Mechanical Considerations

Power dissipated on the RMC will affect and be affected by the power dissipated on the sbRIO device. You must provide serious consideration to the thermal performance of both the RMC and sbRIO device to ensure that your applications meets component specifications. Refer to the CompactRIO Single-Board Controller with NI-DAQmx Hardware Installation Manual on ni.com/manuals for more information about validating the thermal performance of the sbRIO device. The following recommendations may increase the thermal performance of the system:

• Spread high-power dissipating components across the surface of the printed circuit board rather than placing them in close proximity to each other.
• Place high-power dissipating components on the side of the board opposite the RMC connector.
• Minimize the amount of dissipation by the RMC in the area directly underneath the sbRIO device as this will greatly influence the sbRIO device secondary side local ambient temperature.
• Design and validate a thermal solution for the high-power dissipating components of your RMC.

When deploying in environments that could experience high levels of shock or vibration, the following recommendations may increase the robustness of the system:

• Use a printed circuit board at least 2 mm (0.79 in.) thick.
• Use positive locking connectors with thru-hole technology and the greatest practical amount of gold plating on contacts.
• Design mechanical features for strain relief and retention of connectors and cables.