Custom Rack Mount Card Cages

EEi Designs and Manufacturers Custom Card Cages Systems with Forced Air Cooling for Production Applications.

Many card cage suppliers followed published standards by IEEE, VITA, PICMG, etc. The intent was to have a modular approach using multiple machined extrusions, lots of injection molded plastic parts, stampings, and a lot of careful assemble labor. A typical 19” rack mount system could easily be over 300 parts to produce a card cage frame with the desired HP and plug-in card to backplane/center-plane alignment. Each part across the width of the assembly adds its own tolerance error. All these tolerances added together introduced another critical problem. Plug-in card to backplane alignment (think connector pin damage). This led to an alignment procedure using plug-in cards to help align the backplane or center-plane before it’s secured to the card cage frame. This method still has numerous tolerances that stacked up in the process; but generally, it’s been “good enough.” Overall alignment became even more imprecise if the card cage support RTM slots.

Wait, there’s more. The use of plastic card guides generates ESD problem on the board while they are being inserted into the card cage. An approach to discharging the ESD before it could impact the backplane was devised and more parts were added along with a board design requirement.

3U rack mount IEEE 1101.1 card cage with 3U dual power and two 6U and two 3U card slots — 3U Rack Mount – IEEE 1101.1 Card Cage with 3U Dual Power & Two 6U And Two 3U Card Slots

5U Rack Mount IEEE 1101.1 and 1101.11 RTM Compliant Card Cage 84HP Width and 17 - 4HP Card Slots and 2 - 8HP PSU Slots — 5U Rack Mount IEEE 1101.1 Compliant Card Cage 84HP Width and 17 - 4HP Card Slots and 2 - 8HP PSU Slots

The 5U rack mount IEEE 1101-11 card cage showing the RTM side — 5U Rack Mount For 84HP 1101.11 RTM Compliant Card Cage with 17 - 4HP Card Slots

Custom dual card cage enclosure with 6 – 4HP card slots and 2 – 8HP power supply slots, and a single horizontal 6U card slot — A Custom Dual IEEE 1101.1 Card Cage for 6 – 3U Plug-In Cards, 2 – 8HP Power Slots and 1 – 6U Card Slot

Custom 5U rack mount IEEE 1101.1 card cage that is more precise and lower production costs. — 5U Custom IEEE 1101.1 And 1101.11 Compliant Card Cage for 6 – 5HP Cards and 2 – 8HP Power Supplies

5U custom desktop IEEE 1101.1 and 1101.11 compliant card cage for 6 – 5HP cards and 2 – 8HP power supplies — 5U Desktop Custom IEEE 1101.1 And 1101.11 Card Cage for 6 – 5HP Cards and 2 – 8HP Power Supplies

A New Approach to Producing Card Cages

Any Card, Any Pitch, Any Size, Any Bus (Standard or Custom)

After four decades from when these standards were first published, Don Goss, President & CTO at EEi knew it was time for a fresh look. While maintaining the general requirements of the standards, his new approach reduced the part count from as much or more than 300 parts to 6 plus some fasteners. Precision increased and backplane or center-plane alignment is now instantaneous precise. The decades of using plug-in cards for backplane alignment are over. Wait, there’s another benefits. Our methods are not restrained by the .200” (5.08mm) “HP” pitch set in various standards. If the design of your plug-in cards needs a nonstandard pitch like .775” or 1.175” or anything else, we can produce exactly what you need. We are not limited to standard depth cards (100mm, 160mm, 220mm, etc.) or 3U, 6U, 9U, etc., board heights either. Once engineered into our card cage manufacturing process, you get exactly what you require.

Wait, one more thing! If you adopt our backplane or center-plane instantaneous alignment method, the backplane to card guide alignment can’t get any better, its amazingly precise. We provide some addition features that need to be added to the bottom and/or top near the backplane’s attachment screw holes, well away from the bus. Typical screw slots to allow for backplane lateral alignment adjustment can now just be plain drilled holes rather than routed slots.

Custom-designed convection-cooled 5U rackmount card cage. 3U slots with RTM, with self-aligning backplane and power supplies. — Custom 5U Rack Mount Card Cage System Enclosure for 14 Cards Using an ATX COTS Power Supply

Up to 10 transmit or receive RF over Fiber modules in a custom rack mount card cage enclosure. — A Fully Custom 3U Card Cage for RF-Over-Fiber with Custom Hot-Swap Power Supplies and Fans

Custom 4 + 2 module card cage with an internal motherboard, hot-swap redundant CPRS power, and hot-swap fans — Custom 4 + 2 Module Card Cage with Internal Motherboard, CRPS Hot-Swap Power, and Fans

Custom card cage with internal motherboard and cards, hot-swap redundant CPRS power, hot-swap fans, using tool-less rack mount slide rails — Custom card cage system, hot-swap CPRS power, hot-swap fans, using tool-less rack mount slide rails

Redundant Hot-Swap Power

Many of the bus standards typically use a power supply that plugs directly into the backplane, usually via a Positronic® connector. Fine, no problem unless you need more power than what’s available for those type supplies. You can go to N+1 and lose slot space if you can afford to. Because of our design and manufacturing flexibility, we have many more options than what’s presented in the bus standards by IEEE, PICMG, etc. Maybe you need redundant hot-swap 3,000watt supplies. There are options for that and anything down to 250watts. Some options don’t require slots space giving you more width for additional plug-in modules.

Single or Multiple Fans as FRUs

With fans as FRUs, a single or multi-fan tray can be replaced in fewer than 30 seconds, should a fan fail. Card cage fan trays can be made as a hot-swap FRU. We employ fans based on multiple performance criteria and coverage across the card cage.

With a vertically aligned card cage, adding fan driven active cooling generally adds 2U to the height of the card cage frame itself. Air is pulled in from the front (datacenter’s cool aisle), the fans force the cool air through the cards. The heated exhaust air exits through the top of the card cage exits out the rear (datacenter’s hot aisle). Temperature signal outputs from micros on plug-in cards can be used to control PWM fans or we can add one or more thermistors in the exit zone above the card cage to control PWM fans.

For a horizontally oriented card age, a fan tray can be on either end. This may restrict the height of your card to a standard 6U or up to ~14” (356mm) for a custom board height.

In some system where watt dissipation if quite high, like ATCA systems, multiple cooling techniques may be needed. Vapor Chambers to spread a BGA’s heat across a larger than normal heatsinks. Using dual fan trays with one pushing cool air into the card cage and a second, on the far side, pulling hot air through the card cage.

Precision and flexibility are the new keys to production rack mount card cages for any alternative board configurations, thermal considerations, and card cage requirements.

Custom Electronic Enclosures

Custom Rack Mount Card Cages

EEi Designs and Manufacturers Custom Card Cages Systems with Forced Air Cooling for Production Applications.

A New Approach to Producing Card Cages

Any Card, Any Pitch, Any Size, Any Bus (Standard or Custom)

Redundant Hot-Swap Power

Single or Multiple Fans as FRUs

Custom Electronic Enclosurers

Engineering

Manufacturing

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