Deggendorf June 30, 2005 - XTX expands the ETX® standard with PCI Express, Serial ATA and more. The extremely high data rate of 2.5 GBit/s per lane of PCI Express is very demanding on signal transmission quality. This means that the Hirose FX8 connector becomes a critical item when ensuring signal transmission quality. For this reason a complex high-speed simulation model has been created in order to validate that the Hirose FX8 connector used on the XTX form factor is capable of carrying these signals while maintaining signal transmission quality.
This simulation model used included the complete signal pathway originating from the chipset, through the Hirose FX8 connector and all the way to the PCI Express device located on the custom specific baseboard. The use of Express Cards and PCI Express slot expansions was also included in the simulation model. This simulation model was designed to test the Hirose FX8 connector, which is the most critical part, and is based on measurement results submitted by Hirose.
Using this highly competent simulation model has proven that the high-speed transmission rate of PCI Express can be maintained over a signal length of more then 10 inches on a custom baseboard.
These results confirm that XTX is capable of implementing PCI Express. Detailed results of this simulation will be documented in the XTX specification as well as the XTX design guide.
You can find the latest information about XTX by visiting www.xtx-standard.org
