A Glimpse of Unit 4 …..

• ARINC 429: 100 kbps; linear, unidirectional bus.

• MIL-STD-1553B: (also known as DEF-STAN-00-18 Part 2 and STANAG 3838), 1 Mbps,
linear, bidirectional bus; centralised control, command/response protocol.
• ARINC 629: 2 Mbps, linear, bidirectional bus; distributed control, carrier sense multiple
access/collision detection (CSMA/CD) plus dynamic time-slot allocation (DTSA) protocol.
• ARINC 664 (AFDX Ethernet): 10/100 Mbps; star, bidirectional communications network;
distributed control, with a CSMA/CD-derived protocol to provide pseudo-deterministic
timing and redundancy management.
• CAN bus: 1 Mbps; linear, bidirectional bus; prioritised collision detection/avoidance
protocol.

MIL-STD-1553B is a military data bus standard used extensively in military aircraft.

However, many important features and capabilities, the lessons from which were then
garnered in the evolution of subsequent civil and military avionics data bus standards.
• Avionics Standard Communications Bus (ASCB) was developed by Honeywell
and is used in general aviation (GA) and business jet applications.
• It is a bidirectional bus with centralised control command/response protocols
having some similarity to MIL-STD-1553B but using COTS technologies,
operating at 670 kbps.
• Commercial Standard Data Bus (CSDB) developed by Rockwell Collins for use
in GA applications. It is an asynchronous broadcast bus, similar to ARINC 429,
operating at 12.5 kbps and 50 kbps.
• RS232 and RS422 serial digital data buses are also used in some applications
• IEEE 1394 Firewire 800 Mbps for digital video.
Evolutionary application of Data bus technologies
Data bus format
Network topologies
Bit Encoding…
Terminologies in data bus protocol
• Time-slot allocation, Command/response, Token Passing, Contention,
• Single source – single sink (unicast), Single source – multiple sink (multicast),
Multiple source – multiple sink.

• START ARNIC 429 – Next class onwards

ARNIC 429 - Overview
Transmission Classes of digital data are:
• Single source – single sink (unicast): This classification describes a dedicated link
from one equipment to another. Earliest data bus applications were of this type.

• Single source – multiple sink (multicast) : This classification describes a technique

where one transmitting equipment can send data to a number of recipient equipment
(sinks).

• Multiple source – multiple sink: In this classification, multiple transmitting sources

may transmit data to multiple receivers with suitable measures to ensure only one
transmitter sources data at any one time.

• ARINC 429, introduced in the mid-1980s, is a single source, multiple sink, linear
Transmission Protocol Overview
• Single source, multiple sink unidirectional data buses such as ARINC 429 may be
simple in command (protocol) structure, but the physical network to implement an
avionics system can be complex since a data bus emanates from every transmitting
equipment.
• By facilitating communication in both directions, a physical network can be
simplified.
• A bidirectional data bus has multiple sources and multiple sinks. In this type of
data bus, all terminals can transmit and receive on the same data bus; but of
course not at the same time, or the messages would over-write each other.
• The messages need to be kept apart by a time multiplexing protocol. The
physical network is simple: each terminal needs only one data bus interface.
• However, the data protocol is complex. Arbitration must take place to ensure
that only one terminal is able to transmit at any one time. Receivers must listen
all the time. Receiver acknowledgement is possible, and error recovery
strategies can be developed.
Bidirectional Data Bus Protocol Overview
• Time-slot allocation: Each terminal is assigned a predetermined time slot on the bus.
A terminal must wait (listen) for its time slot to take control of the bus and transmit.
• Command/response: A bus controller (BC) commands all transactions on the bus.
• No terminal may transmit without receiving permission from the bus controller.
Failure of the prime BC may activate an alternative BC; however, only one BC can
be active at any one time. The state of the bus must be replicated in all bus
controllers so that a smooth transition can be take place when the control is handed
over.
• Token passing: A token is passed around the bus terminals. A terminal can only take
control of the bus and transmit after it receives the token. When it has completed its
transactions it passes the token on to other users.
• Contention: Any terminal may transmit any time after the bus becomes idle (quiet).
If two terminals start to transmit at once, a collision occurs. Both terminals must stop
and, after a random wait, retry to transmit. Collisions are normal events. A contention
bus tends to collapse under heavy loading.
Time – Slot allocation protocol
• The simplest time-slot allocation protocol is time division multiplex allocation
(TDMA). Each terminal is assigned a predetermined time-slot on the bus. The
terminal must wait for its time-slot to take control of the bus.
• The time and duration of each terminal’s transmission slot is predetermined by
the bus designer. The terminal must complete its transactions within its assigned
time-slot.
• When the time-slot expires, bus access is curtailed even if it is unfinished, and the
bus is then assigned to another terminal. Each terminal is assigned a portion of
the total bus bandwidth.
• Dynamic time-slot allocation (DTSA) is an enhancement that allows terminals to
adjust the time of access based on bus activity.
• Under normal conditions one terminal will be in the transmit state, while all other
terminals will be in the receive state. After a transmitter has finished its
transactions, it relinquishes the bus to the next terminal.
• DTSA can exhibit greater throughput and shorter waiting times than baseline
TDMA during periods of high bus loading.
Command/Response Protocol
• Command/response protocols use a bus controller to manage all bus transactions.
• No transmissions can be initiated without the permission of the bus controller.
• There may be one or more bus controllers for reasons of redundancy; however,
only one may be active at any one time. Any other bus controller must be on
standby and be ready to take over the bus control as and when required.
• With centralised bus control, the bus controller controls all communications. Bus
traffic is tightly controlled and is deterministic in nature.
• The network communication definition resides in the BC. With distributed bus
control, control is distributed amongst several BCs. Transfer of bus control must
be carefully coordinated and dynamic (non-deterministic) reconfiguration is
generally not favoured for aerospace applications.
• The network communication definition must reside in all BCs. The BC also has
knowledge of the status of every message transaction, the status of every
terminal, and executes the error management strategy.
Token Passing Protocol
• Token passing protocol avoids the single point failure of centrally controlled command/
response protocols and avoids the chaos of contention protocols.
• A token (a special bit pattern) circulates around the terminals. When a user is in
possession of the token that terminal has exclusive use of the bus.
• When a terminal has completed all its transactions, it passes the token to the next user.
The token is free to be passed around the bus. When a terminal wants to send a message,
it must wait until it receives the token before that message may be enacted.
• The bus protocol has to manage the failure case should a terminal fail to pass on the
token and relinquish the bus (sometimes known as the babbling idiot).
• Also, a means must be provided to replicate the token in the event that the token is lost or
corrupted.
• DOD-STD-1773 is an example of a token passing network. In this implementation, the
token is passed sequentially from the highest priority terminal to the next.
Contention Protocol
• Carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) is the simplest contention protocol. All terminals
listen to the bus. When the bus is quiet, any terminal may make a transmission.
• In its simplest form all terminals have equal priority. Of course, the possibility exists
that more than one user may then initiate a transmission at the same time. This is a
collision, and the data transmission will become corrupted.
• Collision detection (CD) enhances the basic protocol (known as CSMA/CD). All
terminals monitor their transmissions for collisions. If a transmission corruption is
detected then the transmitting terminals must cease to transmit.
• The bus is now quiet again. The transmitting terminals must wait a random period of
time before trying again.
• By nature of this randomness, one of the terminals will gain access to the bus first, thus
ensuring that the retried transmission will not be corrupted.
• Carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) is the simplest contention protocol. All terminals
listen to the bus. When the bus is quiet, any terminal may make a transmission.
ARNIC 429 - Overview
• ARINC 429 is by far the most common data bus in use on civil transport aircraft,
regional jets and executive business jets flying today.
• Since its introduction on the Boeing 757/767 aircraft and on Airbus aircraft in the
early 1980s, hardly an aircraft has been produced which does not utilise this data
bus.
• It is a single source, multisync, linear topology data bus. It is transmitted on a
twisted pair screened cable using bipolar return-to-zero encoding.
• Up to 20 receiving terminals can be connected onto the bus.
• Connections can be made by simple splicing into the cable harness, and the bit
rate is comparatively low, so no matched termination is required.
• While it can transmit a wide range of parameters, including altitude, airspeed, and
temperature, it may not be suitable for transmitting large volumes of continuous
data like video or high-resolution images, which would require a different data
communication standard.
• Information is transmitted one 32-bit word at a time.
• Word format comprises a 19-bit data component into which information can be
encoded as binary, binary coded decimal (BCD), alphanumeric (ASCII) and discretes.
• The data are preceded by an 8-bit label component that identifies the information
content of the data component. The final bit is a parity bit. Other bits are available to
identify the source and the status of the data.
• The ARINC 429 specification incorporates many fixed labels and data formats to
facilitate an open standard. However, designers may implement alternative and
additional data encryptions to suit the requirements for their system.
• It should be noted that information flows only in one direction from source
(transmitter) to sinks (receivers). There is no means for a receiver to acknowledge
receipt. The source transmits information when it is available; the receivers must take
it when it comes.
• The transmitter does not know whether the receivers have correctly received the
message. There is no handshake or error recovery mechanism for missed or corrupted
messages.
• The standard offers two data rates. The low-speed 12 to 14 kbps data rate is
generally used for communication with sensors, effectors, control panels and
annunciators with low data content.
• The high-speed 100 kbps data rate is generally used for communication between
avionics computers. The data capacity is modest. The high-speed data rate of 100
kbps accommodates little more than 32 words at 50 Hz (20 ms) cycle time with a
bus loading of 50%.
• So, the ARINC 429 Specification establishes how avionics equipment and systems
communicate on commercial aircraft. The specification defines electrical
characteristics, word structures and protocol necessary to establish bus
communication. ARINC 429 utilizes the simplex, twisted wire pair.
• LRUs have no address assigned through ARINC 429, but rather have equipment ID
numbers which allow grouping equipment into systems, which facilitates system
management and file transfers.
Cable Characteristics
• The transmission bus media uses a 78 Ω shielded twisted
pair cable. The shield must be grounded at each end and at
all junctions along the bus.
• Maximum length is not specified, as it is dependent on the
number of sink receivers, and source power.
• Most systems are designed for under 150 feet, but
conditions permitting, can extend to 300 feet and beyond.
Transmission Characteristics
• ARINC 429 specifies two speeds for data transmission.
Low speed operation is stated at 12.5 kHz, with an actual
allowable range of 12 to 14.5 kHz.
• High speed operation is 100 kHz ± 1% allowed. These two
data rates can not be used on the same transmission bus.
• Data is transmitted in a bipolar, Return-to-Zero format.
This is a tri-state modulation consisting of HIGH, NULL
and LOW states.
• Transmission voltages are measured across the output
terminals of the source. Voltages presented across the
receiver input will be dependent on line length, and the
number of receivers connected.
• The following voltage levels indicate the three allowable
states:
• In bipolar, Return-to-Zero – or RZ – format, a HIGH (or 1) is
achieved with the transmission signal going from NULL to
+10 V for the first half of the bit cycle, then returning to
zero or NULL.
• A LOW (or 0) is produced by the signal dropping from NULL
to –10 V for the first half bit cycle, then returning to zero.
• With a Return-to-Zero modulation format, each bit cycle
time ends with the signal level at 0 Volts, eliminating the
need for an external clock, creating a self-clocking signal.
Why no bus coupler in ARNIC ??
• ARINC 429 operates at relatively low data rates and is suitable for relatively short
distances. The electrical characteristics of the standard are designed to work well
within these constraints without the need for bus couplers.
• Point-to-Point Communication: ARINC 429 is primarily designed for point-to-
point communication, where a single transmitter (usually a piece of avionic
equipment) communicates with a single receiver (another piece of avionic
equipment). This is in contrast to bus-based architectures like MIL-STD-1553,
which support multiple devices connected to a shared bus. In a point-to-point
setup, there's no need for bus couplers because there are only two devices
communicating directly.
• Simplicity: ARINC 429 is known for its simplicity and ease of implementation. It
uses a simple electrical interface with two wires (one for data and one for return)
and standard voltage levels. The absence of bus couplers contributes to this
simplicity, as it eliminates the need for additional components and complexity in
the wiring.
ARNIC 429 DATA WORD FORMAT
• The transmitter is always transmitting, either data words
or the NULL state.
• Most ARINC messages contain only one data word
consisting of either Binary (BNR), Binary Coded Decimal
(BCD) or alphanumeric data encoded using ISO Alphabet
No. 5.
• Any unused bits are padded with zeros.
• ARINC 429 data words are 32-bit words made up of five
primary fields:
• • Parity – 1-bit
• • Sign/Status Matrix (SSM) – 2-bits
• • Data – 19-bits
• • Source/Destination Identifier (SDI) – 2-bits
• • Label – 8-bits
• The only two fields definitively required are the Label and
the Parity bit, leaving up to 23-bits available for higher
resolution data representation.
• Many non-standard word formats have been adopted by
various manufacturers of avionics equipment.
• Even with the variations included, all ARINC data is
transmitted in 32-bit words. Any unused bits are padded
with zeros.
 Parity bit
• Parity Type: ARINC 429 uses what is known as "odd parity." This means that the
parity bit is set (1) or cleared (0) in such a way that the total number of set bits in
the data word, including the parity bit, is an odd number. If the data word already
contains an odd number of set bits, the parity bit is set to 0 (cleared). If the data
word contains an even number of set bits, the parity bit is set to 1.
• Error Detection: During data transmission, both the transmitter and receiver
compute the parity bit based on the data word being sent. When the receiver
receives the data word, it computes the parity bit again. If the received parity bit
does not match the computed parity bit, it indicates that a single-bit error has
occurred in the data word. This alerts the receiver to the possibility of data
corruption.
• Error Handling: When an error is detected through a mismatch in the parity bit, the
receiver may take appropriate action based on the specific avionics system's error-
handling procedures. This can include requesting the retransmission of the data or
flagging the error for further analysis and diagnosis.
• It's important to note that while the parity bit in ARINC 429 provides a basic level of
error detection, it is not designed to correct errors or guarantee error-free
transmission.
• It can only detect single-bit errors, not multiple-bit errors or certain types of errors
that might affect more than one bit simultaneously.
• In more critical aviation applications, additional error-checking and error-correction
Label Field
• Bits 1-8 contain the ARINC label known as the Information
Identifier. The Label is expressed as a 3 digit octal number
with receivers programmed to accept up to 255 Labels.
• The Label is used to identify the word’s data type (BNR,
BCD, Discrete, etc) and can contain instructions or data
reporting information.
• Labels may be further refined by utilizing the first 3-bits of
the data field, Bits 11-13.
• Equipment Identifier to identify the bus transmission
source. Equipment IDs are expressed in hexadecimal
values.
• For example, BNR Label 102 is Selected Altitude. This data
can be received from the Flight Management Computer
(Equipment ID 002Hex), the DFS System (Equipment ID
020Hex) or the FCC Controller (Equipment ID 0A1Hex).
ARNIC 429 – Architecture Realisation
• The consequence of building an avionics system architecture using ARINC 429 is
that there are a significant number of ARINC 429 data bus links.
• Every transmitting avionics computer (LRU) will have at least one ARINC 429
output channel, and every receiving LRU will have one ARINC 429 input channel
for every LRU from which it receives data.
• In this architecture there are over 20 ARINC 429 channels, one from every
transmitting LRU. The flight deck displays are users of information from most of the
avionics system LRUs, and so receive a large number of ARINC 429 input channels.
• ARINC 429 has the advantage that the data protocol is extremely simple; that is, the
transmitting terminal sends information when it is ready; the receiving terminal
acquires data as it arrives. However, the consequential physical network is complex.
• Equipment-specific avionics (ARINC) specifications describe absolutely the
message format that any particular equipment should transmit.
• While the equipment designer is constrained by this rigour, it ensures that all
equipment of a particular genre will transmit identical data in an identical
manner.
• This offers the advantage that, for example, all Air data computers from all
suppliers in conformance to the ARINC specification may be considered
interchangeable as far as the data bus design is concerned.