Newest addition to the active extenders allows Hot Swapping for the PCI bus
with many other features, such as power-on reset, auxiliary connectors for
monitoring the bus with scopes or logic analyzers, current-to-voltage
converter for measuring current consumption without having to break the
voltage path, ability to isolate bus signals for trouble shooting bus
related problems and over current protection with LED indicators for all
voltages to warn for any power related problems.

This new extender board, with all it's features, is designed on an
eight-layer board with the height of less than two inches, providing solid
ground plane next to each signal layer, insuring the best signal integrity
and the most effective power distribution to satisfy the demanding PCI
requirements of having to interface to a high speed bus with multiple
power sources.

San Jose, CA. March 4, 1994 -- Catalyst Enterprises, Inc. has developed a
new extender board compatible for 32-bit PCI bus, supporting +5V and the
universal cards (PCI-532) or +3.3V and the universal cards (PCI-332). This
new extender board allows Hot Swapping of Board-Under-Test without having
to turn the system on and off and rebooting the system software. This
feature speeds up rework, characterization and the test of the
Board-Under-Test in the development phase as well as in production, and at
the same time prevents the repeated power cycling of the main system
therefore prolonging the system life.

The ACTIVE EXTENDER, PCI-X32 uses a new technology known as "Quick Switch".
This technology enables the board to cover the entire address range and
support the DMA operation without requiring any software or switch setting
on the board. This technology also enables the signals to propagate from
the system bus to the Board-Under-Test in less than 500 pico-seconds,
making virtually no degradation to the bus timing between the system
mother board and the Board-Under-Test. The PCI-X32 active extender board
is designed on an eight-layer board with the height of less than 2 inches
(to be in compliance with the PCI local bus Specification revision 2.0)
providing a solid ground plane next to each signal layer insuring the best
signal integrity and the most effective power distribution from the bus to
the BUT for this multi-power high speed application.

This extender board isolates all signals and voltages to the
Board-Under-Test when the On-Off switch is turned to the Off position. All
voltages are ramped down and ramped up in order not to cause any spikes.
All signals are kept isolated from the Board-Under-Test during the ramp
down and ramp up until the main +5V is at least at 90% level or above. The
On-Off switch and the signal isolation bank switch can also be over-ridden
by an external TTL I/O port.

Safer operation can be assured using the ACTIVE EXTENDER, PCI-X32. This
extender board has automatically-resetable fuses for +12V, -12V, +VIO and
+3.3V and current limiting circuitry for the +5V between the
Board-Under-Test and the system motherboard, preventing the system bus
from being damaged in case of a short on the Board-Under-Test. In case of
any short on the BUT, the appropriate circuitry limits the current and
illuminates a corresponding red LED to indicate that current limiting has
been reached due to a short on the BUT.

The PCI EXTENDER is designed to be more than just an extender board. In
addition to all the above features, this board has an on-board current to
voltage converter for the +5V supply. This circuitry allows the +5V
current to be measured, using just a voltmeter at a two point terminal
without having to break the voltage path. Every Volt read by the voltmeter
represents one Amp of current consumption for the +5V supply.

For debugging of the Board-Under-Test using a scope, or capturing the bus
protocol using a logic analyzer, all bus signals are brought out to
standard post terminals at the top of the extender board, easily
accessible for interconnection to the scope or logic analyzer probes.

For Boards-Under-Test requiring voltage margin testing, the ACTIVE
EXTENDER, PCI-X32 allows switching the incoming voltages to be from an
external power supply instead of the system bus. All modes of operation
including current limiting, voltage ramp up and ramp down are still
supported in this mode.

Single unit price for PCI-X32 is $395 and the delivery is from stock. Other
Active Extenders supporting VME bus, ISA bus and ETSA bus are also
available from Catalyst Enterprises, Inc.

Catalyst Enterprises Inc
1439 Torrington Ct
San Jose, CA 95120
408-268-4145,  fax 408-268-8280

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