MVME162‑030 (Motorola/Emerson) - Basic Information and Operating Parameters

I. Basic Information

Model: MVME162‑030

Manufacturer: Motorola (formerly part of Emerson)

Product Type: 6U VME bus single-board computer (SBC), industrial-grade embedded controller

Series: MVME162 (mvme68k family, 68040 CPU)

Status: Out of Production (EOL), available in the industrial second-hand / spare parts market

Typical Applications: Industrial control, automation equipment, test and measurement, older DCS/PLC systems, rail transportation, military / aviation embedded control

II. Core Hardware Configuration (MVME162-030 Specification)

CPU: Motorola MC68040RC33, 32 MHz, 32-bit, with 8KB cache, MMU, FPU (floating point)

Memory DRAM: 4 MB (with parity check)

SRAM: 512 KB, battery backup (power off retention)

Flash: 1 MB (firmware / monitoring program)

NVRAM / Clock: 8K×8 NVRAM + RTC, battery backup

Interfaces (I/O)

VMEbus: A32/D64, master / slave, system controller, DMA

Serial Ports: 2×RS-232-D (Console + configurable)

Network Port: 10 Mbps Ethernet (Intel 82596CA)

SCSI: Narrow SCSI (NCR53C710)

IndustryPack (IP): 4 IP slots (16/32 bit, each with DMA)

Parallel Port: 8-bit bidirectional parallel

LEDs: 8 LED (FAIL, STAT, RUN, SCON, LAN, FUSE, SCSI, VME)

Buttons: RESET, ABORT

Electrical and Environmental

Power Supply: +5 VDC ±5%, typical 3.5 A, maximum 4.5 A; some models require ±12 V

Operating Temperature: 0 ℃ ~ +70 ℃ (forced air cooling)

Storage Temperature: -40 ℃ ~ +85 ℃

Humidity: 5%–90% RH (no condensation)

Form: 6U VME, single height; approximately 233 × 160 × 17 mm

III. Functional Features

High-performance 68040 processor: with FPU, suitable for complex operations and real-time control

VMEbus Master/Slave Controller: supports A32/D64, DMA, can be used as system master or slave station

Rich I/O and Expansion: Ethernet, SCSI, dual serial ports, 4 IP slots, flexible expansion of analog/digital I/O

Power-off Protection: SRAM/NVRAM/Clock all have battery backup, key data not lost

Industrial-grade Reliability: wide temperature range, vibration resistance, adapted to strong interference environments

Support for Multiple Operating Systems:

Real-time OS: pSOS+, LynxOS, OS-9, VRTX-32

Open Source: NetBSD/mvme68k, OpenBSD/mvme68k

IV. Typical Applications

Industrial Automation: older DCS, PLC, SCADA control stations

Test Measurement: ATE automatic test equipment, data acquisition systems

Railway Transportation: vehicle control, signal system

Military/Aerospace: embedded real-time control, data processing

Semiconductor Equipment: lithography machines, etching machines, etc. equipment control

V. Selection and Alternatives

MVME162-030: 32 MHz 68040, 4 MB DRAM, Ethernet, SCSI, 4×IP

Alternative models (original manufacturer): MVME162-410 / MVME162-411A (upgraded version, higher frequency / memory)

Modern alternatives: MVME2700, MVME3100, etc. PowerPC architecture VME SBC

VI. Maintenance Points

Battery Replacement: Regularly replace backup battery (usually 3–5 years), to prevent loss of SRAM/NVRAM data

Heat Dissipation: Ensure normal forced air cooling, avoid overheating reduction

Anti-static: Anti-static wristband is required when plugging and unplugging modules Firmware: Retains the original factory monitoring / diagnostic firmware, facilitating fault diagnosis.