software development
Customers evaluating Analog Devices AD-FMCDAQ2-EBZ can also leverage iWave’s reference binaries and production-ready hardware platforms to reduce development time and project risk.
JESD204B has become the preferred interface for connecting high-speed data converters to FPGA-based processing systems. Its combination of deterministic latency, multi-gigabit bandwidth, synchronization capabilities, and simplified hardware design makes it ideal for advanced embedded signal processing applications.
By combining AMD Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC technology with proven JESD204B expertise, production-ready hardware, and comprehensive engineering services, iWave enables developers to rapidly build scalable, high-performance data acquisition solutions for next-generation embedded applications.
For more information, visit http://www.iwave-global.comor contact mktg@iwave-global.com
