International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research (IJSER)

www.ijser.in
ISSN (Online): 2347-3878
Volume 2 Issue 3, March 2014

Design of Xilinx Based Telemetry System Using

Verilog
N. P. Lavanya Kumari1, A. Sarvani2, K. S. S. Soujanya Kumari3, L. Y. Swathi4, M. Purnachandra Rao5
1
Assistant.Professor (C), Department of Systems Design, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
2, 3,4
Research Scholar, Department of Systems Design, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
5
Guide & Head of Department, Department of Systems Design, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract: Telemetry is a technology that allows the remote measurement and reporting of information of interest to the system designer
or operator. The transmission media may be air and space for satellite applications and copper wire and fiber cables for static ground
environments like power generation plants. A sure and effective telemetry link system plays a vital role in controlling and commanding
the aircraft or satellite. The telemetry, tracking and command (TT&C) system of a spacecraft provides the most vital telecommunication
link between a satellite and ground station. The TT&C systems provide the uplink for command and downlink for monitoring the
various health parameters through telemetry and much needed tracking information for the satellite for monitoring its position in the
orbit .The link is provided using a ground station and onboard telecomm and & tracking data receiving system onboard decoder and
telemetry transmitter. The TT&C link of a satellite is of prime importance, right from the time of its launch to the end of the mission. In
this paper, telemetry system is developed to communicate data that identified in the objects characterization or parameters which give a
clear idea to analyze the moving objects in real time and space which is an important characterization in day to day life. The aim of the
paper is to design a telemetry system in VERILOG and successfully simulated it through XILINX. By this, an effective link using digital
techniques is developed. The digital techniques used in design makes the FSK modulator and demodulator sections to be flexible in
modifying the frequencies and other parameters. By the features of XILINX the code was generated successfully and simulation results
can be dumped into an FPGA. Thus results a practical telemetry system. By using more advanced techniques we can design a telemetry
system which can be more reliable and accurate in transmission.

Keywords: Telemetry, XILINX, VERILOG, FPGA

1. Introduction Properly designed radio links can provide low cost, effective
and flexible data gathering systems that operate for many
Telemetry is defined as the sensing and measuring of years with very little maintenance. The Telemetry, Tracking
information at some remote Location and then transmitting and Command (TT&C) Systems of a spacecraft provides the
that information to a central or host location. There, it can be most vital telecommunication link between a satellite and
monitored and used to control a process at the remote site. ground station. The TT&C systems provide the uplink for
The word is derived from the Greek root tele=remote, command, downlink for monitoring the various health
metron=measure. Telemetry is the process by which an parameters through telemetry and much needed tracking
object’s characteristics are measured (such as velocity of an information for the satellite for monitoring its position in
aircraft), and the results transmitted to a distant station orbit. The link is provided using a ground station and
where they are displayed, recorded, and analyzed. The onboard tele-command & tracking data receiving systems,
transmission media may be air and space for satellite onboard decoder and telemetry transmitter. The TT&C link
applications, or copper wire and fiber cable for static ground of a satellite is of prime importance, right from the time of
environments like power generating plants. The purpose of a its launch to the end of the mission.
telemetry system is to collect data at a place that is remote or
inconvenient and to relay the data to a point where the data 2. Design Overview
may be evaluated. The basic concept of telemetry has been
in existence for centuries. Various mediums or methods of Today’s telemetry systems are built from commercial-off-
transmitting data from one site to another have been used. the-shelf (COTS) products. But while they all have many
Data radio provides a wireless method for transmitting the common elements, they are each uniquely configured to
information. Telemetry using radio waves or wireless offers meet specific application requirements. A telemetry system
several distinct advantages over other transmission methods. is often viewed as two components, the Airborne System
Some of these advantages are: and the Ground System. In actuality, either or both may be
in the air or on the ground.
1. No transmission lines to be cut or broken.
2. Faster response time
3. Lower cost compared to leased lines
4. Ease of use in remote areas where it is not practical or
possible to use wire or coaxial cables
5. Easy relocation
6. Functional over a wide range of operating conditions

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 International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research (IJSER)
www.ijser.in
ISSN (Online): 2347-3878
Volume 2 Issue 3, March 2014

thousands per stream, but it also eliminates the weight of

cables required for each sensor. The output of the main
encoder is filtered and transmitted via radio transmitter and
antenna, coax cable, telephone line, tape recorder, etc.
Filtering rounds or smoothes the square data pulses to
reduce frequency content and thus the required transmitter
bandwidth. At the Ground Station, the received data stream
is amplified. Since the transmission path often distorts the
already rounded signal, a bit synchronizer reconstructs it to
the original serial square wave train. Then, a decommutator
or decom (similar to that found in L-3’ Visual Test System
Figure 1.1.Telemetry transmitter section or System 550) recognizes the synchronization pattern and
returns the serial digital stream to parallel data. Decom also
Data acquisition begins when sensors (aka, transducers) separates the PCM stream into its original measurands (also
measure the amount of a physical attribute and transform the known as prime parameters) and data.
measurement to an engineering unit value. Some sensors
produce a voltage directly (thermocouples for temperature or
piezoelectric strain gages for acceleration), while others
require excitation (resistive strain gages, potentiometers for
rotation, etc.). Sensors attached to signal conditioners
provide power for the sensors to operate or modify signals
for compatibility with the next stage of acquisition. Since
maintaining a separate path for each source is cumbersome
and costly, a multiplexer (historically known as a
commutator) is employed. It serially measures each of the
analog voltages and outputs a single stream of pulses, each
with a voltage relative to the respective measured channel.
The rigorous merging of data into a single stream is called
Time Division Multiplexing or TDM.
Figure 1.3: Telemetry receiver sections

The computer (in the Visual Test System) or the telemetry

front end (System 550) selects prime parameters for real-
Figure 1.2: Time division multiplexing time processing; archiving to disk or tape; display; output to
strip chart recorders and annunciates; or distribution to other
The scheme where the pulse height of the TDM stream is computing resources according to the test plan.
proportional to the measured value is called Pulse Amplitude
Modulation (PAM). A unique set of synchronization pulses L-3 Telemetry-West and its sister divisions manufacture
is added to identify the original measurands and their value. virtually the entire telemetry system — from signal
PAM has many limitations, including accuracy, constraints conditioners to antennas for the Airborne System and from
on the number of measurands supported, and the poor ability antennas to telemetry receivers for the Ground System. The
to integrate digital data. following table breaks down which L-3 divisions provide
what for today's telemetry system requirements. Just
Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) is today’s preferred remember that when you need to put everything together, L-
telemetry format for the same reasons that PAM is 3 Telemetry-West will help specify, integrate, and install all
inadequate. Accuracy is high, with resolution limited only L-3 and third-party components for a total telemetry
by the analog to digital converter (ADC), and thousands of solution.
measurands can be acquired along with digital data from
multiple sources, including the contents of the computer’s 3. Design Techniques
memory and data buses. In a PCM-based system, the
original PAM multiplexer’s analog output is digitized to a
To design the code for telemetry systems Manchester coding
parallel format. The Output Formatter along with
technique and for modulation BFSK modulation scheme is
synchronization data for measurand identification merges
used.
this, plus other sources of digital data. The Output Formatter
serializes the composite parallel data stream to a binary
3.1 Manchester Encoding
string of pulses (1’s and 0’s) for transmission on copper
wire, fiber cable, or "the ether." All components from after
Manchester encoding has gained wide acceptance as the
the sensor to the formatter comprise the encoder (see figure
modulation scheme for low-cost radiofrequency
below}. Other, often remote encoders are used to multiplex
transmission of digital data. This form of binary phase-shift
additional sensor data into the main encoder’s output. Not
keying is a simple method for encoding digital serial data of
only does this expand the number of measurands to
arbitrary bit patterns without any long strings of continuous

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 International Journal of Scientific Engineering and Research (IJSER)
www.ijser.in
ISSN (Online): 2347-3878
Volume 2 Issue 3, March 2014

zeros or ones, and having the encoding clock rate embedded and the transmitted signal. The most commonly used signal
within the transmitted data. The encoding of digital data in parameters for describing an FSK signal are shown in Figure
Manchester format defines states of “1” and “0” to be 3.4. The minimum duration of a mark or space condition is
transitions rather than static values. There are two possible called the element length.
definitions (as shown in Figures 3.1 and 3.2) that have
alternate assignments of the logic levels to the two possible
transitions of rising and falling edges.

Figure 3.1: Defining logical binary data as edge transitions

Figure 3.4: Digital BFSK Generation Technique

Figure 3.2: Equally valid alternate definitions of binary data 4. Implementation of Telemetry System 
as edge transitions
In this project both Using Verilog Hardware Description
Thus, each Manchester data encoding of a logic level bit Language (VHDL) both transmitter and receiver sections of
requires two chips. A simple serial data stream is shown in telemetry link will be designed. The following block
Figure.3.3. diagram gives a top level view of telemetry link that will be
simulated and synthesized. The experimental diagram is
shown in Figure 4.1 below.

Figure 3.3: Simple serial data stream

3.2. Digital BFSK Technique

Frequency shift keying (FSK) is the most common form of

digital modulation in the high-frequency radio spectrum, and 5. Simulation Results
has important applications in telephone circuits. Binary FSK
(usually referred to simply as FSK) is a modulation scheme The software used here is Verilog. Verilog, like any other
typically used to send digital information between digital hardware description language, permits a design in either
equipment such as tele-printers and computers. The data are Bottom-up or Top-down methodology. Verilog is a great
transmitted by shifting the frequency of a continuous carrier low level language. Structural models are easy to design and
in a binary manner to one or the other of two discrete Behavioral RTL code is pretty good. The syntax is regular
frequencies. One frequency is designated as the “mark” and easy to remember. It is the fastest HDL language to
frequency and the other as the “space” frequency. The mark learn and use. However Verilog lacks user defined data
and space correspond to binary one and zero, respectively. types and lacks the interface-object separation of the
By convention, mark corresponds to the higher radio VHDL's entity-architecture model.
frequency. Figure 1 shows the relationship between the data

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ISSN (Online): 2347-3878
Volume 2 Issue 3, March 2014

5.1 Synthesis of Telemetry Transmitter 5.2 Transmitter Section:

In transmitter section the clock unit shows:

The RTL schematic for telemetry transmitter generated by

the Xilinx synthesis tool is shown in the below figure:

Manchester encoder:

BFSK modulation:
The block diagram showing the ports for telemetry receiver: BFSK mod controller:

Phase accumulator:

Transmitter Section Output:

The RTL schematic for telemetry receiver generated by the
Xilinx synthesis tool is shown in the below figure:

5.3 Receiver Section:

Clock unit:
RTL diagram of telemetry system is shown below:

BFSK Demodulation:

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ISSN (Online): 2347-3878
Volume 2 Issue 3, March 2014

Manchester Decoding: [4] Joachim & Mueller, “Trends in Missile and Space Radio
Telemetry”

Author Profile

Prof. M. Purnachandra Rao received his M.Sc

(Tech) in Electronics from Andhra University
Receiver Section Output: 1980 and he was awarded his Ph.D. from Dept. of
Physics, Andhra University. Later on appointed
has Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and
Professor in Physics Department and Head of the
Dept. of Systems Design. Has 30 years of
experience in the field of SODAR and its
applications.

5.4 Telemetry System Output: N. P. Lavanya Kumari received M. Sc, M. Phil

in Electronics and M. Tech degrees in Electronics
& Communication Engineering from Andhra
University in 2004, 2008 and 2012 respectively.
She is working as an Asst. Professor in the
Department of Systems Design, A.U.
Visakhapatnam.
6. Conclusions and Future Scope
A. Sarvani received M.Sc. (Tech) in Electronics
and Instrumentation and M. Tech degree in
The telemetry system is developed to communicate data that Electronics & Communication Engineering from
identified in the objects characterization or parameters which Andhra University in 2008 and 2012 respectively.
give a clear idea to analyze the moving objects in real time Presently she is Research Scholar in the
and space which is an important characterization in day to Department of Systems Design, A.U.
day life. Designed a telemetry system in VERILOG and Visakhapatnam.
successfully simulated it through XILINX. Using digital
techniques, an effective link was designed. The digital K. S. S. Soujanya Kumari received M. Sc and
techniques used in design makes the FSK modulator and M. Phil degrees in Electronics from Andhra
demodulator sections to be flexible in modifying the University in 2004 and 2008. She is working as
frequencies and other parameters. By the features of Teaching Associate in the Department of Systems
XILINX generated successful simulation results can be Design, A.U. Visakhapatnam.
dumped into FPGA which results a practical telemetry
system. By using more advanced techniques, an advanced L. Yamini Swathi received M. Sc and M. Phil
telemetry system is designed which can be more reliable and degrees in Electronics from Andhra University in
2004 and 2008. She is working as Teaching
accurate in transmission. The telemetry, tracking and
Associate in the Department of Systems Design,
command (TT&C) system of a spacecraft provides the most A.U. Visakhapatnam. 
vital telecommunication link between a satellite and ground
station. Scope is to design Telemetry system in VERILOG
HDL and successfully simulated it in XILINX. This
simulated result can be dumped into FPGA further in which
it results to practical telemetry system for
telecommunication link between satellite and ground station.
Advanced telemetry system is designed which is more
reliable and accurate in transmission.

References

[1] Dr. Frank Carden, Dr. Robert Henry, Dr. Rus Jedlicka.
Telemetry System Engineering, Artech House
Telecommunications Library
[2] “Telemetry: Summary of concept and rationale”. NASA.
NASA Technical Reports Server. Retrieved 26
September 2011.
[3] Mayo – Wells “The Origins of Space Telemetry”,
Technology and Culture, 1963.

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