Abaco Systems / VMIC VMIVME-5588-200 High-Speed Fiber-Optic 1.2 Gbaud Reflective Memory with Interrupts

The Abaco Systems / VMIC VMIVME-5588-200 is a high-speed fiber-optic reflective memory board for VMEbus systems operating at 1.2 Gbaud. It enables real-time data sharing and inter-processor communication across networked nodes with software-transparent transfers and zero I/O overhead.

Technical Specifications

• Form Factor: Two-slot 6U VMEbus board


• Serial Data Rate: 1.2 Gbaud


• Maximum Data Transfer Rate: 29.5 Mbyte/s (standard); 14.8 Mbyte/s (redundant transfer mode)


• Network Capacity: Up to 256 independent nodes


• Inter-Node Distance: 1,000 ft (304.8 m) multimode fiber; 10 km single-mode fiber; 30 m (98.4 ft) twinax cable


• On-Board Memory: Configurable SRAM or SDRAM, 256 Kbyte to 16 Mbyte


• VMEbus Interface: A24:A32:D32:D16:D8 memory access; 200 ns Write (20 Mbyte/s); 320 ns Read best-case (12.5 Mbyte/s); 520 ns Read worst-case (7.7 Mbyte/s)


• Interrupt Levels: Three user-definable levels


• Node Identification: 0–255 via jumper configuration

Key Features

• Reflective Memory Protocol: Writes stored locally and broadcast to all nodes; reads execute locally at fast access times


• Interrupt Architecture: Any node can interrupt any other node or all nodes simultaneously; interrupts follow data to guarantee reception before acknowledgment


• Error Detection & Redundancy: Full error detection on received data; redundant transfer mode transmits each transfer twice with error detection fallback (bit error probability 1.64 × 10⁻²⁰ for both redundant transfers)


• Buffering: Transmit and Receive FIFOs optimize peak-rate throughput


• Software Transparency: Data transfer requires no I/O overhead; compatible with VMIVME-5578


• External Interface: Software-addressable digital output bit for equipment control


• DMA Support: Available on VMIVME-5588DMA variant only; original VMIVME-5588 does not include DMA

Compatibility & Integration Supported by VMIVME/SW-RFM1 Network and Shared Memory Driver across VMIVME-5550, -5576, -5588, and -5588DMA modules. Device driver support includes Windows NT deployments with GE Fanuc VMEbus CPU boards.