VPX SOSA hardware for rugged applications

When defense and aerospace system integrators need rugged, mission-critical VPX infrastructure, Dawn VME Products has been the trusted name since 1985. With a state-of-the-art 42,000 sq. ft. facility in Fremont, California and hundreds of years of combined engineering experience, Dawn designs and manufactures a comprehensive portfolio of VPX products spanning power supplies, SOSA-aligned modules, cube and development enclosures, and specialized accessories — all built to the VITA and PICMG standards that govern today’s most demanding embedded computing platforms.

This guide covers Dawn’s core VPX product lines and highlights two standout accessories — the ECM-9958 Ethernet Conversion Module and SUR-853 SOSA USB Adapter — explaining how each product solves real-world challenges in modern VPX system design. Available through NewTec Reps, your embedded systems solutions provider.

VPX Power Supplies: VITA 62 Compliant, Built for Mission-Critical Reliability

Power is the foundation of every VPX system, and Dawn is widely recognized as the industry leader in VITA 62 compliant power supplies for the mission-critical market. Dawn’s VPX power supplies feature embedded RuSH™ (Rugged System Health) technology — a proprietary monitoring and control framework providing real-time system visibility, fault detection, and health reporting directly from the power supply.

Key Features

• VITA 62 OpenVPX compliant — the interoperability standard for mission-critical VPX power
• 6-channel output with current sharing across up to 4 modules for high-availability designs
• Embedded RuSH™ technology for real-time power monitoring and system health reporting
• Wide range of standard features, expandable through custom firmware
• Serves commercial, military, medical, telecom, and research markets

Whether you’re powering a single-slot development system or a full multi-slot deployed payload, Dawn’s power supply lineup scales to meet your requirements — with firmware customization available for programs that need non-standard configurations.

SOSA-Aligned VPX Products: Ready for Today’s Defense Standards

The Sensor Open Systems Architecture (SOSA) Technical Standard is rapidly becoming the baseline requirement for new U.S. defense programs. Dawn VME Products offers a growing line of SOSA-aligned modules and infrastructure designed to help system integrators meet SOSA compliance requirements without sacrificing flexibility or performance.

Dawn’s SOSA product line includes VITA 65 OpenVPX-compliant backplanes, power supply modules with SOSA slot profiles, and accessories specifically designed around SOSA’s D38999 connector standards.

SOSA Product Highlights

• SOSA-aligned 3U and 6U backplane configurations
• Power supply modules with SOSA-specified slot profiles
• VITA 65 OpenVPX compliance across the full product line
• Accessories and adapters designed for SOSA D38999 connector interfaces
• Compatible with both SOSA-aligned and standard OpenVPX cards

VPX Cube Enclosures: Rugged, Compact, Field-Deployable

For programs requiring a fully rugged, field-deployable VPX system in a compact form factor, Dawn’s VPX Cube Enclosures deliver military-grade performance in a package measuring just 9″L × 6″W × 7.62″H. Built for airborne, ground vehicle, and shipboard environments alike.

Specifications at a Glance

• Form factor: 3U, 1 to 6 slot configurations
• Power: Up to 400 Watts of integrated 6-channel power
• Environmental: MIL-STD-810E, DO-160E, and MIL-STD-461E certified
• Full rugged environmental sealing for air and conduction cooled applications
• Based on OpenVPX (VITA 65) and VPX REDI (VITA 48) specifications
• Compact dimensions: 9″L × 6″W × 7.62″H

With integrated 6-channel power and full environmental sealing, the cube enclosure delivers a turn-key rugged solution that dramatically reduces system integration time and risk.

VPX Development Enclosures: Accelerate Your Prototype-to-Production Cycle

Before a VPX system goes to the field, it needs to be developed, tested, and validated — and that’s exactly what Dawn’s VPX Development Enclosures are built for. Available in tabletop and portable configurations, these chassis support both 3U and 6U VPX modules as well as hybrid VPX configurations for mixed card environments.

Development Enclosure Features

• Available in tabletop and portable form factors for lab and field development
• Supports 3U and 6U VPX module configurations
• Hybrid VPX support for mixed-technology development environments
• Powered and ready for immediate use with standard VPX cards
• Ideal for prototyping, integration testing, and pre-deployment validation

Dawn’s development chassis are built with the same engineering quality as their deployed counterparts — meaning behavior observed during development accurately reflects production. Critical for programs with tight schedules and strict qualification requirements.

ECM-9958: Solving the VPX External Ethernet Challenge

One of the most common frustrations in VPX system design is the disconnect between backplane networking and external connectivity. VPX backplane standards like 10G-Base KR and 1G-Base KX are optimized for high-speed, short-distance inter-slot communication — but they are fundamentally incompatible with standard RJ45-based Ethernet equipment used for longer cable runs.

The Dawn ECM-9958 Ethernet Conversion Module solves this by converting backplane SERDES interfaces — including 10G-Base KR, SGMII, KX, and USXGMII — to standard 10GBASE-T, 1GBASE-T, 2.5GBASE-T, 5GBASE-T, and 100BASE-T output over RJ45.

ECM-9958 Technical Specifications

• Converts KR/KX/SGMII/USXGMII backplane SERDES to 10G/1G/100M BASE-T RJ45
• Supports 10GBASE-T, 5GBASE-T, 2.5GBASE-T, 1000BASE-T, and 100BASE-T output
• IEEE 802.3-2012 compliant auto-negotiation for plug-and-play compatibility
• Supports full KR (with auto-negotiation), XFI, USXGMII, 2500BASE-X, and SGMII input
• Configurable for KR/XFI in 10G, 2500BASE-X in 2.5G, SGMII in 1G/100M, or all rates via USXGMII
• Addresses the signal density limitation of 3U VPX connectors for external high-speed Ethernet

The ECM-9958 is particularly valuable for architectures connecting VPX payload cards to external C2 systems, data recorders, or test equipment — anywhere you need more than a few inches of cable between your VPX system and the outside world.

SUR-853: Simplifying SOSA System Maintenance and Debug Access

SOSA-aligned VPX systems present a unique maintenance challenge: every slot can have its own JTAG chain, serial debug ports, SPI interfaces, and GPIO connections — all routed through D38999 connectors on the front I/O panel. Managing dozens of maintenance ports across a multi-slot chassis quickly becomes a cabling challenge.

The Dawn SUR-853 SOSA USB to RS-232 Adapter (P/N 06-1020853) consolidates 8 serial/JTAG/SPI/I²C/GPIO ports into a single USB2 connection — and because it’s stackable, you can chain multiple units to support 16, 24, or more ports from a single USB hub.

SUR-853 Technical Specifications

• Consolidates 8 serial/maintenance ports to 1 USB2 port
• Supported types: RS-232 (CMOS and standard), I²C, JTAG, SPI, RS-485 (limited), and GPIO
• Stackable design: chain units to support 16, 24, or more ports
• USB2 input and USB2 output ports for daisy-chain expansion
• Interfaces via standard SOSA D38999 connectors — no custom cabling required
• Access all JTAG and serial maintenance ports through a single USB connection

For system integrators managing complex SOSA deployments, the SUR-853 dramatically reduces the cables and adapters required for routine maintenance, JTAG programming, and debug access — all while staying fully compliant with SOSA connector standards.

Why Defense and Aerospace Programs Choose Dawn VME Products

Founded in 1985, Dawn VME Products brings nearly four decades of focused expertise in VITA and PICMG architectures. That depth of experience translates into products that work the first time and an engineering team that understands the pressures of defense program timelines.

• Industry leadership in VITA 62 VPX power supplies
• Full product line from power to enclosures to accessories — single-vendor simplicity
• Both standard and custom product paths available
• Commercial to full military rugged conduction-cooled configurations
• Proven across military, aerospace, medical, telecom, and research programs
• 42,000 sq. ft. U.S.-based design and manufacturing in Fremont, CA