Performance Technologies PT-VME141 VME64 Single Board Controller 32-Bit RS-232

Performance Technologies PT-VME141 VME64 Single Board Controller 32-Bit RS-232

The Performance Technologies PT-VME141 is an extensible single board controller designed for the VME64 bus standard. It is built around a 32-bit microprocessor with internal cache and parity checking, and features the EPAK interface extension capability that allows the board's functionality to be expanded through Performance Technologies' modular EPAK hardware. A front-panel RS-232 connector provides serial communication access directly from the panel.

Specifications & What's Included

• Model: PT-VME141


• Bus Architecture: VME64 (VMEbus)


• Processor: 32-bit with internal cache and parity checking


• Interface Extension: EPAK modular interface extension capability


• Front Panel Connector: RS-232 serial port


• Front Panel LEDs: RUN, FAULT, VME, RST, APP, S3, S2, S1, S0 status indicators


• Main ICs visible on board: AMD processor-family device, ALI logic ICs, LSI Logic device, Cirrus Logic CL-GD180-10PC-B (x2 on sub-board), Allegro-family IC


• Form Factor: VME64 single-slot card/module


• Includes: board only

Applications

VME64 single board controllers like the PT-VME141 are used in embedded computing, industrial automation, military, aerospace, and telecommunications applications where a rugged, modular, and real-time-capable processor board is required. The VMEbus standard — developed in the early 1980s and formalized as IEEE 1014 — became a dominant architecture for mission-critical embedded systems through the 1990s and 2000s, and continues to see active use in long-lifecycle industrial and defense platforms where legacy VME infrastructure is maintained. Performance Technologies specialized in VMEbus and CompactPCI products for telecom and networking equipment; the EPAK extension system was a key part of their platform, allowing different I/O and protocol mezzanines to be fitted to a common SBC carrier. This board dates from the mid-to-late 1990s era of VMEbus computing, identifiable by its chip population and the VME64 standard designation, which extended the original VMEbus to 64-bit data transfers and improved addressing. It is suited for system maintainers keeping VME-based platforms operational, system integrators, or researchers working with VMEbus backplane hardware.