ADLINK PXES-2596 Gen3 Chassis Installation and Maintenance Guide

ADLINK PXES-2596 Gen3 Nine Slot PXIe Chassis Deployment and Operation

In bandwidth intensive application scenarios such as high-speed data acquisition, RF testing, and semiconductor verification, the system throughput of the PXI Express platform often becomes a bottleneck that restricts system performance. ADLINK PXES-2596 is a 9-slot PXI Express fully hybrid chassis based on PCIe Gen3 technology, providing 1 system slot and 8 hybrid peripheral slots. The total system bandwidth is up to 16 GB/s, and each peripheral slot independently supports PCIe x4 Gen3 links (single slot bandwidth of 4 GB/s), achieving doubled performance compared to the previous generation Gen2 chassis. In addition, the series also offers a 12 slot version of PXES-2596E, with an additional 3 PXI Express peripheral slots to increase slot density while maintaining high bandwidth. The chassis adopts an industrial grade 500W ATX power supply, which does not require a separate power board, simplifying system integration and maintenance. The intelligent monitoring system provides real-time reports on fan speed, voltage rail, and internal temperature through ChassisWatch, combined with a multi-level fixed temperature control fan strategy, providing a maximum heat dissipation capacity of 58 W per slot (40 ° C ambient temperature) at ambient temperatures ranging from 0 ° C to 50 ° C. 

Product positioning and core features

The PXES-2596 series is a high bandwidth, high-density chassis platform launched by ADLINK to meet the testing needs of the next generation PXI Express. It complies with the PXI-5 Rev. 1.0 specification and is compatible with CompactPCI, PXI, CompactPCI Express, and hybrid slot compatible PXI-1 modules. The core design highlights include:

Dual Link Gen3 Switching Architecture: The system slot (Slot 1) provides PCIe 2-link x8 x8 Gen3 uplink, and all peripheral slots (8 hybrid slots or 3 additional peripheral slots) independently support PCIe x4 Gen3. The system bandwidth reaches 16 GB/s, and each peripheral slot has a bandwidth of 4 GB/s, ensuring that multi-channel high-speed data acquisition cards, vector signal transceivers, and other modules run simultaneously without bandwidth contention.

ATX power supply design: Built in 500W industrial grade ATX power supply, no independent power board, simplifies internal wiring of the chassis, reduces failure points, and facilitates user replacement or upgrade of power modules (standard ATX size).

Full mixing slot: In the 9-slot version, except for the system slot, the other 8 slots are all mixing slots, which can flexibly install any type of 3U module; The 12 slot version (2596E) adds 3 dedicated PXI Express peripheral slots in addition to the system slots and 8 hybrid slots, providing additional slots specifically for pure PCIe modules.

Intelligent fan and monitoring: Rear dual fans (total air volume 420.76 CFM) combined with multi-level fixed temperature control strategy, no need for users to set target temperature, automatically adapting to load changes. The front panel's three color LED (power blue, fan green, temperature amber) visually indicates the system status.

Extended clock synchronization: Provides internal SMA connectors for 10 MHz reference clock input/output, supports external high-precision clock source synchronization, and meets the requirements of multiple chassis cascading or phase coherence with external instruments.

Detailed specifications and environmental adaptability

2.1 Power parameters

Communication input: 115-240 VAC (wide range), 47-63 Hz, maximum input current 8 A @ 115 VAC/4 A @ 230 VAC.

DC output (total power 500W, including system controller):

Voltage rail maximum current load adjustment rate Ripple noise

+5V 40 A ±5% 60 mV

+12V 32 A ±5% 120 mV

-12V to+12V conversion ± 5% 120 mV

+3.3V 30 A ±5% 60 mV

5Vsb 2 A ±5% 60 mV

Total power budget: The total power consumption of the system controller and peripheral modules shall not exceed 500W, and it is recommended to reserve a margin of 10% to 20% during actual deployment.

2.2 Reference Clock

10 MHz system reference clock: inter slot skew ≤ 300 ps, built-in accuracy ± 25 ppm; External input requires 10 MHz ± 100 PPM, amplitude of 100 mVpp~5 Vpp (square wave or sine wave), and input impedance of 50 Ω± 5 Ω.

100 MHz differential clock (PXIE_CK100): inter slot skew ≤ 100 ps, accuracy ± 25 ppm.

Clock input/output: Provides a 10 MHz signal interface through an internal SMA connector (inside the chassis), with an output amplitude of 1 Vpk pk (50 Ω load) or 2 Vpk pk (no-load), and an output impedance of 50 Ω± 5 Ω.

2.3 Cooling and Physical Specifications

Fan: 2 sets totaling 210.38 CFM (420.76 CFM in total), with rear exhaust and bottom intake.

Cooling capacity per slot: 58 W (40 ° C ambient temperature verification), 38 W (50 ° C ambient temperature verification).

Size (9 slots): 302.16 mm (width) x 177.8 mm (height) x 457 mm (depth); Backboard size 287.88 mm × 165.45 mm; weight 11 kg.

Environment: Working temperature of 0-50 ° C, storage of -20~70 ° C, humidity of 10%~90%, no condensation; Anti impact 30G half sine, vibration working 0.3 Grms, non working 2.46 Grms.

2.4 Security and Certification

Safety standards: EN 61010-1, EN 61010-2-201; EMC：EN 55011 Class A、EN 61326-1； CE certification complies with the Low Voltage Directive and EMC Directive.

Backplane architecture and PCIe topology

The PXES-2596 backplane adopts PCIe Gen3 switching chip, and the system slot supports two x8 links (a total of x16 Gen3), which are routed to various peripheral slots through the switching chip. The system slot can accommodate system controllers with a maximum width of 4 slots (such as ADLINK's recommended PXIe-3987). The controller expansion slot is located on the left side of the system slot and does not occupy peripheral slots. 8 mixed peripheral slots (Slot 2~9) independently provide x4 Gen3 links, each with 4 GB/s bandwidth and not shared with each other. For the 2596E model, the three additional peripheral slots (usually located on the right) are also x4 Gen3 links, but only support PXI Express/CompactPCI Express modules (do not support hybrid PXI-1). All peripheral slots share a trigger bus (8-wire) and a local bus (single wire PXI-LBL6/PXI-LBR6), supporting module synchronization and analog/digital signal transmission.

Key points of installation and heat dissipation engineering

4.1 Unboxing and Attachment Confirmation

The standard packaging includes a chassis, power cords, filler panel kit (1 3-channel panel and 18 1-channel panels), and rack mounting kit (optional, part number 91-95115-0010, compatible with PXES-2590). Check for transportation damage and contact the dealer immediately if there are any missing items.

4.2 Heat dissipation design and gap requirements

The chassis adopts a bottom air intake and rear exhaust duct, with dual rear fans sucking in cold air from the bottom, flowing through all modules, and then discharged from the rear grille. This design can effectively avoid inhaling hot air discharged from adjacent equipment during rack installation. Key gap:

Leave at least 1U (44.5mm) clearance below the bottom air inlet;

Leave at least 76.2 mm (3 inches) of space behind the rear air outlet;

All unoccupied slots must be equipped with filling panels, otherwise it will disrupt the balance of wind pressure and cause local overheating.

4.3 Multi level intelligent fan control strategy (core features)

Unlike previous cases where the target temperature could be set through software, PXES-2596 adopts fixed graded temperature control without user intervention, and is fully driven automatically by the backplane temperature sensor. The fan control strategy is shown in the following table:

Stage temperature threshold (rising edge) corresponds to PWM duty cycle returning to the previous stage temperature threshold (falling edge)

1>55 ° C 30% N/A (lowest level after startup)

2 >65 °C 40% <51 °C

3 >73 °C 60% <61 °C

4 >79 °C 80% <69 °C

5 N/A (reaching the highest level) 100%<75 ° C

When any reading from multiple temperature sensors on the backplane exceeds the threshold, the fan speed gradually increases; When the temperature drops back to the corresponding "return" threshold, the speed drops back to the previous level. This hysteresis design avoids frequent oscillations of the fan near the critical temperature, ensuring temperature control stability while reducing noise. The measured noise level is not specified in the manual, but according to the fan specifications, it should be significantly lower in automatic mode than in full speed mode.

4.4 Hardware installation steps

System controller installation (Slot 1):

Ensure that the CPU, memory, and storage on the controller are installed correctly;

Press the module to eject the latch, push the module along the upper and lower guide rails until the latch is reset;

Tighten the fixing screws on the front panel and connect external devices such as the monitor and keyboard.

Peripheral module installation (Slot 2-9):

Select an idle slot and press the module latch;

Push smoothly along the guide rail to ensure that the backplane connector is fully engaged;

Lift the latch and tighten the front panel screws; Repeat the operation to install all modules.

Rack installation:

An optional rack mounting kit is available. First remove the right handle and the four rubber feet on the left, fix the left and right mounting brackets on both sides of the chassis with M4 screws (the bracket position can be adjusted forward and backward along the screw holes), and then use eight rack screws (not included) to fix the chassis in the rack.

Power budget and power on process

5.1 Power Budget Calculation

Calculate the total power consumption of the system controller and all peripheral modules to ensure that it does not exceed 500W. The manual recommends reserving a certain margin and paying attention to the current limits of the+12V and+5V rails. If using the 12 slot version, the total power budget is still 500W, and more careful allocation is needed.

5.2 Power on and power-off operations

PXES-2596 is equipped with a universal input power supply and does not require voltage switching. Power on steps:

Insert the power cord into the C13 power inlet at the back of the chassis;

Insert the other end of the power cord into a grounded socket;

Press the power button on the front panel (note: if the rear Inhibit switch is in "DEF", the front panel is active, and if it is in "MAN", it needs to be controlled through the DB-9 suppression pin);

The blue Power LED is constantly on, indicating that the power supply is normal.

Hot plugging is strictly prohibited: No modules or cables should be inserted or removed when the system is powered on, otherwise it may damage the equipment or cause data loss.

System monitoring and ChassisWatch configuration

PXES-2596 communicates with the chassis management microcontroller through SMBus (located in the system slot), and users can monitor the chassis status in real-time through the ChassisWatch graphical tool in ADLINK PXI Platform Services (APPS).

6.1 ChassisWatch Function

Voltage monitoring: Display real-time readings of+5V,+3.3V,+12V, -12V, and 5VSb, and compare them with preset thresholds (default ± 5%). Mark any abnormalities.

Temperature monitoring: Display the values of multiple temperature sensors on the backplane (the number is not specified, but at least 3 or more), and the default temperature alarm threshold is usually 70 ° C (adjustable).

Fan speed: Display the real-time RPM of two rear fans, with a default low alarm threshold of 800 RPM (adjustable).

Log and Threshold Management: Supports recording monitoring data to files, saving/loading threshold configurations, and restoring factory default values.

6.2 Smart Fan Status Viewing

Due to the hardware automatic grading of fan control, ChassisWatch may only display the current fan mode (Auto/High) and actual speed, but do not provide a target temperature setting option. Users can manually switch the fan switch (rear) to "High" to force full speed, or switch back to "Auto" to enable graded temperature control.

6.3 10 MHz clock input/output

The internal SMA connector (located inside the chassis) allows access to external 10 MHz clock sources (such as rubidium clock, GPSDO), which are automatically recognized and switched by the backplane. At the same time, a 100 MHz differential clock is synchronized through PLL. This function is suitable for multi chassis synchronization or phase coherent applications with external signal sources.

Safety instructions and technical support

Before disassembling or plugging modules, the AC power supply must be completely disconnected;

Prohibit blocking ventilation holes; Stay away from liquid, high humidity and high temperature environments;

Built in backup lithium battery, there is a risk of explosion when replacing incorrect models