The HI-3717A requires a single 3.3V power input. It features an on-chip DC-DC converter which generates both +5V and -5V to supply the bipolar differential voltage levels needed to meet the ARINC 717 Bipolar Return-to-Zero (BPRZ) Bus levels. A Freescale MC9S12XDT512 microcontroller communicates with the HI-3717A through the SPI interface. The main “General Purpose SPI Evaluation Board” includes switches and LEDs to navigate the operating modes and confirm data and status information. A Serial UART port on the MCU allows debug and data messages to be sent to a PC using any terminal program, such as Windows HyperTerminal. The HI-3717A Evaluation Board is a daughter card that plugs on to the General Purpose SPI board via two 26 pin connectors.
This guide summarizes how to get set up and running quickly. Additional support material and software are provided in the included CD-ROM. Since the demo code is pre-programmed into the flash in the microcontroller the demo is operational right out of the box. No software development tools are needed to run the demo.