New 100Gb Test Platform Facilitates System Development For VPX, OpenVPX and SOSA Aligned Payloads

March 2025 – Jeffersonville, PA – LCR Embedded Systems, a leader in rugged integrated systems and enclosures for applications in air, land and sea equipment, has released the next generation of its popular DK3 VPX Development Platform. The new DK3HS-4 is 4-slot system that supports 100Gb data rates (25Gb per lane) and is currently available for order.

As the demand for high performance systems in EW, RF, SIGINT and radar applications continues to grow, LCR continues to deliver development chassis that keep pace. The new development platform is more compact and lighter weight than other DK3 models, but just as cost-effective. It is ideal for test and integration of new and emerging 3U VPX, OpenVPX and SOSA aligned plug in cards in systems with lower slot counts.

The DK3HS-4 backplane supports high speed 100GBASE-KR4 and PCIe Gen 4/Gen 5 protocols widely used in these open standards-based applications, which fall under the MOSA initiative mandated by the DoD. The open frame benchtop chassis weighs just 16 lbs and is available with a standard 4-slot power and ground backplane. It enables easy access for Meritec cabling, so system designers can quickly establish the data flows and backplane profile necessary for system integration. The DK3HS-4 is also available with custom routed backplanes.

The standard backplane has two fully populated slots and two slots with VITA 67 full width apertures for any connector type required. Apertures allow installation of VITA 66 and 67 connectors for plug-in cards with optical and RF connectivity. For additional I/O options, the DK3HS-4 has an open access 4-slot rear transition area. Card slots are configurable and can be quickly adapted to accept conduction-cooled VITA 48.2 or air-cooled plug-in cards on a slot-by-slot basis. High speed fans keep high power cards cool during functional testing.

“With the arrival of 100Gb data rates in VPX systems and the success of our DK3 chassis, LCR remains the trusted partner for customers advancing toward higher-performance development systems. The DK3HS-4 optimizes SWaP, while preserving the key advantages of the DK3 series, including the 25Gb per lane backplane data rate capability. This ensures seamless integration for systems leveraging current SOSA aligned plug-in cards,” said Shan Morgan, President of LCR Embedded.