EKF Elektronik pledges long term support for CompactPCI boards
Two 3U CompactPCI processor boards, based on 11th generation Intel Core and Xeon processors (codename Tiger Lake H45) will be launched at Embedded World 2023 (14 to 16 March) by EKF Elektronik.
The boards will be available as a CompactPCI Serial design and a version which supports both CompactPCI Classic and CompactPCI PlusI/O. The latter supports the classic parallel PCI bus, for which there are still numerous COTS and proprietary expansion cards available today. Developers of CompactPCI-based systems can implement any CompactPCI system design and secure investment in the PICMG standard, long into the future.
The new boards will be available until at least 2032, confirmed EKF Elektronik. The company supports existing CompactPCI CPU boards with 7th generation Intel Xeon E3 v6 processors (codename Kaby Lake), which the company also offers for all three CompactPCI sub-specifications.
“Support for the PCI bus is essential for older CompactPCI system designs, yet some vendors are withdrawing from this market,” said Manuel Murer, business development manager at EKF Elektronik. He added that developers “can safeguard their investment in this legacy technology for many more years, continue to upgrade their system designs with the latest processor technology, and reap all the benefits that come with it”.
Upgrades bring advantages, including higher energy efficiency, higher processor-integrated security and computing power, up-to-date software support, and above all, said EKF Elektronik, support for AI and the latest graphics features.
As 11th Gen Intel Core and Xeon processors no longer support PCI natively, EKF Elektronik has installed a software-transparent PCIe-to-PCI bridge on the processor boards with CompactPCI Classic and CompactPCI PlusIO support. This allows developers to seamlessly port existing applications to the new boards, explained EKF Elektronik.
There is also a J2 connector on the CompactPCI PlusIO (PICMG 2.30) boards, which is footprint-compatible with the CompactPCI Classic (PICMG 2.0) specification. This change was necessary because the J2 connector specifically developed for PlusIO has been discontinued. There is no need to redesign the backplane, advised EKF Elektronik. The only restriction is that high-speed backplane transfer is limited to 2.5Gtransfers per second for PCIe Gen 1, and 1.5Gbit per second for SATA. Depending on the application and system, it is possible to use the full bandwidth. The CompactPCI‘s PCI bus can be used in the usual bandwidth up to 133Mbyte per second.
The CompactPCI processor boards with 11th Gen Intel Core processors in the CompactPCI Serial (SC9-TOCCATA) variant are expected to be available mid-2023. The PC9-TOCCATA variants for CompactPCI Classic and CompactPCI PlusIO will go into series production later. Until that time, 7th generation PC7-FESTIVAL variants, which can be ordered now, provide a reliable long-term solution to existing availability problems for cPCI and PlusIO applications.
Visit EKF Elektronik at Embedded World 2023, Hall 1 – 406
