Editing Eurocard (printed circuit board) (section)

== Standards and architecture ==
The Eurocard mechanical architecture was defined originally under [[19-inch rack|IEC-60297-3]]. Today, the most widely recognized standards for this mechanical structure are [[Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers|IEEE]] 1101.1, IEEE 1101.10 (also known commonly as "dot ten") and IEEE 1101.11. IEEE 1101.10 covers the additional mechanical and [[electromagnetic interference]] features required for [[VMEbus International Trade Association|VITA]] 1.1-1997(R2002), which is the VME64 Extensions standard, as well as [[PICMG]] 2.0 (R3.0), which is the [[CompactPCI]] specification.

The IEEE 1101.11 standard covers rear plug-in units that are also called [[rear transition module]]s or RTMs.

The Eurocard is a mechanical system and does not define the specific connector to be used or the signals that are assigned to connector contacts.

The connector systems that are commonly used with Eurocard architectures include the original [[DIN 41612]] connector that is also standardized as IEC 60603.2. This is the connector that is used for the [[VMEbus]] standard, which was IEEE 1014. The connector known as the 5-row DIN, which is used for the VME64 Extensions standard is IEC 61076-4-113. The VME64 Extension architecture defined by VITA 1.1-1997 (R2002).

Another popular computer architecture that utilizes the 6U-160 Eurocard is [[CompactPCI]] and [[CompactPCI Express]]. These are defined by PICMG 2.0R3 and PICMG Exp0 R1 respectively. Other computer architectures that utilize the Eurocard system are [[VME eXtensions for Instrumentation]] (VXI), [[PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation]] (PXI), and [[PXI Express]].

A computer architecture that used the 6U-220 Eurocard format was [[Multibus|Multibus-II]], which was IEEE 1296.

Because the Eurocard system provided for so many modular card sizes and because connector manufacturers have continued to create new connectors that are compatible with this system, it is a popular mechanical standard that is also used for innumerable "one-off" applications.

Conduction-cooled Eurocards are used in military and aerospace applications.  They are defined by the IEEE 1101.2-1992 (2001) standard.

The Eurocard standard is also the basis of the "[[Eurorack]]" format for [[modular synthesizer|modular electronic music synthesizers]], popularized by [[Doepfer]] and other manufacturers.