(EMAILWIRE.COM, June 18, 2007 ) WAKEFIELD, Mass., USA – PICMG has formed the new Rugged MicroTCA subcommittee to investigate and define enhancements to the MicroTCA and AdvancedMC definitions. The enhancements will enable products to be used in markets where environmental requirements may be much harsher than the telecommunications market, the first target of these specifications. The committee is called the Rugged MicroTCA subcommittee but it will also address Advanced Mezzanine Cards, which are the building blocks of MicroTCA systems.

The target markets for Rugged MicroTCA are:
• Commercial and Military Applications including Airborne, Shipboard, and Ground Mobile Equipment
• Telco Industry Customer Premise Equipment and Remote Access (such as roadside or pole mounted, no fans)
• Machine Industry (Rotating machine mounted; no fans; vibration)
• Transport Industry (Railway; truck, ship, aircraft mounted)
• Traffic control (roadside, no fans)
• Security (remote access, no fans)

It is likely that there will not be a single solution for all these markets. The committee expects its deliverables will be “dot” specifications that layer on top of the base MTCA.0 specification and contain the environmental enhancements needed for a specific set of market applications. These are likely to include specifications for air cooling, conduction cooling and shock and vibration enhancements.

“MicroTCA has created a huge buzz. There is a large demand to address these issues so it can be used in many more markets” said Mike Franco, the chair of the new subcommittee.

PICMG will publish backgrounders and other documents from the subcommittee on the “Resources” page of www.picmg.org as work progresses.

To see the latest products based on PICMG specification visit the PICMG Technologies Showcase at NXTcomm07 in Chicago at Booth 4257. For a listing of Member products based on PICMG specification, click on the “Products” page at www.picmg.org.


About PICMG
Founded in 1994, PICMG is a consortium of more than 450 companies that collaboratively develop open specifications for high performance telecommunications and industrial computing applications. The members of the consortium have a long history of developing and using leading-edge products for these industries. For information about PICMG membership, or to find out how to obtain PICMG specifications, visit the PICMG website at www.picmg.org or call PICMG headquarters at (781) 246-9318.

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PICMG, CompactPCI, and AdvancedTCA are registered trademarks of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group. AdvancedMC and MicroTCA are trademarks of PICMG.

For further information:
Rob Davidson, PICMG,
(805) 570-9575
davidson@picmg.org

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