Hybrid system combines MicroTCA with VME or CompactPCI

Electronics packaging specialist Schroff has introduced a new hybrid system that combines established bus formats such as VME or CompactPCI with the emerging technology of MicroTCA in a single 3U-high 19in. subrack.

Many industrial computing applications would benefit from the compact size and high performance offered by MicroTCA, but some potential users have been reluctant to adopt the standard because they are wary of the costs of migrating from existing technology to a new platform. The hybrid system enables firms in this situation to work with two technologies in parallel.

One side of the subrack is equipped with conventional 19in. components to accommodate 3U VME or 3U CompactPCI boards, while the other side consists of a MicroTCA board cage that accepts AdvancedMC single modules. The board cage can be positioned left, right or centrally in the subrack and can have any chosen width.

The system is available either with a through-connected monolithic backplane - to maximise the number of free slots - or with two isolated backplanes connected via a front-panel PCIe data interface, which is the simplest and most flexible option.