Description

The GE VME162PA344SE is a ruggedized VMEbus single-board computer (SBC) engineered by General Electric for mission-critical embedded systems in harsh industrial and defense environments. Part of GE’s legacy VME162 series, this board integrates a high-reliability PowerPC processor with comprehensive I/O interfaces, delivering deterministic performance for real-time control applications. The GE VME162PA344SE features a 200MHz Motorola MPC603e RISC CPU with 128MB soldered SDRAM, 16MB flash storage, and dual Ethernet ports (10/100Base-TX) for network redundancy. Its conduction-cooled design (-40°C to +85°C operation) eliminates fans, making it ideal for sealed enclosures exposed to dust, humidity, and extreme vibration (up to 5Grms).

Designed for extended lifecycle support, the GE VME162PA344SE provides VME64x backplane compatibility with P0/J0 expansion for system controllers. Key interfaces include dual serial ports (RS-232/422/485 software-selectable), SCSI-2, and a PMC (PCI Mezzanine Card) site for custom I/O expansion. The board’s MIL-STD-810G-compliant construction withstands shock impacts (30g, 11ms) and altitude extremes (15,000m), ensuring uninterrupted operation in military mobile platforms, power grid substations, and offshore drilling systems.

Technical Specifications

Main Features and Advantages

Extreme environment resilience: The GE VME162PA344SE utilizes epoxy-underfilled BGA components and conformal-coated PCBs to prevent condensation-induced failures in 95% humidity. Its conduction-cooled thermal design dissipates 25W heat without airflow, critical for sealed military enclosures. Deterministic real-time control: The board’s PowerPC architecture delivers 220 MIPS performance with hard real-time OS support (VxWorks, LynxOS), enabling<10>

Enhanced reliability: Redundant boot flash allows fail-safe firmware updates, while watchdog timers automatically recover from software lockups. The PMC site supports mission-specific I/O (e.g., fiber optic comms or MIL-STD-1553B interfaces). For cybersecurity, hardware-based secure boot prevents unauthorized code execution. Compared to commercial SBCs, the GE VME162PA344SE achieves MTBF >250,000 hours per Telcordia predictions.

Application Field

The GE VME162PA344SE excels in infrastructure requiring militarized computing. In defense systems, it serves as fire control processors in armored vehicles and radar signal processors in naval vessels, leveraging its shock/vibration tolerance. Power utilities deploy it in substation RTUs (Remote Terminal Units), where dual Ethernet ports enable redundant communication with IEC 61850-compliant protection relays.

Industrial applications include robotic welding cell controllers in automotive plants (exploiting -40°C cold-start capability) and SCADA hosts for oil pipeline monitoring. In transportation, the board controls trackside signaling systems for high-speed rail, withstanding electromagnetic interference from traction motors. The GE VME162PA344SE also supports flight data recorders in aerospace, meeting DO-160G environmental standards.

GE VME162PA344SE

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