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Q: What aspects of the board design of UbiSwitch and UbiSwitch Baseboard, if any, have been ruggedized for Aerospace applications?
A: The UbiSwitch system incorporates many board-level features intended for aerospace and other harsh-environment applications:
- Environmental tolerance: The UbiSwitch Module was designed for wide-temperature operation and low-pressure environments. It has been independently tested to MIL-STD-810H procedures covering high and low temperature, temperature shock, low-pressure operation and rapid decompression, humidity, fixed-wing aircraft vibration, and mechanical shock. Published test levels include operation at 30,000 ft, rapid decompression from 8,000 ft to 40,000 ft, vibration from 10 Hz to 2,000 Hz, and 90 g mechanical shock.
- Vibration-resistant interconnects: The Baseboard uses positive-locking Molex PicoClasp connectors for power and the 1 GbE interfaces, reducing the likelihood of connectors becoming disengaged under vibration. The UbiSwitch Module is mechanically secured to the Baseboard through its stackable board-to-board interface and mounting points.
- Rugged power input: The Baseboard accepts a wide 8–60 VDC input and includes reverse-polarity protection, overvoltage/transient protection, and onboard regulation to provide the UbiSwitch Module with a clean supply when operating from an electrically noisy vehicle or aircraft power bus.
- Signal isolation: All eight 1 GbE copper ports include Ethernet magnetics, providing galvanic isolation between the switch and connected equipment.
- Thermal design: The UbiSwitch Module is supplied with a heatsink and was designed around operation across a broad ambient-temperature range, although system-level airflow and thermal design remain the integrator’s responsibility.
It is important to distinguish ruggedized and environmentally tested from certified for installation in a particular aircraft. UbiSwitch is supplied as an open circuit-board assembly and must be integrated into a suitable enclosure for ingress protection, strain relief, EMI control and final system qualification. The UbiSwitch Module has published MIL-STD-810H environmental test results, but the standard Baseboard is primarily a deployment/reference baseboard and is not represented as independently qualified to standards such as DO-160 or MIL-STD-461.