Southco Asia Ltd., a subsidiary of Southco Inc., a leading global provider of engineered access solutions such as locks, latches, captive fasteners, electronic access solutions and hinges/ positioning technology, has expanded its line of industry-recognized electronics solutions with a new P7 Inject/Eject Handle Set designed for full size AMC (Advanced Mezzanine Cards) carriers with hot swap function protection for AdvancedTCA? (ATCA) applications.

　　Southco’s new P7 Inject/Eject Handle Set is a complete solution including upper and lower latches and a switch arm, designed to mount to a faceplate accessible from the front of a system, allowing hot swap functionality. Hot swappable systems are crucial in managing the safety of stored data; if one system is down and running without a backup, the data is at risk until maintenance can restore redundancy.

　　Ejector systems like Southco’s P7 series provide the correct amount of “wipe” by ensuring that board connectors interface properly with the backplane of the shelf. When the P7 lever is released, a signal is sent by the integral micro-switch, which in turn releases that data successfully to a redundant line card, allowing the faulty card to be serviced or swapped out.

　　Southco is the leading supplier of front panel hardware with expertise in the functionality, flexibility, ergonomics and technicalities of PICMG standards affecting AdvancedTCA? (ATCA), AdvancedMC? (AMC), and MicroTCA?. As a member of PICMG, Southco has developed a full range of products including ejector handles, alignment/keying blocks and captive retention screws in accordance with their standards.

　　Global Product Manager Jim Grady adds, “The P7 Inject/Eject Handle Set is a complete solution providing hot swap function protection, ensuring communication with application servers to avoid interruption when carriers holding AMC modules are removed for service.”

　　P7 Inject/Eject Mechanisms

　　About Southco

　　Southco, Inc. is the leading global designer and manufacturer of engineered access solutions. From quality and performance to aesthetics and ergonomics, we understand that first impressions are lasting impressions in product design. For over 70 years, Southco has helped the world’s most recognized brands create value for their customers with innovative access solutions designed to enhance the touch points of their products in transportation and industrial applications, medical equipment, data centers and more. With unrivalled engineering resources, innovative products and a dedicated global team, Southco delivers the broadest portfolio of premium access solutions available to equipment designers throughout the world.