Shock and Vibration Standards Upon Transporting PXI in Rack

Issue Details

I'm looking to understand NI's standard process for validating a fully assembled racked system like ECUTS, specifically regarding vibration resistance. I know that individual PXI chassis and modules are tested to IEC 60068-2-64 standards and meet or exceed MIL-PRF-28800F, Class 3 requirements when not operating. However, I'm curious if similar vibration tests are done after these components are assembled together in a rack.

Solution

In general, we don’t perform full-system shock and vibration testing on our racked solutions. 

Our focus has mainly been on validating the packaging used for shipping. For example, with the ATE CC Gen1 system, we conducted selected tests from the ISTA 2B standard using a fully loaded rack. This helped us assess both the packaging and the durability of the rack-mounted equipment during transit. Based on the shock levels recorded inside the rack during these tests, we were able to confidently test individual components under similar conditions.

The NI Packaging team has established procedures for designing packaging that reduces stress on the rack during shipping and has defined acceptable shock thresholds. For the most current details, I recommend reaching out to the Packaging team.