RCP CONTROLLER
B-BOX 4
STATE-OF-THE-ART RCP CONTROLLER
The B-Box 4 is Imperix’s newest Rapid Control Prototyping sytem (RCP) controller, engineered for unrivalled flexibility, performance, and user-friendliness. This 4th-generation digital controller offers extended I/O capabilities and higher-performance peripherals, making it the ideal platform for today’s most demanding needs as well as tomorrow’s upcoming challenges.
Benefiting from the same easy and rapid programming that made the success of its predecessors, the B-Box 4 brings cutting-edge performance to everyone’s hands, thanks to full support for simulation and automated code generation directly from within Simulink or PLECS.
Secure your future and accelerate your research with the B-Box 4 today!
A CONTROLLER WITH AN INTEGRATED OSCILLOSCOPE
SEE BEYOND THE CONTROL
The B-Box 4 supports acquisition up to 20 Msps. This enables capturing and visualizing complex waveforms including ripples, harmonics, and transients similar to a conventional oscilloscope.
PWM signals are also captured right after the modulators and displayed alongside measurements, with a time resultion eqiuvalent to 250MHz.
STREAMLINE YOUR WORKFLOW
With oversampling enabled in the B-Box 4, advanced analysis is possible directly from Cockpit. This helps engineers observe precisely what the control system perceives at no extra cost or effort.
Analyze measurement quality
- See high-frequency noise
- Decrypt signal perturbations
- Evaluate filtering needs
- Analyze sampling strategy
Evaluate modulation
- Observe measurements and modulation synchronously
- Troubleshoot modulation
- Evaluate harmonic performance
Troubleshoot operation
- Use sensors as probes
- Connect extra current/voltage probes directly to the B-Box 4
- See everything at once
PLENTY OF HIGH PERFORMANCE RESOURCES
Flexible and specialized I/Os
Extensive protocol support
| Analog | Digital | Protocols | Highspeed | Safety |
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ADVANCED FUNCTIONALITITES
HIGH-SPEED ANALOG INPUTS
Thanks to their 2.7MHz bandwidth, outstanding CMRR, low noise, and high precision, the analog inputs of the B-Box 4 clearly offer top-notch performance. This optimally supports oversampling, but also high-performance control with maximum accuracy and minimum latency.
As complimentary products, imperix sensors complete the promise of high-quality measurements, while simultaneously offering plug&play connectivity.
HIGH-RESOLUTION PWM OUTPUTS
The B-Box 4 offers 48 HR-PWM channels with a resolution of 250ps. This allows operating at switching frequencies which are not feasible with any other commercially available RCP controller on the market.
This high resolution proves highly beneficial for phase-shifted control, such as in DAB converters, or for operating wide bandgap semiconductors such as SiC or GaN up to their maximum capabilities.
HIGH-PERFORMANCE PROCESSOR
Based on the AMD XCZU7EV SoC, the B-Box 4 has twice the core-count of the B-Box RCP 3 and a 50% faster CPU clock . This allows for a 50-80% performance increase on the execution of the user code / model and faster communication speeds while transmitting Cockpit data.
With B-Box 4, closed loop control rates that were previously reserved to cutom FPGA implementations are now also accessible to the CPU and its easy-to-use programming workflow.
LARGE, STATE-OF-THE-ART FPGA
With configurable analaog inputs, numerous samping options, and six different types of modulators, the B-Box 4 comes fully equiped to address a broad range of applications with its base firmware. For those who need extra flexibility, however, FPGA programming is a must.
Like its predecessors, the B-box 4 offers users complete freedom to program its FPGA. This flexibility enables engineers to fully leverage the device’s comprehensive I/O resources, high-performance capabilities, and robust hardware with utmost flexibility on the software side.
What’s more, the B-Box 4 possesses the largest FPGA that can be programmed from Vivado free edition, namely the Kintex US+ 504T.
PLUG & PLAY WITH POWER PRODUCTS
The B-Box 4 RCP controller distinguishes from its predecessors as it features a remote-programmable analog input stage, configurable directly from Cockpit in the blink of an eye. To further accelerate set up time, the latest imperix power products are even compatible with the B-Box’s auto configuration capability.
CURRENT / VOLTAGE SENSORS
- Automatic identification and configuration: The B-Box 4 automatically recognizes and sets up the configuration for the sensors.
- Versatile application: Thanks to their outstanding CMRR, sensors can be placed virtually anywhere within an electronic circuit.
- Factory calibrated: Each sensor comes pre-calibrated.
- Self-powered: Power is drawn directly from the RCP controller.
POWER MODULES
- Automatic identification and configuration: The B-Box 4 automatically recognizes and self-configures for the newest modules (2025 and onwards).
- Matching connectivity: Power modules possess the same 650nm POF and analog RJ45 cables as the B-Box 4.
- Integrated sensors: No extra sensors are required as power modules already embed the related measurements.
SOFTWARE-INDEPENDENT PROTECTIONS
Reliable hardware protections
The B-Box 4 RCP controller embeds hardware protections that provide a foundational layer of safety, operating in complete indepedence from the user application. This guarantees the effective protection of the powered equipment, including during the early phase of experimental activities, when the control algorithms are still incompletely tested.
- Sub-microsecond response, configurable down to 800ns.
- Programmable thresholds, for every channel.
STRAIGHTFORWARD PROGRAMMING WORKFLOW
FROM SIMULATION TO THE LAB IN ONE CLICK
START FROM THE ONLINE KNOWLEDGE BASE
The B-Box 4 is compatible with all plug-and-play examples available on imperix’s knowledge base. Expedite control development by using the examples as a platform for a proof-of-concept, instead of developing the control from scratch.
RUN OFFLINE SIMULATIONS ON SIMULINK OR PLECS
The B-Box 4 benefits from imperix’s signature workflow, utilizing a single file for both simulation and code generation. With dedicated power and control libraries, using a simulation model to build confidence in the developed algorithms before moving to the lab is straightforward.
AUTOMATICALLY GENERATE RUN-TIME EXECUTABLE CODE
The B-Box 4 can be programmed directly from Simulink or PLECS, thanks to a fully automated code generation toolchain, actionable in only one click. The environment is also fully compatible with other imperix controllers, enabling users to swifty switch from one target to another.
DOCUMENT EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS USING COCKPIT
Thanks to plug-and-play connectivity with imperix modules and sensors, building up a laboratory prototype can be done in just a few hours. Once fully set up, Cockpit’s extensive data aquisition and testing capabilities further accelerate experimention which can be completed in just a few days.
TECHNOLOGY THAT SCALES WITH RESEARCH COMPLEXITY
CROSS-GENERATION COMPATIBILITY
Devices of previous generation, such as the B-Box RCP controller 3.0 or the B-Board PRO 3.0 can be used as slaves connected to the B-Box 4.
This enables leveraging existing resources while benefiting from the superior computing performance of the B-Box 4.
MASTER-SLAVE I/O EXTENSION
B-Box 4 units can be used separately, or combined for superior I/O capabilities. Various extension modes are possible, supporting up to 64 devices.
Thanks to RealSync, stacked controllers are automatically synchronized with a precision of ±2ns throughout the network.
DISTRIBUTED CONTROL
For large and complex converters, or within microgrids, control algorithms can be distributed across several controllers.
In this case, ultra-fast data transfers are often very valuable for minimizing the latencies along the global control loops.
OFF-THE-SHELF APPLICATIONS
A FEW EXAMPLES FROM VIRTUALLY LIMITLESS POSSIBILITIES
Dual Active Bridge
Thanks to the easily controlled phase-shifts and high-resolution PWM, isolated DC/DC converters such as the DAB are easy to implement.
Modular Multilevel Converter
Taking full advantage of the tight synchronization, an entire MMC composed of dozens of submodules can be controlled from a single file.
Variable-frequency Motor Drive
With compatibility with various motor position encoder formats, the B-Box 4 is well suited to be a programmable motor drive controller.
KEY SPECIFICATIONS
| System on chip | AMD Zynq Ultrascale+ 7EV | Digital outputs | 24x Electrical (3.3V/5.0V) |
| Processing cores | 4x AMD Cortex A53 @ 1.5GHz | Digital inputs | 24x Electrical (3.3V/5.0V) |
| FPGA | Kintex US+ 504K | Fault inputs | 24x Electrical (3.3V/5.0V) 24x Analog comparators 1x Electrical interlock |
| Analog I/Os | 24x bidirectional channels 16bits 20Msps inputs (simultaneous) 12bits 500ksps outputs | Motor interfacing | 4x Incremental decoder (A,B,Z) 2x BiSS-C/SSI/EnDat 2.2 |
| PWM outputs | 24x Optical outputs 48x Electrical output (3.3V/5.0V) | Communication | 2x CAN 2.0B/CAN-FD 1x Ethernet 1Gbps 4x QSFP+ 40Gbps 2x RS485/RS422 |
| User High-speed I/Os | 36x bidirectional lanes (3.3V) |
COMPREHENSIVE COMPUTER SOFTWARE
TOOLS DEDICATED TO THE CONTROL OF POWER CONVERTERS
Comprehensive design suites
Rapid control prototyping with our programmable controllers is supported by two software development kits (SDK), for either C/C++, or working from Simulink / PLECS.
- Support for C++, Simulink, or PLECS
- Code libraries/examples
- Free maintenance
Monitoring & control software
During operation, Imperix Cockpit allows observing, editing and logging any variable. This facilitates the rapid debugging and tuning of any converter control algorithms.
- Real-time tuning of all variables
- 2 million points datalogging
- Free maintenance