Speakers
Description
Ground based astronomical observatories often require electrical equipment to reside out in the open air close to the telescope and instrument optics. The telescope and instrument optics are extremely sensitive to air currents caused by the warm electronics operating in domes open to the cool night air. In order to avoid these air currents the ANU in collaboration with ESO has undertaken to develop a MTCA.4 compliant conduction cooled image sensor controller capable of operating visible and infra-red CMOS detectors as well as CCDs for astronomical applications.
ESO are in the process of developing a MTCA.4 air cooled detector controller to replace the very successful ESO NGC. The conduction cooled MTCA.4 controller under development at the ANU will be highly compatible with the air cooled MTCA.4 system developed by ESO, allowing both systems to use the same AMC and RTM modules, thus ruling out the option of using the conduction cooled MTCA.3 system that is currently included in the MTCA standard.
We present a preliminary design for a 6 slot, 3RU water cooled housing capable of supporting six MTCA.4 modules enclosed within clamshells, along with the implications of this configuration on the high-speed backplane and the associated challenges.
