The importance of VITA standards in the military hardware market
Given the complexity of these requirements and the importance of being able to source from multiple vendors, the military-embedded systems industry has asked consortiums – groups of industry manufacturers – to work together to face evolving technology challenges.
One of the most significant issues for systems’ developers is the over-heating of processors in small enclosures. To maintain a MOSA and SOSA compliant systems architecture, many engineers look to VITA standards for cooling solutions that meet acceptable industry requirements for form and function.
VITA standards
VITA is a standards’ organization that aims to promote open technology standards in a variety of crucial applications using embedded computing systems. This provides a framework for manufacturing engineers to correctly design products that meet industry specifications.
Several VITA standards have been developed to provide manufacturing guidance for optimal heat dissipation in a variety of environments. These include VITA 46, 48.2, 48.4 and 48.5.
VITA 46, otherwise known as VPX, is one of the more widely known standards and the first building block that defines the mechanical and electrical characteristics for high-performance, rugged, and modular embedded computing systems.
VITA 48 standards establish thermal design and cooling techniques for conduction-cooled modules.
VITA 48.2 outlines the requirements for conduction cooling, when heat is transferred through direct contact from the PCB to the chassis. The mechanical and second level maintenance compatibility requirements allow for the interchangeability of conduction cooled 3U and 6U Plug-In Modules.
For the growing need of liquid cooling, VITA 48.4 provides the framework for how liquid coolant is used to directly cool circuit boards in 6U modules. The ability to incorporate liquid cooling effectively allows for higher heat dissipation to prevent thermal throttling and allowing electronics to perform consistently.
VITA 48.5 was developed for air-flow-through cooled plug-in unit for a 6U where air travels across or through the module to dissipate heat. This designation outlines the use for a compact core heat exchanger located within the central heat sink of the unit.
The application of VITA’s framework
nVent SCHROFF, a leader in board retention with the Calmark & Birtcher lines and other thermal solutions hardware for electronics has utilized VITA standards to understand the roadmap for future product development. nVent SCHROFF Lead Design Engineer, Emerson Gutierrez, is a member of various VITA working groups that develop and refine open standards for critical embedded computing systems.
As VITA covers a wide range of standards, Emerson is able to pick the working groups that are most valuable to his field. He currently sits on the VITA 100 committee, which allows him to review standards that assists with developing the roadmap for new Card-Loks and extractors.
“Being a part of the committee is extremely important as it allows nVent SCHROFF to stay up to date with industry requirements,” Emerson says. “If a new standard is adopted, our engineering team will see which products apply to that standard, helping our customers select the right product.”
“If our current portfolio does not meet a standard, the standard provides a roadmap for future product development. For instance, when VITA 48.5 was introduced, we did not have a board retainer that met the size requirements within the air-flow-through cooling module standard. Therefore, we used the standards to design our newest Card-Lok, the 210 series launching in June.”
Emerson also indicated recently standard 48.4 helped to identify a need for a new inserter/extractor to be developed to compensate for the added force needed to apply to the frame allowing the liquid connectors to secure properly. “We realized our current portfolio did not meet the VITA 48.4, so we developed our new HF311 inserter/extractor that is long enough to generate enough force for the 6U board to connect securely.”
“If there is an opportunity to develop a new product, we definitely want to design a product that will be part of the final VITA specification.”
Emerson stressed that the value of VITA allows for the interoperability of all embedded VPX components drive to a standard needed to address the complex and evolving field within embedded systems.
As embedded systems continue to evolve to meet higher processing demands, companies like nVent SCHROFF will continue to utilize standards developed by the industry to meet the correct design parameters.
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