Ruggedized COTS

Environmental extremes in temperature, humidity, air pressure, mechanical shock and vibration are common in many military, space and industrial systems. In the past, boards designed to meet full military requirements incurred high costs and delayed deployment of new technology.

Now government agencies mandate the use of COTS (commercial off the shelf) boards whenever possible with additional mission-specific environmental requirements specified whenever necessary. This emergence of ruggedized COTS offers the benefits of shorter time to market, reduced costs, mature software development tools and improved life cycle support.

Over the years, Pentek has worked closely with customers to develop a number of strategies for deploying Pentek technology in a wide range of environmentally stressed systems.

• Ruggedized Pentek Products
• Ruggedization Levels
• Ruggedization Strategies
• Contact Us

Ruggedized Pentek Products

The following is a partial list of Pentek's ruggedized offerings. See Table 1 below for Pentek ruggedization level descriptions.

Ruggedization Level L1

• Model 4205 - VIM/PMC Carrier and MPC7457 PowerPC VME Board
• Model 4207 - MPC8641D PowerPC & Virtex-4 FPGA I/O Proc - VME/VXS
• Model 4292 - Quad C6203 DSP VME Board
• Model 4293 - Octal C6203 DSP VME Board
• Model 4294 - Quad G4 PowerPC Processor VME Board
• Model 4295 - Quad G4 PowerPC Processor VME Board w/PMC Site
• Model 6230 - 32-Channel Narrowband Digital Receiver & A/D VIM-4 w/FPGA
• Model 6231 - 16-Channel Narrowband Digital Receiver & A/D VIM-2 w/FPGA
• Model 6232 - 32-Ch. Narrowband Dig Receiver VIM-4 w/FPDP Inputs w/FPGA
• Model 6235 - 2-Ch. Wideband Dig. Receiver + A/D VIM-2 w/FPGA
• Model 6236 - 14-Bit A/D & FPGA VIM-2 w/Opt. Digital Receivers
• Model 6250 - Configurable Logic FPGA VIM-2 Module with FPDP I/O
• Model 6251 - Configurable Logic & I/O Virtex-II Pro FPGA VIM-2
• Model 6256 - Dual/Quad 105 MHz A/D w/Virtex-II Pro FPGA VIM-2
• Model 6821 - 215 MHz A/D Converter VME Board w/FPDP Output
• Model 6821-422 - 215 MHz A/D and Digital Receiver Installed Core
• Model 6822 - Dual 215 MHz A/D Converter VME Board w/FPDP Output
• Model 6826 - Dual 2 GHz, 10-bit A/D VME Board w/Virtex-II Pro
• Model 6890 - 2.2 GHz VME Clock, Sync & Gate Distribution Board
• Model 7131 - 16-Ch Multiband Digital Receiver & A/D PMC Module
• Model 7131-702 - Rugged 16-Ch Multiband Digital Receiver & A/D PMC
• Model 7140 - Dual Digital Up/Downconverter PMC/XMC with FPGA
• Model 7140-420 - GateFlow Transceiver WB DDC & Interpolation - PMC/XMC
• Model 7140-421 - GateFlow Transceiver with Wideband DDC - PMC/XMC
• Model 7140-430 - GateFlow Transceiver with 256-Ch NB DDC - PMC/XMC
• Model 7141 - Dual Digital Up/Downconverter PMC/XMC with FPGA
• Model 7150 - Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D with Virtex-5 FPGAs PMC/XMC
• Model 7151 - Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D, 256 Channel DDC - PMC
• Model 7240-420 - GateFlow Transceiver w/WB DDC & Interpolation - 6U cPCI
• Model 7240-421 - GateFlow Transceiver w/Wideband DDC - 6U cPCI
• Model 7240-430 - GateFlow Transceiver w/256-Ch NB DDC - 6U cPCI
• Model 7240D-420 - GateFlow Transceiver w/WB DDC & Interpolation - 6U cPCI
• Model 7251 - Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D, 256 Channel DDC - 6UCPCI
• Model 7340-420 - GateFlow Transceiver w/WB DDC & Interpolation - 3U cPCI
• Model 7340-421 - GateFlow Transceiver w/Wideband DDC - 3U cPCI
• Model 7340-430 - GateFlow Transceiver w/256-Ch NB DDC - 3U cPCI
• Model 7351 - Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D, 256 Channel DDC - 3UCPCI
• Model 7640-420 - GateFlow Transceiver WB DDC & Interpolation - PCI
• Model 7640-421 - GateFlow Transceiver w/Wideband DDC - PCI
• Model 7640-430 - GateFlow Transceiver w/256-Ch NB DDC - PCI
• Model 7651 - Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D, 256 Channel DDC - PCI

Ruggedization Level L2

• Model 4207 - MPC8641D PowerPC & Virtex-4 FPGA I/O Proc - VME/VXS
• Model 6821 - 215 MHz A/D Converter VME Board w/FPDP Output
• Model 6821-422 - 215 MHz A/D and Digital Receiver Installed Core
• Model 6822 - Dual 215 MHz A/D Converter VME Board w/FPDP Output
• Model 6826 - Dual 2 GHz, 10-bit A/D VME Board w/Virtex-II Pro
• Model 7131 - 16-Ch Multiband Digital Receiver & A/D PMC Module
• Model 7131-702 - Rugged 16-Ch Multiband Digital Receiver & A/D PMC
• Model 7140 - Dual Digital Up/Downconverter PMC/XMC with FPGA
• Model 7140-420 - GateFlow Transceiver WB DDC & Interpolation - PMC/XMC
• Model 7140-421 - GateFlow Transceiver with Wideband DDC - PMC/XMC
• Model 7140-430 - GateFlow Transceiver with 256-Ch NB DDC - PMC/XMC
• Model 7141 - Dual Digital Up/Downconverter PMC/XMC with FPGA
• Model 7150 - Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D with Virtex-5 FPGAs PMC/XMC
• Model 7151 - Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D, 256 Channel DDC - PMC
• Model 7251 - Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D, 256 Channel DDC - 6UCPCI
• Model 7351 - Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D, 256 Channel DDC - 3UCPCI
• Model 7640-420 - GateFlow Transceiver WB DDC & Interpolation - PCI
• Model 7651 - Quad 200 MHz, 16-bit A/D, 256 Channel DDC - PCI

Ruggedization Level L3

• Model 4207 - MPC8641D PowerPC & Virtex-4 FPGA I/O Proc - VME/VXS
• Model 6821 - 215 MHz A/D Converter VME Board w/FPDP Output
• Model 6821-422 - 215 MHz A/D and Digital Receiver Installed Core
• Model 6822 - Dual 215 MHz A/D Converter VME Board w/FPDP Output
• Model 6826 - Dual 2 GHz, 10-bit A/D VME Board w/Virtex-II Pro
• Model 7140-430 - GateFlow Transceiver with 256-Ch NB DDC - PMC/XMC
• Model 7141 - Dual Digital Up/Downconverter PMC/XMC with FPGA
• Model 7141-703 - Dual Digital Up/Downconverter Ruggedized PMC/XMC with FPGA

Ruggedization Strategies

Some of the successful methods Pentek has developed for achieving ruggedization include:

• Mechanical structures: to reduce susceptibility to shock and vibration, mechanical structures can be attached to strategic locations on a board. These include ribs, stiffeners, hold-down clamps or brackets, spring retaining clips, adhesives, rubber pads and encapsulation materials.

• Conduction cooling: many airborne applications require the use of conductioncooled hardware to ensure appropriate thermal management of a circuit board in the absence of air cooling. The latest Pentek Virtex-II Pro FPGA products, such as the 682x series of high-speed A/D VME boards and the 7140 software radio transceiver PMC/XMC module, are available as a CCA (conduction-cooled assembly). These products feature an aluminum frame for thermal management and mechanical strength with wedge locks and ejectors, where appropriate, for installation in a conduction-cooled chassis.

• Ruggedized enclosures: often the simplest and most effective method involves protecting commercial COTS boards in a protective chassis. For shock and vibration, an inner card cage can be attached to an outer frame or chassis with springs and/or rubber isolators that absorb energy.

  To handle low air pressure, extreme temperatures, and/or contaminated environments, a sealed, airtight chassis can transfer heat through forced-air cooling within the card cage to a heat exchanger.

  Often the cost of such protective chassis is far less than developing the necessary modifications to the boards and has the cost, life cycle and logistical advantage of using standard, readily available COTS boards.

• Component substitution: in some cases, just a few critical components limit the temperature range of the board. By substituting industrial or military grade components, the board may tolerate required temperature extremes.

• Conformal coating: for protection against humidity and airborne contaminants, a protective sealant can be applied to the board and components.

• Board modifications: in some cases, the printed circuit board of a standard product can be modified to meet special environmental requirements. This may include substituting different extended-range components or adding clearance and mounting holes for thermal management heat sinks.

Contact Us

Contact your Pentek representative to discuss your ruggedized requirements in detail. Our environmental engineering team will present the best strategy for a system solution that meets your needs.