Product features and benefits
14
Model 6276 User Guide
1 • Introduction
Product features and benefits
Thank you for purchasing Patton Electronics Co. Model 6276 ForeFront Half-Pipe Chassis with CPCI 2U
backplane/midplane. The Model 6276 FireFront Half-Pipe Chassis is a modular 2U x 19 inch rackmount sub-
rack-type CPCI packaging system.
The product offers a low cost, turnkey solution for customers desiring four 6U x 160mm slots in the least pos-
sible vertical rack space. The superior design also provides up to two power supply modules configured for
external DC or AC power input.
The rear of the chassis provides four 2U x 80mm slots for CPCI transition modules. Cooling is provided by
the specially designed plug-in fan tray module.
The Model 6276 ForeFront Half-Pipe Chassis complies with the
PICMG 2.0 R3.0 CompactPCI Specification
,
and
PICMG 2.5, ECTF H.110 (CT Bus) Specification
(Rev. 1.0), making it an excellent choice for redundant,
fault tolerant applications.
What is CompactPCI?
CompactPCI (Compact Peripheral Component Interconnect) is a high-performance industrial computer plat-
form based on the standard PCI electrical specification in rugged 3U or 2U Eurocard-style packaging, with a
high-quality 2mm metric pin and socket connector.
CompactPCI is an open specification supported by the PICMG (PCI Industrial Computer Man-
ufacturers Group), which is a consortium of companies involved in utilizing PCI for embedded
applications.
Distinct advantages of CompactPCI (“CPCI”) include:
•
Cost/time savings—Because it is electrically compatible with PCI, CPCI allows designers to tap into the
wealth of available hardware and software. CPCI provides a substantial reduction in engineering and manu-
facturing costs because off-the-shelf items can be shipped to meet your configuration needs and delivery
schedules.
•
Rugged and reliable—The Eurocard-style packaging—which includes two-piece shielded connectors for
better reliability and vertical card orientation for better cooling—provides a robust system based on a sub-
rack backplane architecture.
•
Flexibility—CPCI allows either 32- or 64-bit PCI, plus offers an open architecture. Additional connectors
are defined for adding standard or proprietary buses or other needs. Hybrid CPCI systems allow bridging to
other buses or custom applications.
•
Hot-swap capability—Boards can be hot-swapped without disrupting operation, a critical feature in real-
time and high-availability applications.
CompactPCI is rapidly becoming the backbone of today’s high-performance, embedded systems. It is ideally
suited for telecommunications, computer telephony, real-time machine control, industrial automation, real-
time data acquisition, instrumentation, military systems and other applications requiring high speed comput-
ing and modular, robust packaging design.
