Airflow Sensors for Thermal Test Fixtures

April 7, 2021 | Posted By: Jan Fischer
Airflow sensors for test fixtures and the open compute project

The Open Compute Project NIC 3.0 standard simplifies the installation of network interface cards in servers such that any OCP NIC 3.0 card works in any OCP NIC 3.0 server. The standard includes details for the thermal test fixtures which test the cooling capability of OCP NIC 3.0 cards in measured airflow. Degree Controls has the purpose-built airflow sensors that are to be located on the thermal test fixture PCBs, next to the OCP NIC 3.0 connectors, to measure local inlet velocity to OCP NIC 3.0 cards for hot aisle cooling.

The UAS1000 EF (Electronics Focused) sensor is part of DegreeC’s UAS1000 line of precise, easy-placement air velocity and temperature sensors. With the convenience of USB connectivity, airflow sensors connect directly to a °C Port multi-channel data acquisition instrument or a PC. You can plug and play up to 36 sensors with a °C Port3600, or connect multiple °C Ports together to obtain up to 200 data points. For smaller-scale applications, our °C Port1200 provides 12 sensor channels.

The compact EF sensor head uses a thin, flat cable that exits the sensor body at a right-angle, providing maximum positioning flexibility in printed circuit board applications. Air velocity and air temperature are measured simultaneously, and the UAS1000 EF provides real-time feedback, identifying changes in airflow as they occur. UAS1000 EF sensors are capable of measuring velocity with ± 3% accuracy.

Test fixture measured with airflow sensor as part of open compute project.
Degree Controls offers alternative sensor head styles including board mount, low profile (LP), and extra small blade (XS) for testing cooling capability of NICs and other cards.

To purchase UAS1000 EF airflow sensors for your thermal test fixture PCBs, visit our webstore, or contact a DegreeC representative. 

About the Author

Jan Fischer

Having joined DegreeC in 2009, Jan has over a decade of experience consulting professionals in a wide range of industries on methods for using airflow sensors and instrumentation to collect data for testing and analysis.

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