How is the shock and vibration test carried out?
The first thing stipulated by the Rugged MicroTCA specifications MicroTCA.1 and .3 is the test for the connector. A test AdvancedMC module is connected firmly to the connector in a test mount. During the shock and vibration test, 8 pairs of contacts on the connector are checked for discontinuity. Discontinuity is defined as an increase in resistance of >10 ohm over a period of >10 ns. If such discontinuity is detected, the test is failed. The specifications also define a test for the rack or system. This simply checks whether the mechanism is able to withstand these acceleration rates. Schroff goes a step further, testing the MicroTCA rack (the basis of all Schroff MicroTCA systems) for the electrical discontinuity referred to above during shock and vibration testing.
