ARINC 818 Implementer’s Guide
Great River Technology
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ARINC 818 was ratified in October 2006 by the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee
(AEEC) and generated enthusiastic industry support. Since then, ARINC 818 has been
used as the video transport protocol for cockpit displays on the Boeing 787 and the KC-
46A tanker; Airbus A350 and A400M; the COMAC C-919; the C-17, F15, F18 upgrade
programs; and numerous other commercial and military aircraft, becoming the de facto
military standard worldwide as well as the commercial standard. It has contributed to
systems such as infrared and wavelength sensors, optical cameras, radar, flight recorders,
map/chart systems, which in turn contributed to taxi and take-off assist, cargo loading,
navigation, target tracking, collision avoidance, and other critical functions.
Since 2006, as programs advanced, new requirements and applications for the ARINC
818 protocol arose. Link rates of 14.025, and 28.05 Gb/s have been released with even
higher speeds planned as the market needs it. For example, a display at WQXGA
resolution (2560 x 1600 pixels) with 24-bit RGB at 60 hertz would need a bandwidth of
7.372 Gb/s (Figure 1.3).
Meanwhile, custom applications of ARINC 818 led to work in areas that the original
specification omitted—for example, video compression and encryption, switching, and bi-
directional synchronization. This work also led to a standard means for computing prior-
image cyclical redundancy checks (CRC).
Early in 2013, ARINC approved a project to advance the protocol. Representatives from
Airbus, Boeing, COTSWORKS, Elbit, Thales, Honeywell, DDC, SRB Consulting, and
Great River Technology proposed, discussed, and drafted the items for the supplement,
completing the work that August. On October 31, 2013, the AEEC Executive Committee
unanimously approved the ARINC 818-2 draft, and ARINC released ARINC 818-2 on
December 18, 2013.
1.4 The first things to know about ARINC 818
ARINC 818 is a simplification of FC-AV. Because ARINC 818 began as a unidirectional
point-to-point video link, many of the complexities associated with FC-AV and Fibre
Channel lower layers are greatly simplified. For instance, there is no link initialization, no
fabric login, no flow control, and no exchanges—all of which require a bi-directional link.
Because of this, much of the FC-2 layer and some of the FC-1 layer (the bulk of the FC-
PH document) are not used. This is good news for designers because meeting these
requirements would require that designs always have a micro-processor and software to
manage the exchanges. ARINC 818 can be implemented in a PLD or FPGA. Because it
is a simplification, the learning curve for designers is reduced. Under the ARINC 818-2, bi-
directional communication is possible—for example, to provide a return path for sensor
control. However, it is achieved by an independent ARINC 818 path, not by reverting to
the complexities of FC-AV. No handshaking has been added, but if needed, this could be
defined in an interface control document for a particular project.
Each ARINC 818 project uses an associated interface control document (ICD) to
achieve flexibility and interoperability. ARINC 818 allows for flexibility in the
implementation of the video interface. This flexibility is desirable because of the diverse
resolutions, grayscales, pixel formats, and frame rates of avionics display systems.