OPAL-RT provides a high channel density ARINC 429 solution for Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) and rapid control prototyping (RCP) applications, such as full authority digital engine/electronic control (FADEC) and aircraft systems components testing. Based on the ABACO RAR-PCIE board, our solution connects OPAL-RT simulators to the ARINC 429 avionics data bus, and facilitates the configuration of up to 32 independent channels for transmission (TX) and reception (RX) at a bit rate of either 12.5 kb/s or 100 kb/s. Transmission and reception are on separate ports, so many independent buses can be configured on the same simulator platform when multiple avionics systems and devices are interfaced.

ARINC-429 (also referred to as Mark 33 Digital Information Transfer System) is the most commonly used databus for commercial and transport aircraft. This specification defines the medium and data protocol used for communication between avionics equipment and systems. ARINC-429 uses a twisted, shielded pair of wires as its medium. The data flow is unidirectional in a peer to peer fashion, although up to 20 receivers can be connected on the same line. The specification also defines in details the voltage levels (differential signalling), words size and transfer rate.