Emerson / Heurikon Nitro60 VME CPU Board

The Emerson / Heurikon Nitro60 is a VMEbus single-board computer engineered for real-time industrial and embedded applications demanding high performance. Built around the Motorola MC68060 processor running at 50 MHz with superscalar architecture and dual 4-stage integer pipelines, the Nitro60 delivers multiprocessing capability for video-on-demand, machine vision, simulation, and communication systems. The board integrates VME64 architecture with 64-bit data paths and 32-bit addressing, front-panel serial I/O, fast and wide SCSI II, and on-card Ethernet for DMA-supported I/O operations. Additional serial channels are available through the Motorola MC68360 Quad Integrated Communication Controller routed via the VME P2 connector. A Corebus expansion bus provides module customization options. The Nitro60 supports real-time operating systems including VxWorks and OS-9, making it suitable for legacy and modern system integration.

## Technical Specifications

• **Processor:** Motorola MC68060 at 50 MHz
• **Architecture:** Superscalar with dual 4-stage integer pipelines
• **Bus Interface:** VMEbus, VME64 with 64-bit data path and 32-bit addressing
• **Expansion Bus:** Corebus
• **Memory Support:** Up to 16 Gbytes DRAM with in-band error correction
• **I/O:** Front-panel serial ports, fast and wide SCSI II, on-card Ethernet, up to seven additional serial channels via MC68360 QUICC, four QUICC multi-protocol serial ports via VME P2 connector
• **DMA:** High-performance DMA-supported I/O

## Key Features

• Two front-panel console serial ports for direct system access
• Motorola MC68360 QUICC providing multi-protocol serial communication
• Fast and wide SCSI II for high-speed storage connectivity
• On-card Ethernet for network integration
• VME P2 connector routing for extended serial I/O
• In-band error correction for memory reliability

## Typical Applications

• Video-on-demand systems
• Machine vision and imaging
• Real-time simulation
• Industrial communication systems

## Compatibility & Integration

The Nitro60 integrates with VxWorks and OS-9 real-time operating systems. The Nitro40 (MC68040-based variant) maintains full compatibility. VME architecture enables integration into legacy infrastructure while supporting modern applications.