StackableUSB® Advantages

Maximum I/O Support:
  • Supports up to 8 USB peripherals top stacked and/or 8 USB peripherals bottom stacked without a hub (16 total peripheral boards)
  • Supports up to 76 USB peripherals in the stack with 10 hub cards
StackableUSB supports several features that have not been available in the past when using traditional stacking architectures such as 104 and 104-Plus.

  Maximum Power Management:
  • Extends the power over USB limitation from 500mA to 0.9375A per peripheral card
USB supports power management so that USB peripherals or devices can be placed in a low power mode to conserve power, an issue that is paramount in embedded systems relying on battery backed power or environments where heat generation is of key concern.

  Maximum Reliability:
  • Uses rugged, reliable differential connectors designed for demanding embedded environments
Typically embedded OEM applications have not tolerated USB devices well because of constricted spaces, high vibration, or special packaging and enclosure requirements. StackableUSB, though, uses the same serial interconnect standard that is found on the common desktop or laptop PC but on form factors such as popular 3.5” x 3.5” size computer board with a stackable connector ensuring reliability.

  Maximum Speed:
  • Offers a range of speeds, from 480Mbs at high speed, 12Mbs at full speed, and 1.5Mbs at low speed
StackableUSB provides embedded system designers a road map into the future for increasing their system throughput as technology advances.

  Automatic Detection:
  • Recognizes devices and installs the necessary drivers with minimal human interaction
USB supports automatic enumeration that allows the host to detect devices plugged into the stack and to install the drivers necessary for the system to operate with minimal human intervention.

  Space Efficient:
  • Functions in a space ½ or ¼ the size of the 104 footprint

  Cost Effective:
  • Inclusion of USB in most popular chipsets and many microcontrollers makes this an inexpensive implantation compared to PCI and PCI Express I/O

  Easy Implementation:
  • Conforms to PC/104 and EPIC form factors for easy upgrade in existing systems