As we near the end of the year there have been some very interesting updates in our standards involvement. Some SOSA and VITA Updates that have happened within the past couple of months are from work spanning much longer than just this year. You can read about all the standards that Samtec is involved in Here.
Industry Standards to Watch
Samtec does not participate in all standards involving connectors and electronics. We like to find standards that complement the product roadmap and technologies we excel at. A few that we will touch on in this article involve small form factors, modularity, and evolutions in computing demands.
SOSA Updates
SOSA (Sensor Open Systems Architecture) version 1 was published this October. We saw some of the first products and publicity for this standard at the recent AUSA (Association of the United States Army) show in Washington DC.
SOSA encompasses many existing industry standards and utilizes them across all branches of the military for flexible sensor modules. Samtec has launched a new landing page to help answer questions about our interconnects that are SOSA compliant (Here.)
Samtec is excited about this modular approach and interoperable platforms. These types of standards work well with Samtec’s sudden service and flexibility in providing solutions that can work for multiple generations of speeds and functionality.
Learn More About SOSA and upcoming events Here.
VITA Updates
VITA members have worked together to define and develop key computer bus, board, and system specifications such as VMEbus, PCI Mezzanine Card (PMC), VXS, VPX, FMC and many more. These systems range from medical imaging to space launch control, semiconductor processing to defense systems.
The newest VITA update is the publication of the XMC+ VITA 88 standard this December. VITA 88 is an evolution of VITA 42 and VITA 61. This new standard achieves backward compatibility by matching the footprint and layout. The new connector interface electrically enhances the speeds to PCIe Gen 5 (32 Gbps) and maximises Signal Integrity performance.
VITA 88 utilizes Samtec’s SEARAY™ family with new features to help further ruggedize the interface. Standardized heights match the
What should you look for Next Year?
Standards development is an ongoing process. Our team used the analogy of a glacier to descripe how standards come to be. They are slow moving masses that can shape the landscape. With contributors from all levels of the industry giving input and guidance it can sometimes be a process just to collect the information and ideas. Then a few brave soles attempt to compile it all into a draft for review. We appreciate all the work that goes into a standard and our team at Samtec who sit in the countless meetings to bring everything together.
Both VITA and SOSA will evolve yet again next year.
The Small Form Factor designs like VITA 74 VNX look to evolve and add functionality like other platforms have done. VITA 57.1 FMC over time added VITA 57.4 FMC+, VITA 42 XMC now has a future option to the new VITA 88: XMC+.
SOSA will also evolve. Now that the 1st revision is out it is on to the 2nd where additional considerations will be added and refined. Building out language around the Small Form Factor designs and capabilities will be that much more important as Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) continue to push the envelope.
If you have questions about Samtec Standards please reach out to the team at VITA@samtec.com or SOSA@samtec.com
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