Improving heat transfer in a VXI chassis using black body radiation techniques

As in any test system, cooling of the electronics is a major concern. In larger rack systems individual components are often separate 19" units (e.g., a signal generator, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, etc.). These modules tend to have low-density electronics with separate cooling systems. Vendors usually do a good job of ensuring that their boxes do not overheat. Density increases at a high rate as test stations are required to do more in smaller spaces (this trend is the same for almost all electronics). However, when the density increases (such as with VXI, VME, or compact PCI), the manufacturer cannot always control the cooling of their card. Heating from other cards, card placement, airflow in the cabinet, use of adapters, etc., all affect the cooling for a given card. The vendor, however, can only supply guidelines to the end user. It is up to the user to understand the cooling needs of the system as a whole. Proper cooling is extremely important and is not just a function of airflow to a given card. In fact, for dense electronics (conductive or convective), air cooling may not even be the primary mechanism for heat removal