PXIe & CompactPCI Serial
Extend high-speed PCIe connectivity into PXIe and CompactPCI Serial systems so modular instruments and embedded boards can participate in larger data architectures.
System Capabilities
Expanded modular capacity
Connect additional chassis or external PCIe resources when one backplane cannot hold the complete system.
External processing options
Link modular acquisition systems to servers or workstations for analysis, storage and acceleration.
Independent-controller communication
Use compatible NTB modules where separate controllers must exchange memory and messages.
Mixed-platform integration
Combine PXIe, CompactPCI Serial, standard PCIe hosts, switches and expansion systems within a defined topology.
Technical Features
PXIe Gen5 system-switch modules
MXP526 provides one configurable x16 Gen5 SFF-8614 front-panel link, while dual-width MXP528 provides two configurable x16 front-panel links. Both are PXIe system-slot switch/target modules with 24 backplane lanes.
PXIe Gen5 transparent peripheral
MXP509 is the transparent Gen5 peripheral module with an x8 backplane interface and two usable x4 SFF-8614 cable links that can be combined as x8. MXP508 provides the corresponding NTB/eXpressWare role.
PXIe Gen4 system switch
MXP924 is a PXIe system-slot switch with Gen3 backplane operation and Gen4 SFF-8644 front-panel connectivity. Its front ports support one x16 or two x8 links, with copper reach up to 5 m and active optical reach up to 100 m.
PXIe Gen4 peripheral modules
MXP909 is the transparent Gen4 x8 peripheral module, while MXP908 is the corresponding NTB peripheral module for independent controller domains using eXpressWare.
CompactPCI Serial switching
MXC960 supports both transparent and NTB CompactPCI Serial operation with PCIe 4.0 backplane and front-panel links on the standard 40-lane PICMG CPCI-S.0 R2.0 mapping. MXC962 is transparent-only, with a PCIe 3.0 backplane and PCIe 4.0 front-panel link on the standard 40-lane mapping. MXC948 supports transparent or NTB operation and extends the mapping to 48 PCIe 4.0 lanes by repurposing defined P3 USB/SATA pins; this requires a compatible backplane. All three families include an integrated 1 Gb Ethernet switch with eight backplane ports and two front-panel RJ45 ports.
Mixed-platform connectivity
Compatible modules link PXIe, CompactPCI Serial, servers, external switches and expansion chassis. Every hop negotiates its own common generation and width.
Specifications
| Parameter | Unit | Value / Description |
|---|---|---|
| PXIe FAMILIES | ||
| Gen5 system switch | — | MXP526 single-x16 and MXP528 dual-x16 SFF-8614 PXIe system-slot switch/target modules with 24 backplane lanes. |
| Gen5 peripheral | — | MXP509 transparent and MXP508 NTB Gen5 peripheral modules with x8 backplane links and dual x4 or single x8 SFF-8614 front connectivity. |
| Gen4 system switch | — | MXP924 PXIe system-slot switch with Gen3 backplane support and one x16 or two x8 Gen4 SFF-8644 front links. |
| Gen4 peripherals | — | MXP909 transparent and MXP908 NTB Gen4 x8 peripheral modules. |
| COMPACTPCI SERIAL | ||
| Switch modules | — | MXC960 transparent/NTB, MXC962 transparent-only and MXC948 extended-lane transparent/NTB CompactPCI Serial switch families. |
| Backplane | — | MXC960 uses the standard 40-lane PICMG CPCI-S.0 R2.0 map at PCIe 4.0. MXC962 uses the standard 40-lane map with PCIe 3.0 backplane operation and PCIe 4.0 front-panel links. MXC948 provides 48 PCIe 4.0 backplane lanes by using the standard 40 lanes plus eight additional lanes on P3, so it requires a compatible extended-lane backplane. |
| Front links | — | Configurable SFF-8644 x4 ports aggregated as x8 or x16 on supported modules. |
| Ethernet | — | MXC948, MXC960 and MXC962 each include an integrated 1 Gb Ethernet switch with eight backplane ports and two front-panel RJ45 ports. |
| Onboard NVMe | — | MXC948, MXC960 and MXC962 provide an onboard M.2 2280 Key-M PCIe/NVMe position; device assignment and sharing depend on the selected transparent or NTB architecture and software. |
| INTEGRATION | ||
| Topology | — | Server-controlled, chassis-to-chassis transparent expansion or independent NTB domains. |
| Timing | — | PCIe cabling does not automatically distribute PXI triggers, reference clocks or synchronisation resources. |
| Boot and enumeration | — | System-slot role, upstream direction, chassis power sequence and firmware must match the intended hierarchy. |
| Software | — | Transparent designs use endpoint drivers; NTB and advanced fabrics use supported eXpressWare components. |
Applications
Modular test systems
Extend digitiser, FPGA, RF and protocol-instrument capacity across PXIe chassis without converting the data path to Ethernet.
Semiconductor ATE
Connect high-channel-count instrumentation, processing and recording chassis under a defined PCIe hierarchy.
Automotive HIL
Combine real-time control, network interfaces, acquisition and fault-insertion hardware across modular chassis.
Aerospace validation
Aggregate structural, avionics and sensor instrumentation while keeping compute and storage in separate racks.
CompactPCI Serial systems
Connect multiple CPUs, local I/O and external PCIe devices through transparent or NTB backplane architectures.
Research instrumentation
Scale detector acquisition and processing across PXIe, CompactPCI Serial and server platforms.