Jerry Gipper Editorial Director

Today’s processing capability is far outpacing the ability to collect and bring data into the processing stream. System architects continuously struggle to optimize schemes for the best system performance. VPX is designed to give architects the best options possible, while bringing the maximum amount of I/O into a slot and then getting it into the [...]

Jerry Gipper Editorial Director

By Brian Arbuckle Reliable market data for critical and embedded computing technology is hard to come by, and even more so when zeroing in on VITA technologies. To better understand the size of the ecosystem for VME, VPX, PMC, and FMC technologies, VITA joined with Brian Arbuckle, analyst with Embedded Market Research, during summer 2021 to conduct research on technologies based on key VITA standards.

Jerry Gipper Editorial Director

Very few computer-related technologies exist in the industry for more than a few years. This past October 21st marked the 40th anniversary of the announcement of VMEbus. This event is especially significant given the fact that VMEbus is still an extremely practical solution for critical embedded computing. VMEbus has had a profound impact on the open standards community, playing a key role as an influencer in modular open system architecture (MOSA) initiatives.

Ken Grob Elma Electronic

The objectives of the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)—to improve system capabilities, compatibility and cost—are predicated on a tight collaboration between government and industry. Although each service branch of the military has a model or view of what they need in their standards to produce the systems they require, a common goal of interoperability has reshaped the military electronics landscape over these past few years.

Ivan Straznicky, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions

Reliability is a key requirement for military and aerospace systems and assemblies. Curtiss-Wright has been highly focused on ruggedness and reliability as a leading supplier of COTS [commercial off-the-shelf] electronics for more than 30 years. Over a decade ago, as lead-free (LF) components started to become mainstream, we developed strategies and a vast amount of technical expertise for dealing with this huge change. The result of these extensive efforts is that we are able to offer customers the choice, based on their requirements and preferences, of both tin-lead solder and LF solder-based designs, with both exhibiting the high reliability that customers need and expect from Curtiss-Wright. We now have over ten years of LF product reliability data to back up our claim of being the trusted, proven leader in rugged electronics reliability.

Jerry Gipper Editorial Director

Note: This update is based on the results of the March 2021 standards meeting. Contact VITA if you are interested in participating in any of these working groups. Visit the VITA website (http://www.vita.com) for details on upcoming VITA meetings.

Jerry Gipper Editorial Director

Since the announcement of VMEbus in 1981, there have been a great number of people and ideas that have had an impact on the development and advancement of open standards used in critical embedded computing systems. The intention of the VITA Technologies Hall of Fame is to honor and preserve the remembrance of those people and technologies that have had the greatest influence on the VITA open standards industry. Many others are to come – innovators and influencers, who have made a significant impact on developing, designing, and creating the technology and then ferrying the technical specifications into open standards. These are the people who have overcome the technical and procedural problems to help bring forth the products that set new expectations. It is our pleasure to honor these primary contributors to this industry.

Jerry Gipper Editorial Director

What a difference a year makes!

Justin Moll Pixus Technologies

Despite the fact that OpenVPX is an open standard architecture, there is a significant amount of variation of system platforms. The application needs for OpenVPX systems continue to evolve rapidly. New challenges brought by the SOSA [Sensor Open Systems Architecture] Consortium’s efforts; new complementary VITA [VMEbus International Trade Association] standards; size, weight, and power (SWaP) concerns; the expanding number of backplane profiles; and SpaceVPX implementations are requiring a versatile approach by the backplane/enclosure developers.

Denis Smetana Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions

In order to keep up with the continued acceleration of new technology and to be able to protect the warfighter from the latest threats, it is essential that we can turn our deployed platforms into adaptable entities that can evolve over time and are not static. The SOSA [Sensor Open Systems Architecture] Technical Standard is the next major step in realizing this goal.