Advanced Control Components Inc. announced that it has received a production order in excess of $3.7 M from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory for a dual-channel downconverter/switch matrix used on the ALMA Program.
ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) is an international collaboration to develop a world-class telescope composed of a group of 66 radio-telescope antennas that will work together to study the universe from a site in the foothills of Chile's Andes Mountains.
The frequency converter has two inputs and provides four output channels; there is separate attenuation control for each of the output channels.
Each of the channels can be independently controlled to switch between upper and lower sideband outputs. The converter incorporates CAN bus architecture for multiple control and monitor functions. Advanced Control Components expects to complete production in early 2009.