ADLINK PXIS-2719A Chassis Deployment Monitoring Guide



ADLINK PXIS-2719A 19 Slot PXI Chassis Deployment and System Monitoring Guide

In large-scale automated testing systems, multi-channel data acquisition, and mixed signal measurement applications, the number of slots, heat dissipation capacity, backplane signal integrity, and system management functions of PXI chassis directly determine the scalability and reliability of the entire platform. ADLINK PXIS-2719A is a 19 slot 3U PXI chassis, providing 1 system slot and 18 peripheral slots, compatible with PXI and CompactPCI specifications, and built-in intelligent monitoring module, supporting remote RS-232 interface for real-time monitoring and control of temperature, fan speed, and DC voltage. This article is aimed at testing system integration engineers, detailing the engineering deployment and operation points of the chassis from chassis architecture, backplane trigger bus segmentation, system reference clock priority, forced air cooling design, to remote monitoring software deployment and API secondary development, to help build a high-density and high stability PXI testing platform.

Product positioning and core specifications

PXIS-2719A is a 3U PXI chassis that complies with the PXI specification Rev. 2.2. It uses an industrial grade 600W AC power supply (input 100-240VAC, 50-60Hz) and can accommodate up to 19 PXI/CompactPCI modules (including 1 system slot and 18 peripheral slots). Its key features include:

Backplane performance: The maximum skew of the system reference clock (10MHz) between slots is only 300ps, and it supports external 10MHz clock input (BNC interface).

Heat dissipation design: The rear three sets of fans with a total air volume of 185.9 CFM adopt a bottom inlet and rear exhaust duct design to ensure uniform heat dissipation in each slot, with a working temperature range of 0-55 ℃.

Intelligent monitoring: Built in MCU (microcontroller), monitoring 8 temperature sensors, 3 fan speeds, 5 DC voltages (5VSB, 3.3V, 5V, 12V, -12V), and supporting remote status reading and control of power switches and fan modes through RS-232 serial port.

Physical specifications: Can be rack mounted (with installation kit), weighs 14.5kg, and meets the standard 19 inch rack size.

This chassis is recommended to be paired with ADLINK PXI-3950 (Core 2 Duo) or PXI-3920 (Pentium M) controllers, and is also compatible with other PXI system controllers (occupying up to 3 slots).

Key points for mechanical layout and installation

2.1 Chassis Structure and Cooling Air Ducts

Air intake: There are air intake holes at the bottom and below the front panel, through which cold air enters.

Exhaust: The three rear fans expel hot air from the back.

Gap requirements: When installing the rack, at least 1U (44.5mm) clearance should be reserved for the bottom air inlet, and at least 76.2mm (3 inches) distance should be reserved for the rear exhaust outlet to ensure smooth airflow.

Filler panel: All unused slots must be equipped with a filler panel (included) to prevent airflow short circuits and ensure uniform heat dissipation.

2.2 System Controller Installation (Slot 1)

The system controller slot is located on the far left and supports controllers with a width of 3 slots (such as ADLINK 3U PXI controllers). Installation steps: Release the ejector → Insert along the guide rail → Lift the lock → Tighten the panel screws. Note that the controller needs to be pre installed with CPU, memory, and storage devices.

2.3 Installation of Peripheral Modules (Slot 2~19)

Slot 2 is a Star Trigger slot that can be installed with a dedicated Star Trigger controller or a regular peripheral module. The remaining slots 3 to 19 are standard peripheral slots.

Important warning: Do not install CompactPCI modules with rear I/O functionality, as rear I/O signals may conflict with PXI specific signals (located at J2 connector), which may cause damage to the module or backplane.

2.4 Power on operation

Connect the power cord to the rear C14 power interface, and the socket should be grounded.

Place the "INHIBIT" switch on the rear panel in the "DEF" (default) position, and the power button on the front panel can control the power on/off.

Press the blue power button on the front panel to start the system; Press again to shut down (it is recommended to use the operating system software to shut down first).

Backplane architecture and signal routing detailed explanation

3.1 Triggering bus segmentation and direction control

The backplane of PXIS-2719A provides 8 PXI Trigger Buses, but in order to reduce load and signal reflection, it is divided into three physical segments:

Segment 1: Slot 1-6

Segment 2: Slot 7~12

Segment 3: Slot 13~19

The three segments are connected by two buffers, and the connection status and direction are controlled by onboard DIP switches (P2, P3, P4, P5 on SWY1). The specific functions are as follows:

P2: Enable the buffer between segment 1 and segment 2 (ON connection, OFF isolation).

P3: Enable the buffer between segment 2 and segment 3.

P4: Section 1 ↔ Direction of buffer in segment 2 (ON indicates from left to right, i.e. segment 1 → segment 2; OFF means from right to left.

P5: Section 2 ↔ Direction of buffer in segment 3 (ON indicates segment 2 → segment 3; OFF represents segment 3 → segment 2).

Various topologies can be achieved through different combinations, including segment isolation, segment 1 → 2, segment 2 → 1, segment 2 → 3, segment 3 → 2, full series connection (1 → 2 → 3), and bidirectional branching (1 ← 2 → 3). This provides flexibility for multi module synchronization, such as transmitting high-speed trigger signals close to the system slot only to the latter half, or establishing isolated trigger domains between different functional modules.

3.2 System reference clock (10MHz) source priority

The backplane provides a 10MHz reference clock (PXI_CLK10) to each peripheral slot for inter module synchronization. The priority of clock sources is as follows (from high to low):

PXI_CLK10-IN pin of Slot 2: If the slot is equipped with a star trigger controller and clock input, it should be used first.

Rear panel BNC (10MHz REF In): The external 10MHz signal (100mVpp~5Vpp, 50 Ω input impedance) will cover the internal oscillator.

Internal high-precision oscillator (accuracy ± 50ppm): default clock source.

There are three LED indicator lights on the backplane, which respectively indicate the current effective source (left: star slot input; middle: BNC external; Right: Internal oscillator). External input can synchronize multiple chassis systems to ensure phase consistency.

3.3 Local Bus

The local bus is a 13 wire daisy chain that connects adjacent peripheral slots (Slot 2~19, excluding Slot 1~2), allowing for the transmission of analog or digital signals between adjacent modules without occupying PCI bandwidth. Suitable for low-speed custom communication, such as cross board handshake or analog signal transmission.

3.4 CompactPCI compatibility

This chassis is compatible with standard 3U CompactPCI modules (without rear I/O), but does not support cPCI modules with rear I/O because the PXI specific signal of the P2 connector conflicts with the cPCI rear I/O signal. If installed, it may cause a short circuit or permanent damage.

Intelligent system monitoring and remote management

PXIS-2719A has a built-in MCU (microcontroller) that communicates with remote hosts through an RS-232 serial port (9-pin D-sub on the back board). Provide hardware level real-time monitoring and remote control functions.

4.1 Monitoring Parameters (Hardware Layer)

Temperature: 8 sensors (T1~T8) are evenly distributed on the top of the backplane, covering all slots from left to right.

Fan: Three speed sensors (RPM) that can display the speed and determine if it is below a threshold.

DC voltage: Monitor 5 voltage channels including 5VSB, 3.3V, 5V, 12V, and -12V.

4.2 Software Tools (Remote Monitoring Utility)

Comes with the graphical tool "PXISRemoteMonUtil. exe", which can be installed and connected via a serial port

Connection control: Select the COM port, connect/disconnect, and record logs (adjustable cycle).

Remote power on/off: Click "Power ON/OFF" to remotely control the chassis power supply (the INHIBIT switch on the rear panel needs to be set to "MAN" mode).

Temperature target value setting: Set "Target Temp" (25~70 ℃), and when the temperature exceeds the target value, the fan will run at full speed; When the temperature is below 25 ℃, the minimum fan speed is 40%, and it is linearly adjusted between them.

Threshold alarm: It can set upper/lower limits for each voltage, temperature, and fan speed. If it exceeds the limit, an alarm will be triggered (front panel LED flashes, software interface displays abnormal).

Save/Load Configuration: Threshold settings can be saved as files for batch deployment.

4.3 Secondary Development API Library

Provide C/C++function library (based on Windows), programmable through RS-232 serial port, and customizable monitoring program. The core APIs include:

InitCOM(): Initialize the serial port handle.

GetChassisStatus (): Retrieve all statuses (power supply, fan speed/status, 8 temperature values, 5 voltage values) at once and store them in the ChassisStatus structure.

Get Threshold(): Read the current alarm threshold (temperature, fan speed, upper and lower limits of each voltage).

AKS hassisPowerOn/Off(): Remote power on/off.

SetFanSpeedMax/Auto(): Force the fan to full speed or automatic mode.

SetTarget Temp(): Adjust the target temperature.

SetTempAlarm(), SetFanAlarm(), Set5VAlarm(), Set3V3Alarm(), Set12VAlarm(), SetN12VAlarm()： Set each alarm threshold separately.

GetMCU Version (): Read the firmware version of the MCU.

CloseCOM(): Release the serial port.

These functions return BOOL to indicate success/failure, making it easy to integrate into automated testing scripts and achieve remote unmanned monitoring.

Troubleshooting and Daily Maintenance

5.1 Common startup troubleshooting

Unable to power on: Check the power cord connection, whether the socket has power, whether the rear panel power switch (if any), and whether the front panel power button is pressed. If the power LED flashes, there may be a short circuit. Remove all peripheral modules and try again.

No video output: Check the monitor and connection cables, confirm that the controller graphics card driver is correct, and attempt to restore BIOS settings.

Fan LED flashing: Check if the fan is stuck by foreign objects and clean the dust; If it still flashes normally, it may be an abnormality in the speed sensor. Contact technical support.

Temperature LED flashing: Check if the air inlet and outlet are blocked. If the temperature is normal but still alarms, the threshold may be set too low and adjusted through software.

5.2 Cleaning and Handling

Before cleaning, it is necessary to turn off the power and wipe the outside with a dry cloth, especially paying attention to the dust on the intake grille.

The chassis weighs 14.5kg. When handling, be sure to use the handles on both sides to avoid carrying weight with one hand and prevent falling and injuring people.

5.3 Power Requirements

Input voltage 100~240VAC, frequency 50/60Hz, power 600W, wiring needs to be confirmed to be well grounded.

Do not connect the chassis to overloaded circuits to ensure sufficient power supply capacity.

Typical application scenario configuration suggestions

Large scale mixed signal testing system: High precision digitizers (such as PXIe-9848), arbitrary waveform generators, switch matrices, etc. are distributed in 18 peripheral slots, and different functional groups are segmented and isolated using trigger buses to reduce noise coupling. Synchronize all acquisition cards using an external 10MHz reference clock.

Multi channel vibration monitoring (NVH): Install multiple dynamic signal acquisition modules (such as PXIe-9529H), synchronize all modules using precise trigger signals from star trigger slots, and ensure consistent sampling phase with a 10MHz clock on the backplane.

Semiconductor parameter testing: In conjunction with SMU modules (such as PXIe-9908) and high-density switch modules, control signals are transmitted through the local bus to reduce PCI bus overhead and improve throughput.

Remote unmanned station: Through RS-232 remote monitoring, temperature, voltage, and fan status are regularly reported to the central control room to achieve fault warning. Combined with remote power on/off function, it can be remotely restarted after abnormal shutdown.