PICMG develops new standard

A PICMG working group is developing a specification for industrial box PCs called ModBlox7. The currently proprietary box PC market could get a new boost with the help of the open standard. Furthermore, cost-effective and sustainable products should be easier to implement with it.

According to the PICMG standardization committee, the ModBlox7 specification is intended to describe a compact and modular box PC. It should be flexibly configurable and mountable on the wall, on a DIN rail or in a 19-inch subrack. In terms of size, the height and depth are fixed, the width is variable by multiples of 7HP, and the maximum length is 84HP. The modular box PC designs are to be robust, support passive cooling and be used for demanding applications in railroad technology, avionics or autonomous mobility. Applications such as machines in manufacturing technology or control systems in critical infrastructures in the process industry are also possible.

The result of the project group's work is to be a basic specification. It is to describe the mechanics, the modular functional units and the electrical connections of the units. The aim of the PICMG is to ensure the interoperability of box PCs for both manufacturers and users and to combine the advantages of modular systems with those of box PCs.

The specification shall contain the following requirements respectively specified functions:

• Cost-efficient design with minimum mechanical effort. No additional backplane or heat sink will be required. Coplanar board-to-board connectors couple each unit to its neighbor and route defined I/O interfaces (PCIe and USB) to the next board. 
• Modular, functionally encapsulated plug-in units in multiples of 7HP width pitch. Units form functional assemblies such as power supply, CPU, switch and I/O. Units can be multiples of 7HP, e.g., implement more interfaces or functionality in a single building block assembly.
• This results in a wide range of device combinations in a modular design in increments of 7HP (21HP, 28HP, 42HP to 84HP), making it cost-efficient even in small quantities.
• Each modular computing unit can host a stack of 1, 2, or 3 PCBs – depending on the complexity. Separation is typically made according to the front I/O and the power and communication requirements between the host unit and its expansion units.
• Flexible mounting with minimal accessory components for wall, din-rail, and 19" subrack installations.

According to Markets and Markets, the global industrial PC market size is estimated to reach USD 6.1 billion by 2026 from USD 4.6 billion in 2021, growing at a CAGR of 5.8 %. The market growth is fueled by increasing demand for industrial IoT, a steady shift towards digitalized manufacturing from traditional manufacturing, growing awareness for resource optimization in manufacturing industries, and stringent regulatory compliances.

The goal is to have the specification ratified by the end of 2022. The team has elected Bernd Kleeberg of EKF Elektronik as chairman of the committee. Manfred Schmitz of Ci4Rail is the technical editor, and Johann Klamer of ELTEC Elektronik acts as secretary. For more information, visit the PICMG website.