Description
Motorola MVME5500-0163-B: Rugged VMEbus SBC for Critical Industrial Control
You know how plant floor environments can chew up standard computing gear? This PowerPC-based workhorse was built to laugh at vibration, temperature swings, and electrical noise. One thing I appreciate is how it handles legacy VME64x backplanes while still running modern control algorithms 鈥?we’ve seen it keep pulp mill controllers humming for 15+ years where newer “smart” systems failed.
Our Order Placement Process & Guarantees
- 鉁?365-day warranty 鈥?covers field failures, not lightning strikes
- 鉁?Ships in 1 week if in stock (max 4 weeks for deep inventory)
- 鉁?Payment: 50% upfront, balance before DHL/FedEx dispatch
Why Field Engineers Keep Specifying This Board
- 馃敡 PMC expansion slot 鈥?slap on custom I/O modules without redesigning your whole crate. Typically saves 3-4 weeks during retrofits.
- 馃敡 Real-time determinism 鈥?hits sub-millisecond response times consistently. From my experience, this matters when your injection molding machine needs to abort in 800碌s.
- 馃敡 No moving parts 鈥?solid-state reliability means zero fan maintenance in dusty steel mills. You’ll probably want to check air filters less often than with newer fan-cooled SBCs.
- 馃敡 VxWorks/Linux support 鈥?runs legacy control code while letting you port to modern OSes gradually. Avoids that $200k rewrite headache.
Technical Reality Check
| Spec | MVME5500-0163-B Details |
|---|---|
| HS Code | 85437090 (VMEbus controller components) |
| Power Requirements | +5V @ 3.2A typical (卤5% tolerance) |
| Dimensions & Weight | 6U (233 x 160mm), 1.1kg 鈥?fits standard 19″ cabinets |
| Operating Temp | -40掳C to +85掳C (commercial grade: 0掳C to 60掳C) |
| I/O Interfaces | Dual 10/100 Ethernet, 2x RS-232/422/485, USB 1.1 |
| Installation | VME64x compliant (320-pin P0/P2) 鈥?no adapter needed |
Where It Actually Gets Used
You’ll find these buried in power substation controllers where radiation hardening matters, or bolted inside baggage handling systems at major airports. One customer in Rotterdam told me it survived three years in a harbor crane control cabinet 鈥?salty air, constant vibration, and that time a seagull shorted the main bus. It’s not for new greenfield projects, but when you’re maintaining 20-year-old semiconductor fab equipment? Pure gold.
Procurement Team Perspective
Look, it’s not the cheapest SBC out there. But when downtime costs $18k/hour like in that chemical plant case study? The 365-day warranty actually pays for itself. Compatibility with existing VME crates means you avoid cabinet rewiring 鈥?that’s typically $8k in labor savings right there. And yeah, the PowerPC architecture feels dated, but try finding ARM-based boards that handle -40掳C without derating.
Installation & Maintenance Reality
- 鈿狅笍 Must use ESD straps 鈥?that MPC7457 processor doesn’t forgive static. Seen too many boards killed during rushed midnight repairs.
- 鈿狅笍 Leave 25mm clearance above/below 鈥?convection cooling only. One plant in Ohio learned this when sawdust clogged the vents.
- 鈿狅笍 Calibrate ADCs yearly if measuring critical temps. Firmware updates? Only if fixing a specific bug 鈥?no “upgrade for fun” here.
Certifications That Actually Matter
CE marked for industrial environments, RoHS 2 compliant (even though it’s older tech), and meets MIL-STD-810F for vibration/shock. The warranty covers component failures, but not if you ignore the operating temp specs 鈥?we’ve had to deny claims when folks shoved these into 90掳C control rooms.
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