ADLINK PXES-2788 series chassis deployment and maintenance

ADLINK PXES-2788 Series Chassis Deployment and Maintenance Guide

In high power density applications such as aerospace, semiconductor testing, and power electronics, traditional PXIe chassis are often forced to reduce the number of modules or test throughput due to insufficient power budget per slot. The ADLINK PXES-2788 series was born for this purpose - based on PCIe Gen3 technology, it offers two configurations of 18 slots (PXES-2788) and 21 slots (PXES-2788E), with a system bandwidth of up to 24 GB/s. All peripheral slots support PCIe x8 Gen3 links (single slot 8 GB/s), and achieve a breakthrough of up to 102 W of power and heat dissipation per slot. The chassis adopts a dual power socket design (current sharing mode, non hot swappable), and can be optionally equipped with 2400 W or 1300 W power modules to meet the combination requirements of different input voltages and environmental temperatures. The cooling system provides standard version (3 × 210 CFM rear fan) and high-power version (additional 4 × 128 CFM overhead fan), combined with Normal/Boost dual-mode intelligent fan control, supporting stable operation at up to 55 ° C ambient temperature. The front panel SMA connector is used for 10 MHz reference clock input/output (replacing traditional BNC), providing convenience for high-precision synchronization. In addition, the chassis has a comprehensive safety shutdown mechanism - when the voltage exceeds ± 8%, the fan is below 600 RPM for 60 seconds, or the temperature exceeds 100 ° C for 3 seconds, it will automatically force power off and indicate serious faults through LED flashing frequency (0.5 second interval).

Product series and core specifications

The PXES-2788 series includes two sub models:

PXES-2788:18 slots (1 system slot+1 system timing slot+8 hybrid peripheral slots+8 PXIe dedicated peripheral slots)

PXES-2788E: 21 slots (1 system slot+1 system timing slot+8 hybrid peripheral slots+11 PXIe dedicated peripheral slots)

Both comply with the PXI-5 Rev. 1.1 specification and are compatible with PXI Express, CompactPCI Express, and hybrid slot compatible PXI-1/CompactPCI modules. The system slot (Slot 1) adopts a 2-link x8 x16 Gen3 architecture with a total bandwidth of 24 GB/s; All peripheral slots, except for Slot 19~21 of PXES-2788E which is x4 Gen3 (4 GB/s), are x8 Gen3 (8 GB/s).

Power specifications (key differences):

Power module options:

2400 W PSU (model CSU2400AP-3-XX): only supports 200-240 VAC input, suitable for high-power scenarios;

1300 W PSU (model FSP1300-29FM): Supports 100-240 VAC input, covering global voltage.

The dual power socket operates in current sharing mode (non hot swappable), which can increase the derating margin in high-temperature environments.

DC output rail:+12V,+3.3V,+5V, -12V,+5Vsb, load adjustment rate ± 5%, ripple noise of 120 mV, 50 mV, etc.

The maximum output power depends on the power supply model and input voltage, as detailed on page 4 of the manual.

Power and cooling capacity of each slot (Table 1-10):

Standard PXES-2788: Maximum 102 W/slot in Boost mode (requires an environment of 0-40 ° C and power consumption limitations for adjacent slots);

HP high-power models (with overhead fans) can support higher heat consumption.

Reference clock:

10 MHz (PXI_CLK10): inter slot skew ≤ 280 ps, accuracy ± 1 ppm, jitter 0.44 ps RMS;

100 MHz differential (PXIE_CK100): inter slot skew ≤ 100 ps, accuracy ± 1 ppm, jitter 2.41 ps RMS;

External 10 MHz input: SMA female socket on the front panel, requiring 10 MHz ± 25 PPM, amplitude of 100 mVpp~5 Vpp, high impedance input; Output amplitude 1 Vpp (50 Ω load) or 2 Vpp no-load, output impedance 50 Ω± 5 Ω.

Environment and Machinery: The operating temperature range varies depending on the configuration (0~55 ° C or 0~50 ° C), with a storage capacity of -40~71 ° C. The dimensions are 464.9 mm (including handle) × 194.8 mm × 482 mm, with a net weight of 11.9 kg. The noise level is 38.1 dBA in Normal Auto mode and 71.6 dBA in Boost High mode.

Installation and heat dissipation configuration

2.1 Unpacking and Accessories

The standard packaging includes a chassis, power cord (US/EU), and filler panel kit. The rack installation kit (part number 91-95126-0010, compatible with PXES-2780) needs to be purchased separately. Check for transportation damage.

2.2 Power Budget Calculation

Be sure to calculate the total power consumption of all modules (system controller+peripherals), which must not exceed the rated DC output of the selected power supply (see manual "DC Power Output"). At the same time, it is necessary to meet the current limit of each slot (Table 1-2): system slot+12V/30A,+3.3V/15A,+5V/15A, mixed slot+12V/6A,+3.3V/9A,+5V/6A, etc., with a maximum power of 102 W per slot. If using high-power modules (>60 W), attention should be paid to the power consumption limit of adjacent slots (some slots require<72 W).

2.3 Cooling gap and air duct

Airflow direction: rear intake, top exhaust (different from most chassis).

Minimum gap:

Rear: 101.6 mm (4 in.);

Top: Standard version 44.45 mm (1.75 in.), HP model (with overhead fan) requires 101.6 mm (4 in.).

All empty slots must be installed with filling panels, otherwise it will damage the wind pressure.

2.4 Fan mode and speed switch (rear)

Fan Mode Switch:

Normal: Used when the power consumption of each slot is ≤ 60 W, balancing noise and heat dissipation;

Boost: Used when the power consumption of each slot is greater than 60 W (up to 102 W) to enhance ventilation.

Fan Speed Switch:

Auto: Enable intelligent temperature control and automatically adjust speed according to temperature;

High: Forced full speed, suitable for extreme high temperatures or high loads.

Recommended combination: If the module is ≤ 60 W/slot, Normal+Auto； If>60 W, Boost+Auto; To maximize heat dissipation, Boost+High (decrease the ambient temperature appropriately).

Hardware installation steps

3.1 System Controller Installation (Slot 1)

Ensure that the CPU, memory, and storage of the controller are installed properly;

Press the module to eject the latch and push it in along the upper and lower guide rails;

Lift the latch to engage and tighten the front panel screws.

3.2 Installation of Peripheral Modules (Slot 2~18/21)

The mixing tanks (6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14) can be equipped with PXI-1/CPCI/PXIE/CPCIe modules;

PXIe dedicated slots (other) are only available for PXIe/CPCIe modules.

Pay attention to the module direction when inserting, lift the latch after pushing in, and tighten the screws. Fill all empty slots after installation is complete.

3.3 Rack Installation

Remove the right handle and the left four rubber feet, fix the left and right brackets with M4 screws (adjustable back and forth), and then fix them in the rack with 8 rack screws.

3.4 Precautions for powering on

The 2400 W PSU is only compatible with 200-240 VAC. If 100 VAC is connected incorrectly, it will not function properly;

The dual power module operates in current sharing mode, but cannot be hot swappable. It must be completely powered off before replacement.

Press the power button on the front panel (with the Inhibit switch in DEF mode), and the blue Power LED will remain on to indicate normal operation. It is strictly prohibited to hot plug any module or cable.

Backplane architecture and synchronization characteristics

4.1 PCIe Gen3 Link

The system slot has a 2-link x8 x16 (24 GB/s) uplink, while the peripheral slots are all x8 (8 GB/s) except for the additional three slots of x4 for the E model. High bandwidth modules (such as multi-channel digitizers) should be prioritized in the x8 slot.

4.2 Star Trigger (Slot 10)

Slot 10 serves as a system timing slot, providing 1 single ended star trigger (PXI_STAR) and 3 pairs of differential star triggers (PXIe-DSTAR A/B/C). The routing allocation is shown in Table 1-19. After installing a dedicated star trigger controller, precise synchronization can be achieved. If this feature is not required, Slot 10 can be used as a regular x8 peripheral slot.

4.3 Trigger Bus Three Segment Bridge

The trigger bus is divided into three segments:

Segment 1: Slot 1-4 and Slot 19-21 of PXES-2788E;

Segment 2: Slot 5-11;

Segment 3: Slot 12~18.

Each segment has 8 trigger lines, and bridging connections between segments can be configured through software (ChassisWatch or PXI-9 API) to achieve 8 connection combinations and flexibly divide trigger domains.

4.4 10 MHz reference clock priority

Automatic selection order:

PXI_CLK10-IN signal of system timing slot (Slot 10);

Front panel SMA external input;

Backboard built-in oscillator (accuracy ± 1 ppm).

When an external clock is present, the PLL automatically locks and synchronizes the 100 MHz clock to the entire chassis.

System monitoring and security protection

5.1 ChassisWatch monitoring software

Real time display through system slot SMBus communication:

Voltage rail readings (+3.3V,+5V,+12V, -12V,+5Vsb);

Real time temperature of multiple temperature sensors on the back panel (see Figure 1-7 for location);

Rear fan (and HP model overhead fan) speed.

Users can set alarm thresholds (default temperature 70 ° C, fan 800 RPM, voltage ± 5%) and configure trigger bus routing.

5.2 Intelligent fan and target temperature

When the fan speed switch is set to Auto, it automatically adjusts the speed according to the temperature. The default target temperature is 50 ° C, which means that the fan will run at full speed when the maximum temperature of the backplate exceeds 50 ° C. The user can adjust the target temperature (range 25~70 ° C) in the software. The fan PWM curve is similar to PXES-2785 (starting point 25 ° C, 40% duty cycle, 100% when linearly rising to the target temperature).

5.3 Safe shutdown mechanism (key features)

To ensure system security, PXES-2788 has hardware level security monitoring. When any of the following conditions are triggered, the chassis will forcibly cut off all DC outputs, and the front panel's three color LEDs (power, fan, temperature) will flash rapidly at intervals of 0.5 seconds (different from the 1-second flashing of ordinary alarms):

Voltage abnormality: Any main voltage rail (3.3V, 5V,+12V, -12V) deviates from the set value by more than ± 8% (e.g.+12V is lower than 11.04V or higher than 12.96V);

Fan low speed: any fan speed below 600 RPM for more than 60 seconds;

High temperature: Any temperature sensor reading exceeds 100 ° C for more than 3 seconds.

This mechanism effectively prevents hardware damage caused by fan failure or heat dissipation failure, and is the last line of defense to protect expensive PXIe modules. After triggering, the fault needs to be eliminated and powered on again to restore.

Troubleshooting and Maintenance

6.1 System cannot start

Check if the power cord is securely plugged in and if the power module is fully seated (locked with a latch);

Confirm that the input voltage meets the requirements of the power module (2400W requires 200V or above);

Check the position of the Inhibit switch (DEF front panel is valid); MAN requires DB-9 INHIBIT # high level);

Remove all peripherals and leave only the system controller for testing.

6.2 Interpretation of LED Alarm

Power LED flashes for 1 second: voltage exceeds threshold (± 5%), module power consumption or power load needs to be checked;

Fan LED flashes for 1 second: If the fan is below 800 RPM, check if the fan is stuck;

Temp LED flashes for 1 second: If the temperature exceeds 70 ° C, check the heat dissipation gap and fan mode;

Three lights flashing simultaneously for 0.5 seconds: safety shutdown triggered (see previous section), serious abnormalities in voltage, fan, or temperature need to be investigated.

6.3 External 10 MHz clock cannot be locked

Check the quality of SMA cable connection and confirm that the input frequency is 10 MHz ± 25 PPM;

Confirm that the signal amplitude is between 100 mVpp and 5 Vpp;

Check if the system timing slots provide clocks at the same time, and prioritize the system timing slots according to their priority.

6.4 Power module replacement

The power module can be replaced on site (non hot swappable):

Shut down the system and unplug all AC power cords;

Press the latch on the power module handle and pull out the module outward;

Push the new module along the guide rail until the latch is locked;

Connect the AC line back and power it on again.

Attention: The dual power modules must be of the same model (both 2400W or 1300W), otherwise current sharing may fail.

6.5 Cleaning and Handling

Cleaning: After power off, wipe with a dry cloth, focusing on cleaning the rear air inlet and top air outlet;

Handling: Net weight 11.9 kg, use handles on both sides to avoid twisting.

Software Resources

ADLINK PXI Platform Services (APPS) provides ChassisWatch, PXI Resource Manager, Trigger Management API, etc., in compliance with PXI-6 specifications. MAPS Core provides DAQ drivers and device management tools. All software can be downloaded from the ADLINK official website.