Product Information

The Technobox, Inc. U.2-to-XMC adapter permits operation of a PCI Express (PCIe)-based U.2 2.5-inch Solid State Disk (SSD) in an XMC site. The product is offered in two styles: an IEEE 1386.1 air-cooled version (P/N 8377), and a VITA 20 conduction-cooled version (P/N 8376). The air-cooled version includes a front-panel bezel, through which an activity LED is visible. The adapter has a substantial opening below the SSD to allow for efficient cooling. The conduction-cooled version incorporates a substantial black-anodized aluminum heatsink which thermally couples the bottom of the SSD to a VITA 20 compliant heat-frame. The adapter is secured to the center-rail and end-rail for ample thermal conductivity, keeping in mind an SSD might dissipate considerable power on the order of 10 to 20 watts when transferring data. An activity LED is visible on the adapter.

The SSD, exemplified by the Micron PCIe 9100 Series, is typically 15mm thick. This precludes the use of the SSD within the confines of an XMC component envelope. Assuming a 1.6mm thick Printed Circuit Board (PCB), the IEEE 1386 standard allows a 1.9mm high component on the secondary side of the board. A 15mm thick SSD will, therefore, exceed the allowed component height by 13.1mm. For this adapter, the SSD is seated on the back side (“Side 2”) of the XMC. The SSD is likely to project into the adjacent space which might normally be occupied by another board. Users will need to evaluate if their application can tolerate the additional height requirement. The adapter has a substantial on-board DC-to-DC converter which uses the XMC VPWR rail to generate +12V to power the SSD. Operation of VPWR at either +5V or +12V is supported. The circuit design will automatically sense and switch to accommodate either voltage. Up to 25 watts of +12V power is available to the SSD.

The adapter supports the maximum of four PCIe lanes allowed by the U.2 standard. Gen 1,2, and 3 speeds have been demonstrated using the Micron PCIe Series 9100 SSD. Operation with host connectivity of less than four lanes is allowed, but with reduced performance. An on-board EEPROM supports IPMI data as required by the VITA 42 standard. When ordering P/N 8377 or 8376 (VITA 42 connectors), the unit is supplied without an SSD. It is expected that customers will procure their own SSD. For customers who might prefer a bundled solution, Technobox, Inc. will procure and integrate an SSD and assign a unique orderable P/N for those configurations. All adapters are functionally tested with the Micron PCIe 9100 Series SSD or equivalent.