On Feb 18th, 2020, Avnet announced the availability of an Industrial-temperature grade Ultra96-V2.
This was something we hinted at last year when Ultra96-V2 was first released. This was mentioned again in ctammann's blog that discussed a new heatsink design for Ultra96-V2:
Thermal relief is critical - design example around Ultra96-V2
I wanted to share a few more details about Ultra96-V2 to go along with this press release.
Supported Temperature Range
| Product | Part Number | Temperature Range |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra96-V1 | AES-ULTRA96-G | none specified |
| Ultra96-V2 C-grade | AES-ULTRA96-V2-G | 0C to +60C |
| Ultra96-V2 I-grade | AES-ULTRA96-V2-I-G | -40C* to +85C |
* There are two exceptions to the -40C rating on the Ultra96-V2 I-grade, which are:
- J2, TE Connectivity microSD Card Cage, 2201778-1 (rated -30C to +85C)
- J10, CUI Barrel Jack, PJ1-021-SMT-TR (rated -25C to +85C)
Both of these devices have spring-type mechanisms inside them that can become brittle at very cold temperatures. If the mechanism is exercised at extremely cold temperatures, the mechanism could break. Avnet did test the Ultra96-V2 to the full -40C temperature; however, we did not insert/remove either the power jack or microSD card at -40C. These items were inserted at room temperature, after which the entire Device Under Test was placed in a thermal chamber and then soaked to -40C. Under these conditions, the board passed all of our testing, and the hardware was not damaged.
If you need an Ultra96-V2 where the power jack or microSD card must be removed or inserted at -40C, Avnet has researched options that will work, but it requires small modifications to the PCB. If this is something you are interested in pursuing, please discuss with your local Avnet FAE or contact customize@avnet.com.
External Airflow
The Aavid Heatsink does not have an attached fan. It is passive. The heatsink spans the entire board and is extremely efficient at pulling heat away from the entire board -- especially the ZU+ MPSoC and the three Pmics. When we initially experimented with this board on a benchtop with a few moderately intensive designs, the heatsink did not get hot to the touch even without airflow. However, when we tested the I-grade design at +85C in the thermal chamber, we implemented airflow within the chamber at a rate of 6.8 m/sec. While running a design that was very intensive in PL usage and Clock Frequency, we used the Vivado HW manager to ensure the MPSoC Tj did not exceed 97C, which gave us a few degrees margin compared to the 100C Tj specification.
Given the flexibility of the Xilinx ZU+ PL, every design is different and must be analyzed once the final application is developed. When Ultra96-V2 is mounted in an enclosure or used in a system design, it is expected that the system designer account for an appropriate amount of system-level airflow that keeps the MPSoC Tj within the bounds of the device.
While you should typically not have any issues running Ultra96-V2 on a bench with the new heatsink without airflow, this may not always be the case. If you run a PL- and Clock-intensive design, you may see the heatsink temperature rise 20 or 30 degrees above ambient. You will not want to touch the heatsink at this temperature. You should use caution and perhaps apply a small desktop fan which will bring the heatsink back within 5 to 10 degrees of ambient. You may also chose to wire a fan into the Ultra96-V2 as the board still provides access to a DC voltage to run a fan (controlled by signal FAN_PWM, default = 5V with 3.3V and Vin options. See Sheet 9 of Schematics). One user has reported successfully using a small 5V Raspberry Pi fan, wired to the Ultra96-V2 fan connections and then placed on the heatsink fins to keep the heatsink cool to the touch.
Mounting the Ultra96-V2
Both the bracket/fan assembly and the new Aavid heatsink have mounting options so the Ultra96-V2 can be secured to a bulkhead. However, note that the screw size on the Aavid heatsink is different than the previous bracket/fan.
| Heat dissipation | PCB Mount | Enclosure/Bulkhead Mount |
|---|---|---|
| Ultra96-V1 and -V2 bracket fan | 4x M2.5 x 8mm screw (included) | 4x #4-40 screw (not included, length based on application) |
| Ultra96-V2 Aavid heatsink | 4x M2.5 x 8mm screw (included) | 4x M2.5 screw (not included, length based on application) |
Industrial Components
Most components on the Ultra96-V2 C-grade are already industrial-temperature rated. There are two key differences between the C-grade (AES-ULTRA96-V2-G) and I-grade (AES-ULTRA96-V2-I-G):
- Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC device
- C-grade uses XCZU3EG-1SBVA484E
- I-grade uses XCZU3EG-1SBVA484I
- Delkin Devices 16GB microSD card
- C-grade uses Utility Family device S416APG49-U3000-3
- I-grade uses Utility+ Family S316APG49-U3000-3
You probably suspected the need for an I-grade Xilinx device. Since the microSD card contains our boot files and Linux file system, it is also critical that we have an I-grade option there as well. The Delkin Utility and Utility+ lines are both MLC technology cards, but the Utility+ line gets us to the full -40C to +85C range. To read more about SD Card technology, you can read this previously published blog:
Storage Insights #1 - Why Not All SD Cards are Created Equal
Available Now
As of today (19 Feb 2020), the AES-ULTRA96-V2-I-G is in stock at avnet.com and will soon be in stock through the button below with Farnell/Newark
Buy Ultra96-V2 I-gradeBuy Ultra96-V2 I-grade
Buy Ultra96-V2 C-gradeBuy Ultra96-V2 C-grade
