News date: 18/06/2007
ESFP Electrical Small form Factor Pluggable module
From the idea to the product: ESFP Electrical Small form Factor Pluggable module

Cornate d’Adda, June 2007 – Compel Electronics Spa, www.compel.it, a leading international company in the design and manufacture of interconnection systems and cable assemblies, is pleased to present an ESFP (Electrical Small form Factor Pluggable) module.

The device creates a programmable electrical interface, STM1 of a pluggable type, which is completely interchangeable with similar optical devices. The module includes, in the tiny space available, a CMI coder and decoder, a circuit for automatic synchronisation, a circuit giving protection from ESD electrostatic discharges and an EEPROM memory for the identification / features of the module.

Technical Information

Its great versatility, flexibility and reliability, in addition to its reduced cost, make the ESFP module a serious alternative to the optical modules for “intra office” applications.

In addition to the SDH-level line functionalities (bit rate at 155,520 Mbps), the versatility of the new

transceiver also allows the integration of a series of I/O applications.

Thanks to its flexibility, the ESFP module is extremely economical both for applications on mixed optical/electrical boards and also on boards where a high number (>8) of SDH or PDH channels are required, without, however, having to pay extra costs to have it, even in cases of under-equipping (the concept of pay per use).

A set of functionalities with high reliability that, apart from carrying out the task of handling the flow of data, also performs the functions of monitoring the signals and sensing of alarms (LOS: Loss of Signal).

Main features

• Mechanical features in line with the SFP “Multisource Agreement” specifications of optical modules


• Coax connectors for the transmission and receiving of the SDH line signal


• 20-pin connector for handling the signals from/to the motherboard


• Isolation and protection of the input and output circuits from electrostatic discharges


• Equalisation of the CMI input signal


• Extraction of the timing by means of CDR from the input data flow.


• Encoding and decoding of the CMI data flow


• Sensing of the line alarm LOS (Loss Of Signal)


• Driver for handling the CMI output signal


• Oscillator for the automatic synchronisation for SDH applications