What is the processing speed (GHZ) of the Airbus flight computers?

[Marc Stanford]

Hello, I have another one for you guys.

What do you think the processing speed is of the FMGC, ELAC, SEC, FAC, etc? Do you think a modern gaming processor such as the i7 or i9 can run the computers in the real thing?

I am aware the A320 uses the Intel 80286, that was in the 1980s. You would think by now they would use a more modern processor similar to the i7?

[Pankaj Dekate]

i don’t think they use the mainstream desktop processors for it..

[Pankaj Dekate]

easy google search: https://aerospace.honeywell.com/content/dam/aerobt/en/documents/learn/platforms/brochures/C61-1647-000-000_ATR_TechnicalSummary_PegasusFMS_Airbus_A330_A320.pdf

[Pankaj Dekate]

The Honeywell 29KII is based on the AMD 29050 which was the leader amongst the 29K series of 32 bit microprocessors originally designed to directly compete with the Intel 80960 and Motorola MC68020/030. The AMD 29K series earned a reputation for being faster at most operations (clock for clock) then the competition and were extensively used in demanding applications including real-time avionics. The processor has three separate 32-bit buses for data, addresses and instructions referred to as a “triple bus” architecture.

[Camille MOUCHEL]

We sent people on the moon with computers power no more than the one we have in our calculator haha.

I guess with an 10900K you have enough cpu power to run all the avionics


Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

[Pankaj Dekate]

well there are different things used especially when related to real time, time sensitive use cases. you don’t use windows operating system for such things. so yes you can run everything with 10900k it might not serve this use case. 

[Holger Teutsch]

Not to forget that the fast chips with higher integration density are much more exposed to malfunctions due to radiation.

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[Tom van der Elst]

4 hours ago, Camille MOUCHEL said:

I guess with an 10900K you have enough cpu power to run all the avionics


 

Unless you are running an Airbus in P3D, then you'll need a capable GPU, too.

[Artur Araripe]

They ran on several Intel 386s and M68Ks (for backup). 60 or 80 computers (dont remember exactly), each with full redundancy powered by a Motorola 68K processor, and different code so that there's no risk of both failing simultaneously. So every backup system was essentially coded different so that one specific bug wouldn't affect both at once. Fascinating, isn't it? Then again, it probably changed over time to something more powerful or more reliable, but nothing way too powerful as it really isn't that necessary. Also, it ran far, far away from getting even close to a gigahert. Probably two digit Mhz. Like 50, 60 at most. The 100mhz barrier was only broken in the early 90s. So yes, it is possible that a modern processor could emulate every one of the computers including the backups (low level emulation) with no compromise, although, atm, it would be impossible to emulate them all at low level while also processing the visuals of a simulator, so you would still need a secondary rig just for the visual bits that also demand processing. You can measure the average impact of one machine by creating a 286/386 machine on any emulator like PCem or 86box, running a demanding DOS benchmark on each so that it's maxed out and multiplying that by 60*2 or 80*2 (i dont know the exact amount anymore), which would then give you an approximate load average for low level emulation. Low level emulation would guarantee extremely accurate cpu behavior, including any generation-specific glitches etc. It's like bare metal within your own machine. So yea, it's somewhat possible but not really easy to do.

[Camille MOUCHEL]

2 hours ago, Artur Araripe said:

They ran on several Intel 386s and M68Ks (for backup). 60 or 80 computers (dont remember exactly), each with full redundancy powered by a Motorola 68K processor, and different code so that there's no risk of both failing simultaneously. So every backup system was essentially coded different so that one specific bug wouldn't affect both at once. Fascinating, isn't it? Then again, it probably changed over time to something more powerful or more reliable, but nothing way too powerful as it really isn't that necessary. Also, it ran far, far away from getting even close to a gigahert. Probably two digit Mhz. Like 50, 60 at most. The 100mhz barrier was only broken in the early 90s. So yes, it is possible that a modern processor could emulate every one of the computers including the backups (low level emulation) with no compromise, although, atm, it would be impossible to emulate them all at low level while also processing the visuals of a simulator, so you would still need a secondary rig just for the visual bits that also demand processing. You can measure the average impact of one machine by creating a 286/386 machine on any emulator like PCem or 86box, running a demanding DOS benchmark on each so that it's maxed out and multiplying that by 60*2 or 80*2 (i dont know the exact amount anymore), which would then give you an approximate load average for low level emulation. Low level emulation would guarantee extremely accurate cpu behavior, including any generation-specific glitches etc. It's like bare metal within your own machine. So yea, it's somewhat possible but not really easy to do.

Yes i know :), you dont need to have lots of CPU power for avionics, what's CPU hungry is the rendering of the displays like the PFD, ND.....