ADLINK PXES-2780 18 Slot PXIe Chassis Deployment Configuration

ADLINK PXES-2780 18 Slot PXIe Chassis Deployment and System Management Complete Guide

In large-scale automated testing systems, slot capacity and power supply are often the key bottlenecks that determine platform scalability. ADLINK PXES-2780 is an 18 slot PXI Express chassis that offers 1 system slot, 1 system timing slot, 6 PXIe peripheral slots, and 10 hybrid peripheral slots, with a total slot count that ranks among the top in its class. Its backplane adopts a configurable PCIe switching architecture, supporting two link modes: 4-link x4 (default) or 2-link x8. The system bandwidth can reach up to 8 GB/s, and the dedicated peripheral slot bandwidth can reach 4 GB/s (x8 link). The industrial grade AC power supply can stably output 800 W power within a wide temperature range of 0 ° C to 55 ° C. With three sets of rear fans (each set 185.9 CFM) and innovative bottom air inlet/rear exhaust heat dissipation design, the cooling capacity of each slot reaches 38.2 W (verified at 55 ° C). In addition, the chassis provides BNC 10 MHz reference clock input/output, DB-9 suppression/voltage monitoring interface, and RS-232 remote monitoring serial port, and supports dual-mode system management through SMBus or serial port. 

Overview and Core Specifications of the Chassis

The PXES-2780 complies with the PXI-5 Rev. 1.0 specification and is compatible with PXI Express, CompactPCI Express, and hybrid slot compatible PXI-1/CompactPCI modules. The allocation of 18 slots is as follows:

Slot 1: System controller slot, supporting a maximum width of 4 slots for controllers;

Slot 10: System Timing Slot (ST), providing single ended and differential star trigger functions, and can also be used as a regular PXIe x4 peripheral slot;

Slot 2~9, Slot 11~18: Among them, there are 10 hybrid peripheral slots (compatible with PXI-1/CPCI/PXIE/CPCIe) and 6 PXIe dedicated peripheral slots (only supporting PXIe/CPCIe modules). Slot 8、 9. 11 and 12 support PCIe x8 links, while other peripheral slots support x4 links.

Power parameters:

Communication input: 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz, maximum input power of 1200 W;

DC output (maximum available power 800 W):

+5V / 29.0 A， Ripple ≤ 50 mV

+12V / 45.0 A， Ripple ≤ 120 mV

+3.3V / 60.0 A， Ripple ≤ 50 mV

-12V / 2.5 A， Ripple ≤ 120 mV

Reference clock: 10 MHz system clock slot skew ≤ 300 ps, built-in accuracy ± 25 ppm; BNC output amplitude 1 Vpk pk (50 Ω load) or 2 Vpk pk (no-load), output impedance 50 Ω± 5 Ω; External input requires 10 MHz ± 100 PPM, amplitude of 100 mVpp~5 Vpp, and high impedance input. 100 MHz differential clock slot skew ≤ 100 ps, accuracy ± 25 ppm.

Mechanical and Environmental: Dimensions 464.3 (W) × 191.4 (H) × 465.3 (D) mm, net weight 11.9 kg; operating temperature 0~55 ° C, storage -20~70 ° C; shock resistance 30 G half sine, vibration working 0.3 Grms, non working 2.46 Grms; 46.3 dBA in automatic noise mode and 64.5 dBA in full speed mode.

Key points of installation and heat dissipation engineering

2.1 Unboxing and Attachment Confirmation

The standard packaging includes the PXES-2780 chassis, power cords, filler panel kit (1 3-channel panel and 18 1-channel panels), and ADLINK All in One CD (including monitoring software). If the PXES-2780 Rack Mount Kit is selected, the front and rear positions of the chassis in the rack can be flexibly adjusted. Any missing or damaged items should be immediately reported to the dealer.

2.2 Innovative heat dissipation design and gap requirements

The PXES-2780 adopts a horizontal air duct with bottom intake and rear exhaust. Three sets of rear fans draw in cold air from the bottom and front openings, which flows through all modules and is discharged from the rear. This design can effectively avoid inhaling hot air discharged from adjacent equipment during rack installation, while maintaining uniform temperature in each slot. Key gap:

Bottom air inlet: Leave at least 1U (44.5mm) clearance;

Rear air outlet: at least 76.2 mm (3 inches) away from other objects;

All unoccupied slots must be equipped with filling panels to maintain wind pressure and directional airflow.

If these requirements are ignored, even if the ambient temperature does not exceed the limit, the temperature alarm inside the chassis may be triggered due to airflow short circuit.

2.3 Installation of System Controller and Peripheral Modules

The system controller (such as ADLINK PXIe-3975) is installed in Slot 1 and can occupy up to 4 slot widths. Installation steps:

Confirm that the CPU, memory, and storage on the controller are ready;

Press the module latch release button, smoothly push it in along the upper and lower guide rails, and lift the latch to fully engage with the back panel;

Tighten the fixing screws on the front panel and connect the external devices.

The peripheral module is installed in Slot 2-18 (Slot 10 is the system timing slot and can also be used as a peripheral slot). The operation is similar: select the slot, insert along the guide rail, lift the latch, and tighten the screw. All empty slots must be equipped with filling panels. When powering on, connect the power cord to the rear C19 power inlet (note: this chassis uses a C19 socket with a current capacity higher than the standard C13), press the front panel power button, and the blue Power LED will light up, indicating normal operation.