VITA 93 QMC modules significantly smaller than PMC and XMC

October 21, 2025 — VITA, the trade association that governs open standards computing architectures serving critical and intelligent embedded system industries, announces the ratification by ANSI and VITA of the ANSI/VITA 93.0-2025 (QMC) Standard for Small Form Factor Mezzanines.

The VITA 93 standard, referred to as QMC, is designed for both performance and flexibility. QMC defines a mezzanine card form factor that is significantly smaller than the popular XMC form factor. QMC was developed specifically to support various carrier card formats for use in a wide range of deployed environments, supporting both air- and conduction cooled designs in commercial, industrial, space, or military grade rugged environments. Multiple modules can be installed on various carrier card form factors, including 3U/6U Eurocards (VPX, CompactPCI, VME, etc.), VNX+, PCIe expansion cards, and others. QMC supports high-speed serial data links through its host carrier interface, along with its user defined I/O interface.

QMC addresses the need in the market for a small form factor I/O mezzanine. Its function is much the same as the earlier IP Module [VITA 4.0], PMC [IEEE 1386] and XMC [VITA 42.0] mezzanine card standards, in that it provides connectors and interfaces for both the carrier-side connector as well as the I/O-side, but in a much smaller form factor. The emergence of the VNX+ standard [VITA 90.0] drove the initial need for a smaller form factor mezzanine with backplane I/O capability, but it was soon realized that this new form factor would have significant utility across many form factors and deployed environments.

“QMC represents a revolutionary change in small form factor mezzanine cards”, stated Mark Littlefield, VITA 93 Working Group Chair and Director, System Products at Elma Electronic. “The need for a smaller form factor mezzanine has been challenging the industry for years, and QMC brings a much-needed standards-based solution to the industry.”

“The versatility of QMC modules will serve a broad range of industries and applications”, explained Robert Greenfield, VITA 93 Working Group Co-Chair and Director of Business Development at Acromag. “The combination of high-performance connectors, rugged design, scalability, and variable stack heights offers endless possibilities for modular expansion of I/O and signal processing capabilities.”

“The publication of the VITA 93 QMC standard is a milestone for the embedded systems industry, commented Jan Zimmermann, General Manager, TEWS Technologies GmbH. “It opens new opportunities for innovation in rugged, deployed applications across aerospace, defense, industrial, and transportation markets. At TEWS Technologies, we believe QMC will play a defining role in the next generation of embedded computing, and we are committed to shaping this future with a strong and growing portfolio of QMC modules and carriers.”

“The VITA 93 standard represents three years of collaboration among leading experts in Mezzanine Card technology, including PMC and XMC,” said Joe Norris, VITA 93 Working Group Co-Chair and President of Technobox, Inc. “Our goal was to build a strong, open market that benefits suppliers and customers alike. We focused on cost, manufacturability, interoperability, cooling performance, scalability, and simplicity — all essential to making this standard a success,” Norris added. “The result is a platform that sets the stage for real business growth across the industry.”

The VITA 93 working group continues to work on ancillary standards for QMC, VITA 93.1 and VITA 93.2, that define the mechanical details of two mezzanine cards with front-panel I/O. These I/O cards are intended to be used on carrier cards or rear transition modules to break out the QMC I/O signals to industry standard connectors that fit through the carrier card’s face plate or rear transition module panels.

The ANSI/VITA 93.0-2025 standard is available for purchase at the VITA Online Store (www.vita.com/Standards ).

About VITA

Founded in 1984, VITA is an incorporated, non-profit organization of suppliers and users who share a common market interest in critical embedded systems. VITA champions open system architectures. Its activities are international in scope, technical, promotional, and user-centric. VITA aims to increase total market size for its members, expand market exposure for suppliers, and deliver timely technical information. VITA has American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accreditation to develop standards (VME, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, XMC+, FMC, FMC+, QMC, VNX, VNX+, Reliability Community, etc.) for embedded systems used in a myriad of critical applications and harsh environments. For more information, visit www.VITA.com .

VITA and the VITA, VMEbus Technology, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, XMC+, FMC, FMC+, QMC, VNX, VNX+, and Reliability Community logos are trademarks of VITA in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Source: VITA

VITA 100 Working Groups Developing Next Generation
High Performance Critical Embedded Computing Standard

January 13, 2025 — VITA, the trade association for standard computing architectures serving critical and intelligent embedded systems industries has announced the formation of several VITA 100 working groups focused on developing the next generation high performance embedded computing standard. The initial working group was launched after a study group, formed in May of 2022, established the requirements for a next generation standard. Additional working groups have been formed to develop the various VITA 100 auxiliary standards.

The VITA 100 working groups were formed as a result of reviewing proposals from the study group tasked with understanding and defining the needs of the next generation of computing requirements for high performance embedded computing. VITA 100 working groups are currently defining a suite of standards as an evolution for OpenVPX, VPX and related mechanical standards while embracing a paradigm shift in technology and capability.

The study group was chartered to define a solution to expand VPX to:

• Double the density of current VPX connectors
• Maintain the maximum current connector length
• Support higher speed protocols including 100G Ethernet/lane (e.g., 100GBASE-KR1, 400GBASE-KR4) and PCIe Gen 6
• Increase power capacity (500+ Watts)

A key action of the study group was to review multiple connector proposals. Proposals were submitted by numerous leading connector suppliers. The TE Connectivity next generation MULTIGIG HD connector was ultimately selected by the study group after careful consideration of the proposals. The new MULTIGIG HD connector builds on the previous variants of TE’s MULTIGIG product family, while bringing significant technical advances including doubled pin count, 100 Gb/s data rates, increased current capacity and support for rugged environments.

The VITA 100 working groups are leveraging lessons learned from the development and implementation of VPX over the past twenty years. This has enabled faster development time of the standard while leading to more robust products based on the years of experience. The supporters of VITA 100 have a vested interest in developing this next generation for the VPX roadmap.

“I am excited to be leading this evolutionary effort to leapfrog the VPX capabilities”, stated Steve Devore, VITA 100 Chair and Product Architect at Leonardo DRS “The participants in the various working groups have stepped up and are contributing valuable insight to the various VITA 100 standards. There is still a considerable amount of work ahead, but customer demands are motivating us to complete the standards and quickly transition into product development.”

“Selection as the VITA standard for our next generation MULTIGIG connector is the culmination of two years of dedicated research and development by our innovative cross-functional team,” said Michael Walmsley, senior project manager at TE Connectivity “The result is a next-generation VPX connector that will now become a defense industry standard and brings with it a foundation for future expansion.”

“VITA has a long history of developing and supporting standards for the critical embedded computing industry,” stated Dean Holman, President and Executive Director, VITA. “VITA members see the need for solid standards with well-developed roadmaps, the VITA 100 working group is doing exactly that for VPX.”

Drafts of many of the auxiliary standards are being developed by the working groups. Standards of this complexity are typically rolled out in pieces as product prototyping is completed. Several years of prototyping typically proceeds full product rollouts. Many of the VITA 100 supporters are also VPX suppliers and users, all with a vested interest in preserving VPX and the evolution to VITA 100.

Companies interested in participating in this standards development effort are encouraged to join VITA to become part of the development process.

About VITA

Founded in 1984, VITA is an incorporated, non-profit organization of suppliers and users who share a common market interest in critical embedded systems. VITA champions open system architectures. Its activities are international in scope, technical, promotional, and user-centric. VITA aims to increase total market size for its members, expand market exposure for suppliers, and deliver timely technical information. VITA has American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accreditation to develop standards (VME, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, XMC+, FMC, FMC+, QMC, VNX, VNX+, Reliability Community, etc.) for embedded systems used in a myriad of critical applications and harsh environments. For more information, visit www.VITA.com .

VITA and the VITA, VMEbus Technology, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, XMC+, FMC, FMC+, QMC, VNX, VNX+, and Reliability Community logos are trademarks of VITA in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Source: VITA

January 30, 2024 — VITA, the trade association for standard computing architectures serving critical embedded systems industries has announced the release of the Embedded Market Research report “World Market for VITA Standards-based Board and Systems – 2023 Edition”.

The research and analysis were conducted over the past summer through data collection and discussions with companies supplying merchant products based on key VITA standards. The report was prepared by Brian Arbuckle, Principal Market Analyst at Embedded Market Research on behalf of VITA. The full report is available for purchase from the VITA website at www.vita.com/Market_Research.

Executive Summary

VITA member companies were surveyed during 2023 to reflect on performance and business risks and trends in 2021 and 2022. Sales of VITA standard-based products (VME, VPX and PMC/XMC) were surveyed for the merchant market only.

It is estimated that the merchant market rose an estimated 12.3% in 2021 from the 2020 levels reported in the previous edition of this report. The increase in 2021 is largely due to increased defense spending in response to global politics. From 2021 to 2022, annual sales are estimated to have decreased 5.4%. The decrease in 2022 is attributed to the supply chain disruption, principally in long lead-time components, following the Covid 19 epidemic.

The outlook for 2023 is improving as supply chain issues ease and the heavy order backlog begins to unwind, leading to a forecast uptick in sales revenues of 4.9% and with some suppliers hoping to post double-digit increases.

VITA members were also surveyed on the general business environment in terms of business risks and business trends.

Business risks were ranked by VITA members in order of importance as:

1. Supply chain resilience (uncertainty of delivery timings)
2. The cost of developing products to meet rapidly changing technologies;
3. The effect of competition on pricing of products;
4. Customers' decision to make rather than buy boards and systems;
5. Inflationary pressure on labor, shipping and energy costs.

Business trends were ranked by VITA member in order of importance as:

1. Customers requiring compliance to SOSA standards
2. Customers accepting the MOSA approach
3. Customers requiring smaller form-factor boards or systems
4. Customers preferring to buy systems rather than discrete boards and modules
5. Customers requiring evidence of supply chain security and resilience

These business risks and trends are described in detail in the report.

The report contents are as follows:

• Executive Summary
• Market Analysis by VITA Standard
• Risks to Business Operations
• Business Trends
• Sales forecast for 2023
• Revenue guidance and forecast for 2023
• VITA Standards-based Board and System Suppliers
• Partnership Agreements
• Recent Mergers and Acquisitions
• Market Opportunity
• Global Defense Spending and Outlook

Additional market research and quarterly reports can be found at www.VITA.com/MarketData.

About VITA

Founded in 1984, VITA is an incorporated, non-profit organization of suppliers and users who share a common market interest in critical embedded systems. VITA champions open system architectures. Its activities are international in scope, technical, promotional, and user-centric. VITA aims to increase total market size for its members, expand market exposure for suppliers, and deliver timely technical information. VITA has American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accreditation to develop standards (VME, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, XMC+, FMC, FMC+, VNX, VNX+, Reliability Community, etc.) for embedded systems used in a myriad of critical applications and harsh environments. For more information, visit www.VITA.com.

About Brian Arbuckle

Brian Arbuckle is a market analyst specializing in embedded computing. Brian has an engineering degree from the University of Warwick and an MBA. His career has spanned marketing management roles in industry for electronic and mechanical components and systems and communications networks. He has worked in analyst roles for technical market research organizations, IHS Markit and Informatech and in recent years has authored an annual market research report on the embedded computing industry.

VITA and the VITA, VMEbus Technology, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, XMC+, FMC, FMC+, VNX, VNX+, and Reliability Community logos are trademarks of VITA in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Source: VITA

May 10, 2022 - VITA, the trade association for standard computing architectures serving critical embedded systems industries has announced new officers for the VITA Standards Organization (VSO). Bob Patterson, TE Connectivity was elected chair of the VSO. Suzanne Gartlan, IEH Corporation, was elected vice-chair by the electorate of the VSO.

The VSO is an independent organization within VITA that reports directly to the VITA technical director. The chair and vice-chair are elected positions. All officers of the VSO are individuals from regular, senior, or sponsor members of VITA. The chair and vice-chair are elected positions. The electorate consists of active VITA members participating in VSO activities and that have met the meeting attendance requirements for voter eligibility. The term of each elected officer shall be from April 1 until March 31 of the following year.

Bob Patterson is a staff R&D/product development engineer at TE Connectiivity. He has been the VSO vice-chair for several years. Bob has chaired two working groups during the development of VITA standards. Bob brings over 40 years of experience in the connector industry to this position. (LinkedIn)

Suzanne Gartlan is the director of global sales at IEH Corporation. Suzanne has been an active member with the VSO for the last 8 years and has been a program manager for developing high-speed connectors at IEH. Suzanne is looking forward to working with VITA and the trajectory of the continued growth of VITA’s platform. (LinkedIn)

About VITA

Founded in 1984, VITA is an incorporated, non-profit organization of suppliers and users who share a common market interest in critical embedded systems. VITA champions open system architectures. Its activities are international in scope, technical, promotional, and user-centric. VITA aims to increase total market size for its members, expand market exposure for suppliers, and deliver timely technical information. VITA has American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accreditation to develop standards (VME, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, XMC+, FMC, FMC+, VNX, Reliability Community, etc.) for embedded systems used in a myriad of critical applications and harsh environments. For more information, visit www.VITA.com.

February 1, 2022 — VITA, the trade association for standard computing architectures serving critical embedded systems industries has announced that Dean Holman has accepted the position as VITA's President and Executive Director effective February 1, 2022. Jerry Gipper, the previous Executive Director, will continue as VITA’s Marketing Director.

"I am honored and extremely excited to be taking on this leadership role within VITA," stated Dean. “I look forward to applying my experience in building international teams, driving process/quality improvements, and ensuring customer success to lead VITA in its ‘Open standards, open markets’ mission of producing open interoperability standards to enable future system designs.”

Dean has an extensive history with VITA going back to 2004 when he began participating in VITA as Technical Editor of the VITA 46 VPX working group while at Mercury Systems. In 2011, the membership elected Dean as Chairman of the VITA Standards Organization (VSO) where he leads the bi-monthly standards meetings and guides the working groups through the standards development process. Dean joined VITA as VP and Assistant Executive Director in March 2021 and has spent the past 10 months getting acquainted with the business management tools and processes. This new role will allow Dean to leverage over three decades of leadership in the Aerospace and Defense industry to advance the development, publication, and adoption of next generation leading edge standards.

October 26, 2021 — VITA, the trade association for standard computing architectures serving critical embedded systems industries has announced the release of the Embedded Market Research report “World Market for VITA Standards-based Board and Systems – 2021 Edition”.

The research and analysis were conducted over the past summer through data collection and discussions with companies supplying merchant products based on key VITA standards. The report was prepared by Brian Arbuckle, Principal Market Analyst at Embedded Market Research on behalf of VITA. The full report is available for purchase from the VITA website at www.vita.com/Market_Research .

Executive Summary

Annual sales of VITA-standard based products (VME, VPX and PMC/XMC) to the merchant market are estimated to have increased on average 6.3% from 2019 to 2020. Boards are the highest in revenue while systems sales are the fastest growing aspect. 6U VPX systems are the fastest growing form-factor from 2019 to 2020.

The majority of VME and VPX boards and systems are sold to defense prime contractors that in turn, sell to governments. The largest customer for defense electronics is the United States with the US Department of Defense budget having the greatest impact on market growth. US Defense spending in total remains relatively steady but the budget allocation emphasizes compute-heavy technologies and has supported the increase in demand for VME and VPX boards and systems.

Market trends reported by VITA suppliers include the Open Systems DoD mandate; sensor proliferation using artificial intelligence (AI); and an increased emphasis on security by offering trusted computing solutions. The OpenVPX standard being championed by VITA aligns well with the US Department of Defense demand for improved implementation of open standards and interoperability. VITA members are also harnessing the latest AI chip technology and developing accelerator boards for intensive data-processing applications. VITA market leading companies also offer a rigorous approach to supply chain security.

Business challenges in the reporting period include the supply chain interruption caused by COVID-19 and in particular the global semiconductor shortage. Continuing challenges include product obsolescence particularly regarding VMEbus, already in its 40th year of production. The use of COTS servers and virtualization of applications rather than using dedicated hardware is an ongoing challenge in some markets.

VITA member companies continue to grow both organically and by acquisition and there has been some M&A activity during the period which has placed a significant value on the expertise and capabilities of these VITA-standard suppliers.

The report contents are as follows:

• Executive summary
• Recent mergers and acquisitions
• Report introduction and method
• Market analysis by VITA standard (VME, VPX, PMC/XMC)
• Trends affecting business
• Risks to business operations

Additional market research and quarterly reports can be found at www.VITA.com/MarketData.

About VITA

Founded in 1984, VITA is an incorporated, non-profit organization of suppliers and users who share a common market interest in critical embedded systems. VITA champions open system architectures. Its activities are international in scope, technical, promotional, and user-centric. VITA aims to increase total market size for its members, expand market exposure for suppliers, and deliver timely technical information. VITA has American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accreditation to develop standards (VME, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, XMC+, FMC, FMC+, VNX, Reliability Community, etc.) for embedded systems used in a myriad of critical applications and harsh environments. For more information, visit www.VITA.com.

About Brian Arbuckle

Brian Arbuckle is a market analyst specializing in embedded computing. Brian has an engineering degree from the University of Warwick and an MBA. His career has spanned marketing management roles in industry for electronic and mechanical components and systems and communications networks. He has worked in analyst roles for technical market research organizations, IHS Markit and Informatech and in recent years has authored an annual market research report on the embedded computing industry.

VITA and the VITA, VMEbus Technology, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, XMC+, FMC, FMC+, VNX, and Reliability Community logos are trademarks of VITA in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Source: VITA

VITA Announces Dean Holman as VP/Assistant Executive Director

March 17, 2021 — VITA, the trade association for standard computing architectures serving critical embedded systems industries has announced that Dean Holman has accepted a position as VITA VP and Assistant Executive Director effective March 1, 2021.

"I am honored and extremely excited to be taking on the role of VP and Assistant Executive Director at VITA," stated Dean. “This new role will allow me to leverage over three decades of leadership in the Aerospace and Defense industry to advance the development, publication and adoption of next generation leading edge standards. I am pleased to be able to apply my experience building international teams, driving process/quality improvements, and ensuring customer success to help VITA continue leading the industry in producing open interoperability standards to enable future system designs.”

Dean has a long history with VITA going back to 2004 when he began participating in VITA as Technical Editor of the VITA 46 working group while at Mercury Systems. In 2011, the membership elected Dean as Chairman of VITA Standards where he leads the bi-monthly standards meetings and guides the working groups through the standards development process.

Defines standards for VPX connectors that support higher data rates, to at least 25 Gbaud.

Embedded Tech Trends 2021, January 25, 2021 — VITA, the trade association for standard computing architectures serving critical and intelligent embedded computing systems markets, announces the ratification of the following standards:

• ANSI/VITA 46.30-2020 Higher Data Rate VPX Standard by ANSI and VITA
• VITA 46.31-2020-VDSTU Higher Data Rate, Solder Tail VPX Standard by VITA.

These standards define VPX connectors that support higher data rates, to at least 25 Gbaud – for protocols such as 100GBASE-KR4 Ethernet and PCIe Gen 4. Connectors compliant to VITA 46.30 or VITA 46.31 are intermateable to legacy VITA 46.0 connectors and follow the same form factor. ANSI/VITA 46.30-2020 was ratified under the VITA and ANSI processes reaching full recognition under guidance of VITA. VITA 46.31-2020 was ratified under the VITA processes as a VITA Draft Standard for Trial Use while the connector undergoes further validation testing.

"The industry has been driving higher speeds in VPX architecture for several years," said Mike Walmsley, product manager at TE Connectivity and Chair of the VITA 46.30 and VITA 46.31 working groups. “These new standards leverage the connector development that provides signal integrity for the next generation protocols, while maintaining intermateability."

Initially, the VPX performance roadmap evolved from its initial signaling rates of 3.125 Gbaud to over 10 Gbaud through advances in board technology and system design. Higher data rate protocols continued to be designed into OpenVPX systems, enabled by processor technology advancements supporting higher signal speeds and more cores. But newer protocols such as PCIe Gen 4 and 100GBASE-KR4 Ethernet are being implemented and these protocol standards have roadmaps for higher data rates, in some cases doubling every 2-3 years. As signaling rates increased above 10 Gbaud, the VPX slot connector needed to evolve to support signal integrity requirements in the channel. The VITA 46.30 and VITA 46.31 standards define such higher performance connectors.

A key physical difference between the original VITA 46.0 connector and the new higher data rate connectors defined in ANSI/VITA 46.30 is a smaller pin size at the board termination. Compliant pins are reduced in size to reduce crosstalk and minimize impedance discontinuity at the connector/PCB interface. The VITA 46.31 standard uses solder tails instead of smaller compliant pins for the high speed signals, terminated in microvias in the PCB to further aid in signal integrity. The format of these standards follows VITA 46.0, and because the connectors meet the same form factor and are intermateable, most sections refer to the baseline VITA 46.0 standard.

The ANSI/VITA 46.30-2020 and VITA 46.31-2020-VDSTU standards are available for purchase at the VITA Online Store (www.vita.com/Purchase).

About VITA

Founded in 1984, VITA is an incorporated, non-profit organization of suppliers and users who share a common market interest in critical embedded systems. VITA champions open system architectures. Its activities are international in scope, technical, promotional, and user-centric. VITA aims to increase total market size for its members, expand market exposure for suppliers, and deliver timely technical information. VITA has American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) accreditation to develop standards (VME, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, FMC, FMC+, VNX, Reliability Community, etc.) for embedded systems used in a myriad of critical applications and harsh environments. For more information, visit www.VITA.com.

VITA and the VITA, VMEbus Technology, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, FMC, FMC+, VNX, and Reliability Community logos are trademarks of VITA in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Source: VITA

Defines both the mechanical and electrical requirements for COTS modules intended for creating a 3U or 6U 270v input modular power supply.

VITA, September 15, 2020 — VITA, the trade association for standard computing architectures serving critical and intelligent embedded computing systems markets, announces the ratification by ANSI and VITA of the ANSI/VITA 62.2-2020 Modular Power Supply Standard for 270v Applications. This standard provides requirements for building a 270 volt/3U or 6U class power supply module that can be used to power a VPX chassis in the VITA 62 family of standards in high altitude applications. The module will fit within the standard envelope defined for VPX modules in the VITA 48.0 standards.

VITA 62.2 defines both the mechanical and electrical requirements for Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) modules intended for creating a 3U or 6U 270v input modular power supply. The primary focus is to support VPX and OpenVPX systems with off the shelf modules that are compatible with the VPX standards.

As part of the work to create VITA 62.2, the VITA 62.0 connectors were modified to increase creep distances and to allow the use of separating fins for use in high altitude applications. The connector footprint is the same as the VITA 62.0 connectors, however slots must be added to the PCB footprint if the application requires the use of the separating fins. This connector mechanically fits within the envelope defined in ANSI/VITA 46 for 3U and 6U Plug-In modules. This will facilitate the production of backplanes and allow system designers to define where and how many power supply modules are to be used within any given system.

"The work on VPX REDI dovetails with the OpenVPX™ architectural framework, providing standards for various cooling schemes," said Bob Patterson, Staff R&D/Product Development Engineer at TE Connectivity and Chair of the VITA 62.2 working group. “New cooling schemes that apply to VPX continue to emerge making this a great time to update these popular standards," Mosier added.

The ANSI/VITA 62.2 standard is available for purchase at the VITA Online Store.

About VITA

Founded in 1984, VITA is an incorporated, non-profit organization of suppliers and users who share a common market interest in critical embedded systems. VITA champions open system architectures. Its activities are international in scope, technical, promotional, and user-centric. VITA aims to increase total market size for its members, expand market exposure for suppliers, and deliver timely technical information. VITA has American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) accreditation to develop standards (VME, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, FMC, FMC+, VNX, Reliability Community, etc.) for embedded systems used in a myriad of critical applications and harsh environments. For more information, visit www.VITA.com.

VITA and the VITA, VMEbus Technology, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, FMC, FMC+, VNX, and Reliability Community logos are trademarks of VITA in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Extended to incorporate additional cooling schemes.

VITA, September 1, 2020 — VITA, the trade association for standard computing architectures serving critical and intelligent embedded computing systems markets, announces the ratification by ANSI and VITA of the VPX REDI suite of standards, ANSI/VITA 48.0-2020, ANSI/VITA 48.1-2020, and ANSI/VITA 48.2-2020. The Ruggedized Enhanced Design Implementation (REDI) laid out in VITA 48 describes how to implement layout techniques to better support cooling methodologies on specific board form factors. These standards were originally ratified in 2010 but have completed minor updates under the VITA and ANSI processes reaching full recognition under guidance of VITA.

"The work on VPX REDI dovetails with the OpenVPX™ architectural framework, providing standards for various cooling schemes," said David Mosier, President at WaveTherm Corporation and Chair of the VITA 48 working group. “New cooling schemes that apply to VPX continue to emerge making this a great time to update these popular standards," Mosier added.

VPX REDI is a computing standard defining mechanical specifications for cooling and maintenance strategies for VPX systems. VPX is an embedded computing platform utilizing the latest in a variety of switch fabric technologies in 3U and 6U Eurocard format modules.

VPX REDI was inspired by the need for higher density electronics, increased power draw that requires more effective cooling strategies, and rugged and maintainable modules. VPX REDI targets the requirements of Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) platforms for defense and aerospace, defining mechanical design implementations for embedded computing modules with three primary design objectives:

1. Accommodating cooling methods including forced air, conduction, and liquid cooling.
2. Adding features compatible with ESD covers required for two-level maintenance strategies.
3. Facilitating module designs with components on the secondary side of the circuit board.

The following VPX REDI standards have been ANSI/VITA ratified.

ANSI/VITA 48.0-2020: Mechanical Specification for Microcomputers using Ruggedized Enhanced Design Implementation (REDI)

• This standard defines a mechanical implementation for Plug-In Modules. Two types of Plug-In Modules are defined: Type 1 and Type 2. Both Type 1 and Type 2 Plug-In Modules take advantage of increased slot pitch to provide enhanced thermal performance and increased structural durability. Type 1 units support Two Level Maintenance while Type 2 units do not.
• Originally ratified in 2010, this edition adds consideration for additional cooling schemes:

o   Liquid Cooled Systems - Outboard Quick Disconnects (QDs)
o   Air Flow-By™ Cooling Technology
o   Air Flow Through Cooling

ANSI/VITA 48.1-2020: Mechanical Specification for Microcomputers REDI Air Cooling Applied to VPX

• This standard defines the mechanical requirements that are needed to insure the mechanical interchangeability of air cooled 3U and 6U Plug-In Modules and define the features required to achieve Two Level Maintenance compatibility.
• Originally ratified in 2010, this edition made clarifying editorial changes and modified Table 4: “Backplane Dimensions”, including an observation and permission.

ANSI/VITA 48.2-2020: Mechanical Specification for Microcomputers Using REDI Conduction Cooling Applied to VPX

• This Standard defines the mechanical requirements that are needed to ensure the mechanical interchangeability of conduction cooled 3U and 6U Plug-In Modules and defines the features required to achieve Two Level Maintenance compatibility.
• Originally ratified in 2010, this edition made clarifying editorial changes and added Appendix A with PCB examples.

The ANSI/VITA 48.x standards are available for purchase at the VITA Online Store.

About VITA

Founded in 1984, VITA is an incorporated, non-profit organization of suppliers and users who share a common market interest in critical embedded systems. VITA champions open system architectures. Its activities are international in scope, technical, promotional, and user-centric. VITA aims to increase total market size for its members, expand market exposure for suppliers, and deliver timely technical information. VITA has American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) accreditation to develop standards (VME, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, FMC, FMC+, VNX, Reliability Community, etc.) for embedded systems used in a myriad of critical applications and harsh environments. For more information, visit www.VITA.com.

VITA and the VITA, VMEbus Technology, VXS, VPX, OpenVPX, VPX REDI, XMC, FMC, FMC+, VNX, and Reliability Community logos are trademarks of VITA in the United States and other countries. Other names and brands may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Air Flow-By™ is trademarked by Mercury Systems.

Source: VITA