PICMG doubles bandwidth with compactPCI serial revision 3 specification release

PICMG announces the release of CompactPCI Serial Revision 3 (CPCI-S.0 R3.0). With the third revision of the standard, the organization is ensuring future viability and scalability for many years to come. CompactPCI Serial was originally developed as an extension of the open CompactPCI standard to meet the demand for robust, modular, and powerful computer systems in industrial and embedded applications. The combination of high performance, modularity, and robustness has made CompactPCI Serial a popular standard for industrial applications, automation, and much more, where robustness, interoperability, and use in harsh environments with comprehensive connectivity are crucial.

The CompactPCI specification defines a modular computer system, consisting of a backplane, a system slot, and up to 24 peripheral boards. The mechanical design is fully backward compatible with CompactPCI and will interoperate with existing systems. A system slot board can be used in a peripheral slot as well to do multiprocessing. The easiest way to communicate in this case is via Ethernet. Ethernet uses cable standards ‘xxBase-T’ instead of dedicated backplane standards. This lowers the cost, guarantees better interoperability, and offers currently up to 10 Gb/s data throughput. Plus, implementation of the Ethernet connection of a system board can be done with a mezzanine board (3U or 6U). Due to this concept, more flexibility will be achieved because the usage of Ethernet does not depend on the system board itself.

CompactPCI Serial can be combined with existing CompactPCI boards by using a CompactPCI PlusIO system slot card. These hybrid systems offer an ideal migration path from parallel to serial connections. CompactPCI Serial for Space specifically addresses the extreme environment requirements for outer space. Developers who want to build applications for harsh environments in industry, aviation, or more can now download the new specification from the PICMG website and start designing immediately. PICMG member companies are also already working on their first products based on the new specification. The release of revision 4 is even in preparation.