In response to customer requests for additional capabilities for VITA 41/46/47/48 applications, Tyco Electronics is expanding its MULTIGIG RT interconnect product family with new connector modules to accommodate fiber optics and dedicated power.  Other modules, including coaxial contacts and high-voltage are also in development. The new modules enable users to achieve greater flexibility in creating high-performance embedded computing applications.

The new modules will give system designers increased flexibility to address a very broad range of applications. The optical modules, for example, accommodate the most popular optical interconnection schemes used in military and aerospace applications: Expanded Beam, LuxCis optical termini, and MT ferrules. The bandwidth and EMI immunity of fiber optic-based I/O has created demand for optical capabilities in VPX applications.

The MULTIGIG RT connector is the high-performance interconnect system selected for VPX (VITA 46) applications, the next-generation platform beyond VME. Supporting data rates of 10+ Gb/s, the connectors are optimized for signal integrity, high density, and mechanical and environmental robustness. The VPX standard was created to meet next-generation needs for high interconnection densities, high-speed operation, and new fabric-based serial switched architectures. Allowing both 3U and 6U configurations, VPX is designed to maximize I/O in a space-efficient fashion—offering a density of 113 contacts per inch. In a 6U system, the MULTIGIG RT connector provides up to 160 high-speed differential pairs, each running at 6.25 Gb/s.  The connector is also a key component within VITA 41 (VXS) and VITA 48 (REDI - Ruggedized Enhanced Design Implementation) architectures.