Backplanes

The Dependable Choice for PCBs.

Backplanes are a group of linked electrical connectors that join printed circuit boards together to make a computer system. Backplanes contain connection slots for expansion cards and can use printed circuit boards or be wire-wrapped.

There are two different types of backplane systems, active and passive. Active backplanes have slots and circuitry to control communication between the slots. Passive backplanes only have bus connectors with very little or no additional circuitry and the communication between the slots is handled by one or more of the expansion boards that are connected to the backplane.

Traditionally, most PCs have active backplanes and they are also used in disc arrays and disc enclosures for power disc drives. Backplanes are preferred over cables because there is no flexing, as with cables, that can degrade the connection over time.