Trenton Technology Inc - Technical Support

sle/sbc Today's need for more power and performance by high-density applications such as the internet/intranet, networking, data centers and Voice over IP (VoIP) has resulted in the rapid rise of the super slim 1U rack-mounted chassis solution. The growing prerequisites for high density by these applications emphasize the critical need to pack as much processing power into as small a footprint as possible.

The 1.72" height of the 1U provides both the solution and the challenge. The smaller size allows for stacking more cases within a rack, providing more usable space. With its rugged, sealed chassis and embedded design the 1U is able to handle user concerns of dust, humidity, shock and other aspects of a harsh environment. Added to the environmental challenge of many of these applications is the processing challenge of high transaction volumes and the lack of tolerance for downtime.

When evaluating what is needed in a 1U solution, all of the above factors play a part. Many of the 1U offerings are motherboard based; others are single board computer (SBC) based. Trenton Technology Inc., a manufacturer of SBCs and passive backplanes, looked to see what the advantages were of utilizing an SBC in a 1U chassis, as well as some of the considerations.

The major advantages that make the SBC stand out over a motherboard solution are:

Ease of access

Consistency of product

Long life cycle

Greater scalability

Greater design flexibility

full-featured

Quicker time-to-market

time-to-market

Having looked at what some of the advantages were, then what were the issues involved in coming up with a 1U solution? Probably one of the biggest considerations is directly related to the 1U biggest asset, its size. With a height of 1.72", it is imperative that a solution be found for eliminating the heat that would be produced by putting processor(s), drives, power supply, and other components in a 1U chassis. Ambient temperature and junction temperature also must be taken into consideration. Thermal management in the 1U is a significant design challenge.

While looking at the above issues, other questions arose. How will the box be cooled? What kind of heat sink will be used? What will be the placement of the heat sink in the case in order to allow the maximum amount of heat disbursement? Where and what kind of blower and venting will be used for maximum cooling? Location of drives and other components becomes a major design consideration when needing to maintain the necessary thermals.

In addressing these concerns, Trenton Technology Inc. worked with case manufacturer Tri MAP International, Inc. A decision was made to use a passive heat sink. The particular heat sink used has fins that allow the air to flow through easily, allowing the maximum amount of surface area and spreading out the heat. The blower and ductwork used needed to allow for maximum airflow and cooling.

The type of power supply used also plays an important part in design. Its rating has a direct relationship to the overall temperature rating. Placement of hard drives and any other devices in the case also impacts the thermals.

After much research and testing, a 1U chassis, effectively utilizing a Trenton SBC, Trenton backplane and two full-size standard PCI cards, was jointly developed.

Building on their experience and expertise in the industrial single board computer and passive backplane market, Trenton Technology Inc. designed and developed a 1U backplane that works with their Intel processor-based SBCs and fits in a 1U rack-mounted chassis. Trenton's backplane is designed to support Trenton's SBCs with single or dual Intel processor(s) and speeds from 600MHz up to 1.26GHz. Additionally, Trenton's backplane will support up to two full-size standard PCI cards.

In order to enable you to meet your requirements, Trenton packages these products in two formats:

Build Your Own
If you want to design your own 1U case, this option is for you. Here you get the Trenton 1U backplane and SBC of your choice, as well as the mechanicals for the I/O panel. This package also comes with information regarding requirements for thermals and layouts.

Total System
Trenton's Total System comes with the 1U backplane and Intel processor designed by Trenton, in a 1U case designed by Tri MAP. With this option, you have an "off-the-shelf" solution that has been thoroughly tested and meets thermal and processing requirements. This turnkey approach provides the flexibility to define your processor type and power, while dramatically reducing development time and time-to-market.

Trenton's 1U backplane comes in two lengths, a 13.2" and a 16.2", which will work in most existing racks. The 1U footprint allows you to stack a maximum number of units into one 19" rack. By keeping the footprint small, valuable floor and rack space is saved. This is especially important to users of e-commerce, server farms, ISP/ASP data centers, firewalls and networks (VPNs).

Using Trenton Technology's 1U backplane and SBCs, you get the quality, power, performance and dependability that you have come to expect from Trenton.

Trenton Technology Inc. is a specialized designer and manufacturer of award-winning industrial single board computers and passive backplanes for critical applied industrial and embedded applications such as telephony, networking, telecommunications and other environments which require performance, precision and reliability. As a founding member of PICMG® and a charter member of Intel's ACPP program, Trenton's development expertise provides faster time-to-market designs for the applied, embedded and industrial computing markets.

Trenton offers an extensive line of PCI/ISA single board computers, CompactPCI® SBCs and passive backplanes manufactured in the USA to ISO 9001, CE and UL standards that satisfy the industry's high demands for features and performance. A full two-year warranty and Trenton's highly professional engineering support team back all Trenton Technology products.

For more information on any of Trenton Technology's products, call (800) 875-6031 or (770) 287-3100. You can also visit our website at www.TrentonTechnology.com or e-mail us at Sales@TrentonTechnology.com.

Trenton Technology, Inc.

Sales@TrentonTechnology.com

Backplanes

MODEL#	MODEL NAME
5971-xxx	BP1/2
6006-xxx	BPS1/2

Single Board Computers

MODEL#	MODEL NAME
5891-xxx	SLE
5927-xxx	ULE
5870-xxx	CBU
5721-xxx	CBI

111 Val Dervin Parkway
Stockton, CA 95206
Phone: (888) 687-4627 or (209) 234-0100
Fax: (209) 234-5990

MODEL#	MODEL NAME
RMS1U24-3S-PCI	1U Enclosure (19"x1.75"x24")
PS300S-1UATXASP	1U AC Power Supply
PS1502-1UATXDC	1U DC Power Supply