VME single board computer developers continue to churn out innovative designs targeted for military use. Integrating switched fabrics and other serial I/O schemes top the list of next-gen challenges.
Since no single serial switched fabric technology is ideal for the full range of military/aerospace applications, military system designers and integrators are combining multiple fabric technologies. Gigabit Ethernet is being used for the intra-platform network, with Serial RapidIO and Advanced Switching Interconnect deployed cooperatively within serial switched fabric backplanes running an identical interprocessor communications layer.
Using switched fabrics that offer multiple vendor support at the chip and board level, VITA 41 and VITA 42 support throughput of up to 10 times higher per 6U slot. This growth in bandwidth enables advanced signal processing solutions for radar, signal intelligence and image processing.
EMI/RFI effects increase in high-speed, high-performance military designs. Careful preparation, planning and interaction between OEM and EMS provider, along with the correct implementation of five key design measures, can reduce EMI/RFI by 90% or more.
Ensuring that military embedded computing equipment is EMI/EMC-compliant is more than just a matter of making it conform to MIL-ST-461. Numerous design and manufacturing issues must be taken into account, as well as cost constraints and reducing the impact on size and weight.
