1.4.4 : Two MiniPCIe Sockets
The VP3500 includes two MiniPCIe sockets. Each MiniPCIe socket supports either Half-Mini or Full-
Mini sized cards. The sockets are physically located such that IO cabling from the cards may be routed
out the front panel or VPX Rear IO through a custom IO module.
A major challenge for MiniPCIe users is the lack of a standard for each card’s IO. To overcome this
obstacle, Rigel Engineering designed in a 70-pin connector that is located close to where the MiniPCIe’s
custom IO connectors would be. This allows Rigel Engineering to design a small transition board that
mates with the on-board 70-pin connector and then interfaces with the specific MiniPCIe’s IO connector,
either directly or through a small cable assembly. In addition, the use of the standard
height MiniPCIe
socket offered (4mm board-to-board) allows for a custom-designed MiniPCIe card to be plugged directly
into the 70-pin VPX rear IO connector. Each 70-pin connector has 20 differential pairs and 8 single-
ended signal routed to the VPX backplane.
Another challenge is cooling the MiniPCIe cards. A standard air or conduction-cooled frame will not
likely work since all MiniPCIe cards are different. The VP3500 heat frames are designed with a removable
section for the MiniPCIe cards. This allows a specific heat-frame solution for each set of MiniPCIe cards.
1.4.5 : Integrated 5-Port GbE Switch
The VP3500 includes an integrated 5-port Gigabit Ethernet switch. The switch is configured to VPX
standard Vita 46.6 routing to the backplane. It supports two 1000BASE-T and two 1000BASE-BX ports.
The fifth port is routed to the backplane on user IO pins and may be used as a maintenance port. All ports
support auto-negotiation (10/100/1000).
The device contains independent 802.3 media access controllers (MACs) supporting up to 10KB
JUMBO frames, a high-speed, non-blocking four-traffic class switch fabric that uses a unique dynamic
queue limit architecture.
By incorporating a GbE switch onto the board, the system designer may be able to save a chassis slot,
or more, in the system by not requiring a separate switch card. For additional and more specific technical
information regarding the Ethernet switch please refer to Marvell’s 88E8165 datasheet.
VP3500 User Manual • Document Number 101-3500-0001 • Revision A0
Property of Rigel Engineering, LLC. Confidential & Proprietary
690 Cone Park Court, Merritt Island, Florida 32952
page 14