VITA trade group approves air-flow-by cooling standard for VPX and VPX REDI embedded computing
FOUNTAIN HILLS, Ariz., 6 Nov. 2014. The VITA embedded computing trade association has approved a thermal-management standard to enable systems integrators to create rugged and deployable high-performance embedded computing systems.
Officials of the VITA Open Standards, Open Markets trade group in Fountain Hills, Ariz., has approved the VITA 48.7 standard, described as the "mechanical standard for electronic plug-in units using air flow-by cooling technology."
"To meet new complex ISR mission requirements, defense prime contractors are demanding powerful, low-SWaP processing capability. Air Flow-By fulfills these needs by reliably and efficiently removing more heat than ever before, enabling defense primes to deploy processing-dense solutions such as rugged cloud capability, right at the tactical edge," explains Paul Zuidema, who chairs the VITA 48.7 working group.
VITA 48.7 also has been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in Washington. Zuidema also is mechanical engineering manager at embedded computing specialist Mercury Systems in Chelmsford, Mass.
ANSI/VITA 48.7 defines air flow-by (AFB) cooling and sealing technologies for VPX and VPX REDI embedded computing systems. It applies to ANSI/VITA 46 and ANSI/VITA 48 embedded computing and defines the dimensions for air-flow-by plug-in units to ensure mechanical interchangeability. The specification also covers the sub-rack features.
Related: VME and VPX health-monitoring test and measurement instruments introduced by Orbit
Air flow-by uses convection heat transfer to cool plug-in modules while shielding circuit boards and backplanes from the cooling air with plate with apertures for backplane connectors over the backplane.
Copies of the ANSI/VITA 48.7 specification are available from VITA for $50, and are available online at http://shop.vita.com. For more information contact VITA online at www.vita.com.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
