Editor’s note: At the time of this writing, the last VSO meeting was in July 2005, and the comments here reflect those discussions. By the time you read this, the September VSO meeting will also have occurred.
VSO ANSI accreditation
Accredited as a Standards Development Organization (SDO) in June 1993 by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the VITA Standards Organization (VSO) meets every two months to address vital embedded bus and board industry standards issues. Information on ANSI/VITA standards is available on the VITA website.
VSO study and working group activities
Standards within the VSO may be initiated by a study group and developed by a working group. A study group is used to build interest in a standard and requires only one VSO member. A working group requires at least three VITA members, and the proposed work must fit within the defined scope of VITA’s accreditation with ANSI.
VITA 17.2 – 10 Gbit Serial FPDP
Objective
Develop a standard for 10 Gbit data transfer on Serial Front Panel Data Port (SFPDP).
Status
: Ron Tauton, who initiated this activity, reported that the group is seeking a new chair and is in the process of reorganization.
VITA 42 – Switched Mezzanine Card (XMC)
Objective
Extend PMC to include serial fabrics.
Status
The VSO voted to designate VITA 42.0 a “Draft Standard for Trial Use” at the July VSO meeting. The draft will be issued as a draft standard for trial use in August. Samtec presented preliminary results on reducing the insertion/extraction force of the VITA 42 connector. Protocol draft standards, VITA 42.1, 42.2, and 42.3 will be submitted to ANSI ballots shortly.
VITA 46 – Advanced Module Format (Working Title)
Objective
Develop a 3U/6U 160 mm deep Eurocard module with a high-performance connector capable of supporting both parallel and serial fabrics.
Status
The first working group ballot for VITA 46.0 was completed and the draft is being revised. VITA 46.1, VME Signal Mapping, also completed a working group ballot and the draft is being revised. For VITA 46.3, Serial RapidIO on VITA 46, the draft has been released for working group review. The second draft of VITA 46.5, Hypertransport on VITA 46, has been published.
VITA 48 – Enhanced Ruggedized Design Implementation (ERDI)
Objective
Define a general mechanical design implementation for circuit card assemblies that will enhance both their thermal performance and structural integrity.
Status
Drafts for the base specification VITA 48.0, the air and conduction-cooled specification, VITA 48.1, and the Liquid Flow Through (LFT) specification, VITA 48.2, completed working group ballots and are currently being revised. The working group is focusing on two Level Maintenance (2LM), quick disconnects, and guide pins. A three-slot LFT proof-of-concept system is being developed.
VITA 49 – Digital Intermediate Frequency (IF)
Objective
Develop a new interconnect standard for passing a radio’s digitized IF data between computer boards.
Status
Steve Pereira, Mercury, presented an overview of VITA 49 at the July VSO meeting. The working group is focusing on developing the packet structure.
VITA 51 – Reliability Prediction
Objective
Develop a better method for predicting electronic module reliability.
Status
The working group held an all-day meeting at the July VSO meeting and accomplished their major goals, which included finalizing the charter, reviewing the proposed outline for the working draft, and assigning authors for the various subsections.
VITA 52 – Lead Free
Objective
Determine how to meet current and impending lead-free regulatory requirements.
Status
The working group held a teleconference to report June LEAP working group response to VITA member input and have scheduled an opportunity for an extended question and answer session on Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) implementation with Pat Amick, Boeing, for August.
VITA 53 – Market Surveillance
Objective
Develop a standard method to collect product life information.
Status
Life-cycle product information is very important to long- lived military programs. Steve Cecil, NWSC, is planning a half- day working group meeting for the September VSO meeting to outline this effort.
. . . .
John Rynearson is Technical Director of VITA. Previously, he founded Rystar, Inc. specializing in VMEbus training, and was one of the founders of Mizar, Inc., an early VMEbus company.
VITA – the VMEbus International Trade Association – was formed in 1984 to promote and enhance the VME standards, and to champion open standards in the embedded computing industry. VITA received accreditation as an ANSI-certified standards developer in 1993, and further received accreditation as an IEC-ITA certified standards developer in 2000.
For more information, contact John at:
VITA
PO Box 19658
Fountain Hills, AZ 85269
Tel: 480-837-7486
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.vita.com