DESIGN GUIDE. Guidance for Designing your InterConnect System

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1 DESIGN GUIDE Guidance for Designing your InterConnect System

2 How to Configure a System The following steps help you to determine which VPC products are necessary to complete your system based on your I/O requirements. The steps and using the InterConnect Designer will enable you to properly choose the right equipment to best suit your needs. Step 1. Determine the System s I/O Requirements. A. Number of signal points B. Number of power points C. Number of coaxial points D. Number of other contacts E. Total modules and wired adapters Choosing the signal, power and coaxial points will allow you to determine the modules needed. If you are using cable assemblies, the required modules are already determined. Reference Module Loading Guidance. Step 2. Determine the Receiver. A. Determine the size of the receiver by evaluating the rack height, depth and how many modules you will need plus room for expansion. VPC recommends 20% of the module positions remain open for future growth. B. Determine the mounting style by evaluating accessibility and portability needs. Reference Receiver and Chassis Mounting. Step 3. Determine the Receiver Accessories. A. Receiver Mounting Panel B. Vertical Hinge Mounting Frame (VHMF) C. Plug and Play Mounting Plate D. Receiver Protective Cover E. Slide Kits F. Chassis Mount Kits Reference Receiver and Chassis Mounting and Cable Management.

3 How to Configure a System Step 4. Determine the ITA. A. Determine the Interchangeable Test Adapter (ITA) based on the size of the receiver you have chosen in Step 2. Step 5. Determine the ITA Modules and Contacts. A. The modules for the ITA are the mating modules for the receiver modules you selected in Step 1. B. The ITA contacts mate to the receiver contacts and are dictated by your system s I/O requirements. Step 6. Determine the ITA Accessories. A. ITA Protective Cover B. ITA Patchcords C. ITA Enclosure Reference Wire+ Options.

4 Module Loading Guidance To achieve maximum electrical engagement of the contacts and performance of the VPC interface, it is recommended to load modules with coaxial contacts to the outside of the receiver and ITA frames and modules loaded with signal contacts to the center. VPC also recommends allowing room for expansion, by leaving 20% of the module space in your receiver and ITA open for future growth. When configuring a large-scale system, consult VPC for assistance in determining loading force for maximum performance. COAXIAL POWER SIGNAL BLANK SIGNAL POWER COAXIAL Figure 1. Loading Key.

5 Receiver and Chassis Mounting VPC offers several mounting options for your mass interconnect system. Review the features and benefits below to determine which mounting option will work best for your application. Pull-Thru Visit www. to explore all our mounting options. Slide Mount Pull-Thru Rack/Direct Panel Mount Vertical Hinge Mount Easy access to instrumentation and cables Short wire lengths Chassis and/or instrumentation mounting on different plane than receiver Table Top Must be rack mounted Offer ability to secure cables in place (no movement) Slide Mount Rack Mount Table Top Mount Vertical Hinge Mount

6 Cable Management VPC solutions are designed to accommodate an array of ATE chassis sizes/configurations, including PXI, SCXI, GPIB, LXI, PCI, VXI and AXIe applications. These solutions are available in various wired configurations, including Rack/Direct Panel Mount, Slide Mount, Pull- Thru and Vertical Hinged Mount. Regardless of the type of configuration you choose, cable routing and strain relief are important considerations to make in managing your cabling. For more detailed cable management information, visit /cable or contact VPC to discuss your cable management needs with an application engineer. Strain Relief With any configuration type, strain relief is critical in developing a reliable and consistent tester. VPC offers several strain relief options. Module Strain Relief: The most common method is to attach strain relief plates directly to the modules (Figure 1). Wire or cable bundles are secured to the plate with wire ties, preventing forces exerted on the cables from transferring directly to the contact termination which can cause damage and loss of signal integrity. Cable Tie Down Bar: A second method is to use cable tie-down bars on the receiver side. Figure 1. Module Strain Relief. These bars are included with the G18 Vertical Hinged Mounting Frame and are designed into the instrument bracket or cable tray kits used with slide-mount receivers (Figure 2). When slide mounting your receiver, cables connecting to the receiver should be secured to the strain relief on the instrument bracket. This prevents the cables from being damaged when the slides are extended. Cables routed to instrumentation not placed on the instrument bracket should be secured to the strain relief on the instrument bracket. Figure 2. Cable Tie Down Bar on Instrument Bracket.

7 Cable Management Measuring and Routing Cable Direct Panel Mount Direct Panel Mount systems enable the instrument chassis to be placed directly behind the VPC receiver. When using the direct panel mount method, keep a space of 8-10" from the front of the chassis to prevent tight bends in the cable. To determine the proper cable length required, measure the distance from the front face of the instrument to the module location in the receiver, allowing for bends in the cable for proper cable routing. Cable Tie Down Bar Slide Mount Slide Mount Slide mount configurations, popular for use with PXIbased testers, offer short cable lengths, easy access to instrumentation, and the ability to connect to secondary instrumentation. In addition, the cabling remains static and electrically consistent when accessing instrumentation. When slide-mounting your receiver, consider whether or not the instrument chassis will be placed on an instrument bracket. The recommended cable length is 20" when the instrument bracket is used with a slide-mounted receiver. This length can change if the instrument is being wired to a receiver module on the opposite side of the tester (Figure 3). Figure 3. Slide Mount Configuration Routing. The cables used to connect the instrumentation located somewhere other than the instrument bracket to the receiver must be long enough to allow the slides to extend fully without putting tension on the cables (Figure 3). To determine the appropriate cable length, measure the vertical distance from the receiver to the instrument, then measure the distance from the front of the rack to the receiver with the slides fully extended, taking any bends and special routing into consideration. Vertical Hinged Mount Vertical Hinged Mounting Frames (VHMF) enable the instrument chassis to be placed directly behind the VHMF. When using a VHMF, keep a space of 8-10" from the front of the chassis to prevent tight bends in the cables when the VHMF is closed. To determine the proper cable length required, measure the distance from the front face of the instrument to the module location in the receiver with the VHMF in the open position (Figure 4), allowing for bends in the cable for proper cable routing and allowing extra length in the cable to prevent tight bends when the VHMF is closed. Module Strain Relief Vertical Hinged Mounting Frame /cable Figure 4. Vertical Hinged Mounting Frame Configuration.

8 Wire+ Options When choosing the VPC Wire+ solution to work with your test instrumentation, you may be presented with options for Pull Thru, PCB, and Wire. Read on to learn how to choose: PCB Adapter PCB Adapters offer the convenience of flexibility and the benefit of performance in a lower cost solution. VPC PCB adapters are available in both TriPaddle and QuadraPaddle formats. They allow you to incorporate double ended COTS cables for reduced wiring and ease of integration. VPC offers a wide array of common PXI connectors such as Ribbon Cable Connectors, VHDCI, and SCSI. PCB Adapters are also available in the iseries formats for low I/O applications (i2 Micro icon shown on right). Pull Thru Pull thru solutions should be selected for systems in which a pull thru receiver is being used. Visit our Pull Thru solutions page to see what VPC offers. Haven t picked a receiver yet? Contact your local sales team member to assist in selecting the right system for your application. Wired Wired Solutions provide engineered, finished, and quality tested cable assemblies and patchcords to connect directly into your test instrumentation. Using wire enables system flexibility to access and maintain your setup. Contacts are individually replaceable and your I/O can be modified by adding, removing, or relocating patchcords. Custom cables can also be engineered to combine multiple instruments into one receiver module Contact your local sales team member to find out how. TriPaddle Signal Connection for higher amperage needs. TriPaddle is rated up to 10 Amps. QuadraPaddle Signal Connection for higher density needs. QuadraPaddle is rated up to 5 Amps.