S18: PCIe Gen3 x8 Fiber-Optic Extension System
The S18 extends a PCIe Gen3 x8 link (64 GT/s) over fiber-optic cables, so one PCIe add-in card can run up to 500 m from the host computer (single-mode fiber). No additional software or drivers are required. Any standard PCIe card can be used, including graphics, video capture, NVMe and SATA storage, USB, data-acquisition and network cards.
Features
- Backplane with one PCIe Gen3 x16 slot (x8 electrical)
- 64 GT/s over fiber: 8 PCIe Gen3 lanes at 8 GT/s each
- Optical isolation between host and target (with optical cables)
- Supports standard pluggable QSFP+ transceivers, active optical cables (AOCs) and direct-attach copper cables (DACs)
- Digital monitoring and diagnostics
- Backplane mounts in any standard ATX or microATX case
- Operating temperature: 0 °C to +75 °C
Cable Types and Lengths
Two cables, each carrying 4 PCIe Gen3 lanes:
- QSFP+ AOC: up to 100 m
- QSFP+ DAC: up to 7 m
- MPO/MTP multimode: up to 100 m (OM3), up to 150 m (OM4)
- LC-LC duplex (4 lanes optically multiplexed per cable):
- Multimode: up to 250 m (OM3), up to 350 m (OM4)
- Single-mode: up to 500 m
- Compatible with fiber-optic rotary joints (FORJ)
Throughput decreases as cable length increases. See the Adnacom PCIe Gen3 Performance Test (PDF) for measured results.
S18 System Includes
- H18A host adapter – 1 pc
- H18A target adapter – 1 pc
- R10 backplane – 1 pc
- LP-H18: low-profile bracket for H18A – 2 pcs
- QSFP+ transceivers or AOCs – optional
Ordering Information
For ordering information, visit the S18 order page.
Documentation
Software and API
CAD Models and Drawings
3D models and 2D drawings for system integration.


