Astronics / Ballard Technology USB 708 ARINC 708 Portable USB Interface
The Astronics/Ballard Technology USB 708 is a portable USB interface for ARINC 708 data buses. It allows users to easily connect to and monitor ARINC 708 avionics systems via a standard USB port. Ideal for lab and field testing, this compact device simplifies ARINC 708 development and analysis.
- Model
- Astronics / Ballard Technology USB 708
- Calibration
- Available on request
- Price
- $3,800
- Status
- In stock
- RFQ ref
- USB 708
This unit
The Astronics/Ballard Technology USB 708 is a portable USB interface for ARINC 708 avionics data buses commonly found in weather radar systems. It enables monitoring, testing, simulation, generation, recording, and playback of ARINC 708 data in laboratory and field environments, including flightline and Aircraft On Ground (AOG) support. Bus-powered via USB 2.0, the device requires no external power supply.
Technical Specifications ARINC 708 Protocol Support
Supports standard ARINC 708 and ARINC 453 weather radar data buses
Direct coupled channels per ARINC 708 specification
Strappable on-board termination for bus connection
Standard ARINC 708 message format: syncs at message beginning and end, 1600 bits per word (typically 64-bit header and 512 3-bit range bins)
Custom protocols supported with variable word length (1 to 1856 bits per word) and configurable bit order (LSB or MSB first)
Software-selectable word lengths and pre-sync pulses Channel Configuration
Models available in 1R1T (one receive, one transmit) or 2R2T (two receive, two transmit)
Up to 4 ARINC 708 channels total across available models
8 Avionics Discrete I/O channels integrated Data & Timing
32 MB on-board memory for buffering and storage
Direct Memory Access (DMA) monitoring
IRIG A/B Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and Amplitude Modulation (AM) time synchronization and generation
Hardware protocol processing (reception, transmission, error checking, time-tagging, buffering) Physical & Environmental
Dimensions: 3.0 × 4.45 × 0.97 inches (76 × 113 × 25 mm)
Weight: Under 5 oz (140 g); bare PCB 2.3 oz (65 g)
Enclosure options: black, flight test orange, or no enclosure (embedded applications)
Connectors: HD44F D-Sub with secure locking
Operating temperature: −40°C to 85°C
Storage temperature: −55°C to 100°C
MTBF: 1,500,000 hours
RoHS compliant
Key Features
USB 2.0 bus-powered operation - no external power required
Two status LEDs for bus traffic, error indication, or user-controlled operation
Receive, transmit, and monitoring capability on single interface
Supports both standard and custom weather radar protocols
On-board DMA and buffering reduce host CPU load
Typical Applications Laboratory testing and validation of ARINC 708 systems, field diagnostics, aircraft maintenance, weather radar system simulation and playback, protocol development and custom data format testing.
Compatibility & Integration Designed for integration with ARINC 708 avionics buses. Discrete I/O channels enable interfacing with auxiliary equipment. Time synchronization via IRIG-A/B simplifies coordination in multi-system test environments.
Astronics / Ballard Technology USB 708 — Repair & Calibration Service
Aumictech offers NIST-traceable calibration and repair for the Astronics / Ballard Technology USB 708. Calibration covers analog input channel accuracy and offset at all gain settings, analog output accuracy, digital I/O logic threshold verification, sample rate and timing accuracy, and trigger and synchronization bus functional verification. NI CompactRIO and PXI chassis also undergo backplane trigger line integrity check.. All calibrations ship with a NIST-traceable certificate. Turnaround is typically 1–3 business days after receipt.
Common Astronics / Ballard Technology USB 708 faults: power supply failure (cRIO-9073/9074), C-series slot connector wear, PXI chassis fan failure, GPIB interface failure on VXI controllers, BIOS/EEPROM corruption. NI CompactRIO most common faults are power supply failure on older cRIO-9073/9074 chassis and C-series module slot connector wear from repeated hot-swap cycles. PXI chassis fan failure is the most common wear item — chassis fans are field-replaceable. VXI embedded controllers most commonly develop EEPROM corruption and GPIB interface failure.
Astronics / Ballard Technology USB 708 price
This Astronics / Ballard Technology USB 708 is listed at $3,800. Calibration is available separately from $450. Contact us for volume pricing or if you need multiple units.
Astronics / Ballard Technology USB 708 calibration cost
NIST-traceable calibration for the Astronics / Ballard Technology USB 708 is $450 (standard — pass/fail certificate and calibration sticker) or $650 (full measured data at every test point, reference standards documented, traceability chain included). Calibration for this instrument covers analog input channel accuracy and offset at all gain settings, analog output accuracy, digital I/O logic threshold verification, sample rate and timing accuracy, and trigger and synchronization bus functional verification. NI CompactRIO and PXI chassis also undergo backplane trigger line integrity check.. Turnaround is 1 to 3 business days after receipt. See full calibration details →
