Modular backplane

Abstract

The process of prototyping circuits such as a backplane or a circuit board has been modularized for achieving marked reductions in costs, time, and construction errors. Rather than repeating the recurring tasks, such as making bus connections between different circuit boards, of the prototyping process, the present invention implements a plurality of modules which can be separably coupled into an assembly having a planar arrangement for prototyping circuits, where each module specializes in a particular task. In the preferred embodiment, the plurality of modules includes a data bus module, a switchable data bus module, a power bus module, and a wire-wrap module. Each one of the plurality of modules includes a coupling face configured for coupling to one or more circuit boards. Since the assembly is constructed by simply coupling one or more modules to one another, the present invention facilitates rapid and cost-effective prototyping of a variety of backplanes as well as facilitates reuse of the assembly in multiple prototyping processes by simply separating the one or more modules from one another. Moreover, the bus modules are internally configured to couple one or more circuit boards together, thus substantially lowering the need for wire-wrapping. Hence, the construction errors associated with wire-wrapping are substantially reduced, leading to quality improvements.