Elma Electronic has developed the industry’s first development chassis for VNX+ (VITA 90) modules, writes Nick Flaherty.

The VNX+ (VITA90) standard defines the form factor and interconnects for small modules for UAVs that can be launched from a tube.

The 3-slot FlexVNX+ development chassis enables rapid board bring-up, validation and testing of VNX+ plug-in cards, allowing systems engineers to evaluate and integrate VNX+ payload modules quickly and effectively. The platform is also aligned with the US Sensor Open Systems Architecture for ecosystem interoperability and future system upgrade paths with a V46.11 chassis manager.

The backplane supports two payload slots with 400 pins and 320 pins alongside a dedicated V90.3 power supply slot as well as an internal power supply, enabling full system development. The unit operates using 110/220 VAC or an optional 28 VDC to support lab and deployed test environments.

All the I/O signals are accessed via the platform’s chassis sidewalls, simplifying connectivity and eliminating the need for mezzanine cards that take up additional weight. A maintenance port aggregator provides easy access for diagnostics and debugging.

Each slot provides airflow directed at the module top surface to provide cooling without conduction cooling thermal paths.

“We’re seeing an increase in mission-critical applications that require extremely high-performance computing in severely SWaP-constrained applications,” said Ram Rajan, senior vice president of Elma Electronic. “Our 3-slot FlexVNX+ is geared towards early-stage developers and systems integrators to help accelerate time-to-market for compact, VNX+ based systems, which use modules that are 30% of the size of 3U OpenVPX.”

The VNX+ standard supports data rates up to 25 Gbit/s between modules per lane, and the backplane supports up to 10 GHz signalling for 10GBASE-KX/40GBASE-KX4 Ethernet and PCI Express Gen4 protocols.