ept equips adp MERKUR with high-high-speed connector
for mini-PCs
ept GmbH equips adp MERKUR with high-high-speed connector for the adp Mini-PC
Since its founding in 1957, the Gauselmann Group has developed into a major international conglomerate with approximately 14,000 employees worldwide and annual revenue exceeding 3 billion euros. The company’s core competencies lie in the development of gaming software and the manufacture of slot machines. The subsidiary adp MERKUR GmbH handles the development, production, and distribution of games and slot machines.
One PC, endless possibilities
For use in its slot machines, adp MERKUR developed the “adp Mini-PC,” a control unit designed specifically for applications with low power requirements. The focus is on terminal solutions and products related to youth protection. The SMARC standard used allows the CPU’s performance to be scaled and thus adapted to specific requirements.
Modularity for scalability
With the development of its mini-PC, adp MERKUR is fully in line with the current trend toward modularization. This is because a modular design of the control unit was necessary to scale the CPU’s performance class and the range of functions depending on the application. The foundation of the adp mini-PC is a carrier board developed in-house by adp MERKUR, which includes all standard PC interfaces such as DisplayPort, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, and Ethernet. With these interfaces, the carrier board is in no way inferior to an industrial PC, allowing it to be deployed in large quantities across various locations without the need to maintain different configuration variants. A multifunction interface also allows the functionality to be expanded via plug-in modules. To this end, it features various high-speed interfaces such as PCIe 3.0 and USB, as well as various I/Os, UARTs, and the corresponding operating voltages. It is used, for example, in Wi-Fi extensions, memory interfaces, or for adaptation to existing wiring harnesses.
Adaptability and Sustainability
Before developing the mini-PC, adp MERKUR used off-the-shelf consumer box PCs. However, these had significant limitations in terms of lifespan and adaptability, making an in-house development absolutely necessary. The adp mini-PC also ensured that it was customized to meet adp MERKUR’s specific requirements. A particular advantage lies in the sustainability of the new solution: returned units do not need to be disposed of but can be reused in other applications.
Here is the statement from adp Merkur.
“Our collaboration has always been fast, direct, and constructive. The direct support makes development—and problem-solving—efficient.”
– Daniel Marsch, Development Team Leader at adp MERKUR –
– Daniel Marsch, Development Team Leader at adp MERKUR –
Requirements for the connector
However, adaptability and reusability place special demands on the connector designed to connect the carrier board and the plug-in module. One requirement was suitability for high-speed applications involving data rates of 16 Gbit/s and higher. However, due to the need to swap out modules, the connector must also be particularly durable so that it remains a fail-safe connection solution even after repeated plugging and unplugging. Furthermore, it was crucial for adp MERKUR that the connector could also be soldered to the underside of the printed circuit board and would not detach from it during the so-called “overhead soldering” process, i.e., the reflow soldering process. Another important aspect was the connector’s resistance to twisting during insertion to ensure a reliable connection and prevent the connector from being damaged during installation.
The solution: Zero8
Data rate, ruggedness, quality, and twist resistance—requirements that the Zero8 connector meets. It is considered the all-rounder among ept connectors because, in addition to its high-speed capabilities and ruggedness, it also offers a wide variety of variants: This allowed adp MERKUR to choose between angled, straight, shielded, and unshielded connectors in various heights and numbers of positions. Ultimately, the company opted for the straight, 80-pin Zero8 connector, which enabled a “mezzanine connection” with a board-to-board distance of 10.5 to 12 mm. Additional shielding ensured optimal electromagnetic compatibility and thus an uninterrupted signal flow. For
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Zero8 »
more information about the product, click here:
Zero8 »
Reliable partners
The decision to source a connector from ept was an obvious one for adp MERKUR: The two companies have maintained a very trusting working relationship for many years. As a result, ept’s Zero8 made it onto the shortlist early on. The deciding factor, however, was ept’s guarantee that the connector would not fall off the printed circuit board even during over-molding: “You don’t get this guarantee from ANY other manufacturer—it’s exemplary!” agrees Daniel Marsch, team leader in the development department at adp MERKUR.
Other projects
Commitments such as these, along with personalized customer support, led adp MERKUR to carry out additional projects with ept beyond the adp Mini-PC. This is how the Zero8 came into play once again: A reliable connection solution was needed to link the control panel of the “Zonic” slot machine to the rest of the wiring harness. However, thanks to the positive experiences with ept and its Zero8, the search did not take long.