XYCOM XVME-977 Product Detailed Description

I. Product Overview

XYCOM XVME-977 (now belonging to Acromag/Xembedded) is a 6U dual-high VMEbus integrated storage module, specifically designed for Xycom XVME-654/655 and other PC/AT architecture VME processors. It integrates a 2.5-inch IDE hard drive + 3.5-inch floppy drive in a single slot, and also offers the option of a solid-state flash drive. It provides a local large-capacity storage + removable medium backup integrated solution for VME systems, suitable for data storage and system booting scenarios in demanding industrial control and embedded measurement and control environments. 

II. Core Hardware Configuration

(1) Form Factor and Bus Specifications

Size: 6U double-height (165mm × 50mm × 115mm), occupying 1 standard VME slot, compatible with VME64/VME64x chassis P1 (power supply) and P2 (signal) connectors.

Bus Compatibility: Strictly follows VMEbus IEEE 1014 standard. IDE/floppy drive signals are transmitted through P2, power is taken from P1, directly connected to XVME-65x series processors.

(2) Integrated Storage Units (Core)

1. Hard Disk (HDD)

Specification: 2.5-inch IDE hard disk, standard capacity 1.3GB/2.2GB, selectable capacity range from 1GB to 6GB.

Performance: 1.3GB average access time 14ms, 2.2GB 12ms; inter-track seeking 4ms, supports PIO/DMA mode.

2. Floppy Drive (FDD)

Specification: 3.5-inch, 1.44MB high-density floppy drive, thickness 0.5 inches, front-mounted for easy disk replacement.

3. Solid State Drive (SSD, optional)

Specification: 1.3-inch IDE solid-state flash drive, capacity 10MB/20MB/40MB/60MB, no rotating components, more reliable for shock resistance.

(3) Power Supply and Power Consumption

Power Supply: VME backplane P1 provides +5V, ±12V, module self-powered, no additional power supply required.

Power Consumption: Hard disk works approximately 5W, floppy drive works approximately 2W, SSD in sleep mode < 5mA, low power consumption design.

(4) Physical and Front Panel

Weight: Approximately 350g, industrial ruggedized welding, shock-resistant and drop-resistant.

Front Panel: Equipped with active LED for hard disk (flashing indicates reading/writing), floppy drive release button and dust cover, real-time status monitoring.

III. Environmental Adaptability and Reliability

(1) Temperature Range

Operating Temperature: Standard 0℃~55℃; wide temperature range **-25℃~70℃**, suitable for outdoor, vehicle-mounted, and military scenarios.

Storage Temperature: -40℃~+85℃, no damage after long-term storage.

(2) Protection and Anti-interference

Protection Grade: Front panel IP30, dust-proof and splash-proof, suitable for industrial dust and humid environments.

Anti-vibration / Impact: Working state 5~500Hz, 2g vibration, 20g impact; non-working 50g impact, suitable for strong vibration scenarios.

EMC: Compliant with IEC 61000-6-2, onboard EMI filter, suppresses static electricity, surges and high-frequency interference.

(3) Hardware Reliability

Industrial-grade Components: Core chips / connectors are of military grade, fully welded process, MTBF ≥ 120,000 hours, supports 15 years of continuous operation.

Error Handling: Read/write errors are automatically retried; transparent defect mapping, bad sectors are automatically re-allocated, no need for formatting.

Signal Integrity: Board traces impedance matching, IDE/floppy drive signals have no attenuation, stable long-distance transmission.

IV. Core Functions and Features

(1) Integrated Storage, Dual Media in One Slot

Double-height size integrated hard disk + floppy drive, balancing large-capacity fixed storage and removable media backup, saving slots and simplifying wiring.

(2) Solid-state / Mechanical Dual Choice, Suitable for Different Working Conditions

Mechanical hard disk: large capacity, low cost, suitable for regular data storage.

Flash drive: no rotating components, shock-resistant, low power consumption, suitable for high-vibration, high-reliability scenarios.

(3) Standard Protocol, Plug-and-Play

Compatible with PC/AT IDE and floppy drive protocols, compatible with MS-DOS, VxWorks, embedded Linux, QNX, etc., no additional drivers required.

(4) System Boot Support It can be used as a system boot disk for VME processors to achieve local booting, without relying on the network or external storage.

(5) Long lifecycle support

Acromag/Xycom provides long-term spare parts and technical support, suitable for industrial equipment with a service life of 10-15 years, and is widely used for upgrading existing VME systems.

V. Typical application scenarios

Industrial automation: local storage for production line control systems, DCS historical log recording, PLC backup of system programs.

Embedded measurement and control: cache for high-speed data acquisition systems, program storage for instrument control units, data backup for laboratory automation devices.

Military / Aviation: data recording for vehicle measurement control systems, storage unit for onboard ground test equipment, local storage for radar preprocessing systems.

Transportation / Energy: vehicle control storage for rail transit, data backup for on-site monitoring of wind power / photovoltaic, offline storage for intelligent grid monitoring devices.

Maintenance of existing equipment: expansion of local storage for old VME equipment (numerical control machines, robots), solving the problem of insufficient native capacity, and extending the lifespan of the equipment.

VI. Selection and compatibility instructions

(1) Model configuration

Basic model: XVME-977 (double high, hard drive + floppy drive).

Storage variants:

Hard drive version: 1.3GB/2.2GB IDE hard drive + floppy drive.

Flash drive version: 10MB/20MB/40MB/60MB IDE flash drive + floppy drive.

Temperature version: standard (0℃~55℃), wide temperature (-25℃~70℃).

(2) Compatible processors

Direct connection compatibility: XVME-654, XVME-655.

Compatible compatibility: XVME-653, XVME-689, XVME-690 (confirmation of P2 signal compatibility required).

(3) Compatible chassis

Standard 6U VME chassis (VME64/VME64x), requires 1 double high slot, supports P1/P2 connectors.

VII. Maintenance and precautions

Turn off power before installation, do not perform hot plugging; gently insert and push to ensure P1/P2 is fully engaged, tighten the fixing screws to prevent vibration loosening.

Regularly check LEDs: flashing of the hard drive light indicates normal reading and writing, constant lighting indicates a fault; when the floppy drive cannot be ejected, power off to troubleshoot the mechanical structure.

Clean the floppy drive magnetic head every 6 months with a clean floppy disk to avoid read/write failures; avoid frequent power outages for hard drives / flash drives to extend their lifespan.

Maintain ventilation of the chassis during long-term operation, regularly clean dust from the modules and interfaces to avoid high temperatures or poor contact.

Avoid strong corrosive and strong magnetic environments. Strong magnetic fields may cause data loss on the hard drive; handle with care to avoid severe impacts.