Its Easy to Waste Significant Time & Dollars in VPX Development
There is a high risk of non-compliance, low performance or missing the schedule if you are developing a VPX solution without existing expertise or tools. Elma helps reduce or eliminate these risks with a development to deployment approach that has been proven to save 25-50% in time and cost, including a reduced need for iterations.
Elma has leadership in the SOSA and VITA standards bodies that help to ensure our solutions are aligned to requirements, further de-risking our customers.
Understanding VPX & OpenVPX Profiles
VPX, based on the VITA 65 OpenVPX specification, defines modular architectures for high-performance embedded systems in defense and aerospace.
VPX modules follow specific profiles that define pinouts, protocols like PCIe, Ethernet, and Serial RapidIO, power distribution, grounding, and I/O zones. Slot profiles on backplanes specify supported signals and interconnections—ensuring compatibility is key to avoiding hardware damage.
Elma offers VPX and OpenVPX development systems, backplanes and chassis that are aligned to SOSA and VITA standards that drastically improve speed to deployment and rude trial-and-error risk.
Key VPX Profile Elements
- Module Size: 3U or 6U
- Slot Profiles: Backplane slot configurations for signal mapping
- Module Profiles: Defines the protocols mapped to the slot profile, and any blind-mate connector module configurations
- Cooling method: Multiple cooling methods are defined by the standards
Your VPX Integration Checklist
Follow these steps from Elma's experts to start strong and integrate efficiently
Know Your Slot and Module Profiles
Review board datasheets for VITA 65 profiles from reputable vendors to ensure compatibility from the outset.
Coax and Optical VPX Innovation
The various VITA 66 and 67 dot standards present a bewildering mix of coax and optical connector options. Elma's extensive catalog of backplanes support most popular coax and optical connector modules for high performance RF or high-speed data transfer applications.
Understand Your Backplane
Select backplanes with detailed slot profiles, topology diagrams, and signaling standards like our innovative optical VPX backplane supporting up to 28 Gbps channels.
Ask for Expert Help
Leverage Elma's integration services for pre-development reviews, troubleshooting, and custom solutions tailored to your VPX needs.
Avoid Common Pitfalls
Don't skip documentation or mix SOSA-aligned boards without topology analysis—prevent grounding issues and signal mismatches early.
(U.S., Europe, U.K.)
VPX in Mission-Critical Applications
OpenVPX solutions powering demanding defense and aerospace scenarios with reliable integration
Electronic Warfare (EW)
High-performance signal processing with compatible VPX profiles for jamming and protection.
- Support for the latest generation high-speed protocols
- Blind-mate coaxial connectivity
- Real-time processing
Aerospace & Rugged Industrial
Modular systems for harsh environments with robust backplane topologies.
- Grounding and power optimization
- High-density slot configurations
- Seamless interoperability
High-Speed Data Transfer
Optical VPX for sensor integration and external connectivity in contested ops.
- Up to 28 Gbps bi-directional channels
- VITA 66 and 67 blind-mate connectors
- Rugged environmental resilience
SOSA-Aligned VPX
Alignment with the latest SOSA(R) releases to ensure future-proof designs
- Profile mixing analysis
- Topology verification
- Rapid deployment cycles
Ready to Start Your VPX Integration?
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