Bustronic Announces 3U VPX Backplanes

FREMONT, California, Nov 1, 2007 - Elma Bustronic Corporation, an industry leading designer and manufacturer of high performance backplanes has developed new 3U VPX backplanes. The company now offers VPX backplanes in 3U, 6U, and 6U Hybrid (VPX/VME mix).

Continuing Bustronics leadership in VPX backplanes, the company has developed a 6-slot 3U version. The 3U VPX features a twisted-ring topology and is compliant to the latest VITA 46 specifications. Utilizing a twisted-ring versus a mesh topology allows for more I/O pins and ability to use mezzanines like XMC.

The backplane facilitates two channels at the top of the J1 connector, typically for Gigabit Ethernet traffic in a fat pipe (4x bi-directional links). The remaining channels in J1 together with those in the J2 leave 24 XAUI capable ports that can be utilized entirely for rear panel IO. The 24 thin pipe (one or two bi-directional links) channels remaining can be used by a PMC or XMC mezzanine or simply allow the 3U VPX modules to interface with external equipment, networks, displays or storage systems.

The VPX backplane also incorporates the Gigabit Ethernet Control Plane per VITA 46.20. This sub-specification adds a GigE switch, providing a separate star or dual star network for out-of-band communication. This can be particularly important for system management, software and firmware upgrades, and initiating new processes on specific boards. The backplane was designed with a 12-layer controlled-impedance stripline design. To ensure optimal performance, signal integrity analysis was performed on the backplane.