Modular crate electronics: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:09, 5 October 2020

Revision as of 00:50, 6 October 2020

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The very first standard for crate electronics was Renatran, which itself was derived from the Esone Standard published in 1964.<ref>{{cite web|title=Renatran Basic Functional Units|url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/4324413|publisher=IEEE|accessdate=5 October 2020}}</ref> This standard was in use mainly in France in nuclear research.

The Renatran system was comprisedconsisted of a 5U rackable crate that could accept up to 8 single-width or up to 4 double width plug-in units, with the backplane supplying several power rails, as well as serial and parallel communications between modules, and between the rack and external equipment such as printers and computers.

Each plug-in units had the dials, indicators and connectors on the front, and a single screw-mated 24 pin connector (Souriau 8196-17, no longer produced) on the rear to connect to the back-plane. Certain units had additional connectors on the rear, either doubled from the front panel for a more permanent installation, or extra ports for specific purposes, such as daisy chaining counting modules or linking level comparators together. A plug-in unit generally accomplished a single task, such as giving out a clock signal, inverting signal polarity, attenuating or amplifying signals, and more.