Description: The backplane represents the breadboard analog. It consists of two (2) rows of eleven (11) columns. Each column contains five (5) connections on a common manifold. The connections are all equipped with a "quick connect" device with integral valves. Components are attached to the backplane by either bridging columns or bridging the rows. The manifolds are used to physically connect between components.

The quick connects are from the HFC 35 series of Colder Products Company (CPC) and are temperature and pressure rated -40C - 138C and vacuum - 125 psi respectively. They were selected for their temperature and pressure suitability, their light weight and the ease with which they can be connected and disconnected.

The manifolds were made using Tygon Versa Links SPX-70-IB tubing, Kynar tees and elbows, and the joints were secured with "Gator Clips." The tubing and fittings were also selected for their temperature and pressure properties. The breadboard connections were installed on 5 inch centers with a 10 inch space between the two manifold rows. Lee Rowan/Dorfile, single-track shelf standards were fastened vertically to the panel fronts to provide flexible support for heavy components and to add rigidity to the lightweight aluminum panels. Additional aluminum angle was added to provide attachment points and additional rigidity to the panels.

The panel/connector/manifold systems were custom fabricated and assembled by the systems division of the Wilson Company in Addison Texas. The panels were then mounted on portable frames that were fabricated and assembled on site at the University of Texas at Tyler. The panels are mounted in a back-to-back arrangement with two panels per frame.

Assembled and mounted backplane panels represent the single most expensive component in the breadboard system, but there are no specific associated costs that a design team must account for in their design cost analysis since this is the common component in all design solutions.

Although CAD models for the panels and support frames were developed for fabrication purposes, only the backplane subassembly is used for student system design and the backplane is used as the template for all solid model, process control assemblies

Documentation Files: Original Backplane Fabrication Drawings B-sheets
                                    Modified Backplane Assembly Drawings A-sheets
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