ECB Backplane-8 167mm

The ECB Backplane-8 167 mm is a backplane card for the EuroCard Bus which allows up to 8 ECB cards to be connected at one time.

Current Version: 167mm 201506

Board: backplane-201506-brd.pdf

Schematic: backplane-201506-sch.pdf

Gerbers: backplane-201506-mfg.zip usually 1/8“ thick (heavy duty) instead of 1/16” thick

KiCAD Files: ecb_backplane-201506.zip

REF: ECB Backplane-201506.zip (Kicad files)

Suggestion: Add electrolytic decoupling capacitors to the backplane. Four 220uF caps show in the photos, although anything from 100-470uF would be good. Choose the caps for their low height so they do not interfere with board insertion. Polarity on the board is not marked, so be extra cautious about orienting them correctly. (Board bottom is VCC, top is GND.)

Changes to 167mm 201506 version:

1. Extend the 8-slot backplane from 160mm (6.3“) to 167mm (6.6”). This provides clearance between the Molex connector and the first DIN 41612 connector.
2. Distribute VCC and GND using conduction zones, GND on the top, and VCC on the bottom. Keep the large pads at the ends of the connectors insulated from either VCC or GND to prevent shorting. They are marked GND in the Kicad files, but are actually unconnected.
3. Reverse the orientation of the 4-pin Molex power connector. If the SPDT on/off switch is not to be used, this orientation makes it much easier to add a #18 wire to connect the input VCC to the switched VCC conduction zone.
4. Add optional VBAT connector (pin A24) for battery backup of SRAM or NVRAM.
5. Add optional RESET switch connector for KONTRON reset (pin C31). Use of this pin requires all boards to be strapped for Kontron Reset instead of N8VEM legacy reset. Do not use this pin unless all of your boards are Kontron compatible.
6. (note added 06-Jul-2015) The recommended 96-pin DIN 41612 connector is the AMP 535043, which has longer pins than the AMP 535090. The longer pins on the former make it easier to solder than the latter. Both connector part numbers come with a “-?” to indicate the finish on the pins, nickel, alloy, or gold.

John Coffman 23-Jun-2015

REF: ECB Backplane-007.zip

These are the Kicad files for the N8VEM 8-slot backplane. Previous versions of the backplane were manufactured on thick 1/8“ PCB stock.

Changes to version 7:

1. The Interrupt and DMA chain connections are put on the correct Kontron pins.
2. The board Y-dimension is reduced from 3.95” to 3.94“. This makes the board closer to 100mm x 160mm, the Eurocard form factor.
3. The connectors are centered on the board, and are still on 0.8” centers.
4. The connector footprint (pads) on the board are made to conform to the AMP connector suggested footprint. This offsets the mounting holes by 12 mils toward the A-row, rather than exactly centering them on the B-row. This corrects the error in the Kicad library footprint.

John Coffman 26-Apr-2014

Please use this space to add any notes/comments on this board that don't fit into the above sections. (Periodically, these comments may be re-arranged to be better incorporated into a new revision of the wiki page.) Please sign your comments using the wiki “Insert Signature” feature! — Andrew Bingham 2016/02/27 13:01