In rugged embedded systems, space is always at a premium. Defense and aerospace designers, in particular, face the ongoing challenge of packing more processing power into tighter, lighter platforms without sacrificing reliability. Power supplies used to be treated as background hardware, but now they’re a big part of that equation.
Molex has extended its AirBorn VPX power supply family with the launch of a 3U VITA 62-compliant unit, a move that builds on its award-winning 6U platform but trims size for systems where every cubic centimeter counts.
Why 3U Matters
In VPX architectures, the difference between 6U and 3U is about more than slot size. A 6U board offers more real estate for power circuitry, thermal management, and redundancy. But as systems scale down—whether in unmanned aerial vehicles, compact radar systems, or portable defense electronics—engineers are increasingly designing around 3U modules.
That means they need the same performance and ruggedness of a 6U supply, delivered in a package half the height. It’s a balancing act: provide stable, filtered power across wide temperature ranges while staying within stringent SWaP (size, weight, and power) limits.
Rugged by Design
The new 3U VPX unit inherits design DNA from Molex’s earlier 6U AirBorn supply, already recognized in defense and aerospace circles for its robustness. By sticking with the VITA 62 standard, the supply can slot directly into OpenVPX systems, ensuring interoperability across multiple vendors and platforms.
Key design considerations include:
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High reliability filtering for sensitive embedded electronics.
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Thermal efficiency to operate across extended temperature ranges.
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Compact packaging to meet military and aerospace ruggedization requirements.
While the announcement highlights Molex’s role, the story fits into a wider trend: the ongoing miniaturization of military and industrial embedded computing, where every subsystem—from processors to power—has to do more with less.
Beyond Defense
Although VPX is best known in defense and aerospace, the 3U supply also has potential in industrial and transportation systems where modular rugged computing is gaining ground. Railway control, energy infrastructure, and autonomous industrial vehicles all benefit from compact, standards-based power modules.
The Bigger Picture
The debut of the 3U AirBorn power supply underscores how even the “invisible” parts of a system—the power bricks that feed the mission-critical electronics—are evolving alongside processors and sensors. As embedded platforms shrink and workloads expand, the demand for smaller, interoperable, and more efficient power solutions is only expected to grow.
