Eurocard

Eurocard may be:

Eurocard (printed circuit board)

Eurocard is a European standard format for PCB cards that can be plugged together into a standardized subrack. The subrack consists of a series of slotted card guides on the top and bottom, into which the cards are slid so they stand on end, like books on a shelf. At the "back" of each card is one or more connectors, which plug into mating connectors on a backplane that closes the rear of the subrack.

Dimensions

As the cards are assumed to be installed in a vertical orientation, the usual meanings of height and width are transposed: A card might be 233.35 mm "high", but only 20 mm "wide". Height is measured in rack units, "U", with 1 U being 1.75 in (44.45 mm). This dimension refers to the subrack in which the card is to be mounted, rather than the card itself.

Enclosure heights are multiples of 3U, with the cards always 33.35 mm (1.313 in) shorter than the enclosure. Two common heights are 3U (a 100 mm card in a 5.25 in (133.35 mm) subrack) and 6U (a 233.35 mm card in a 10.5 in (266.70 mm) high subrack). As two 3U cards are shorter than a 6U card (by 33.35 mm), it is possible to install two 3U cards in one slot of a 6U subrack, with a mid-height structure for proper support.

Eurocard (payment card)

Eurocard was a credit card, introduced in 1964 by a Swedish banker in the Wallenberg family as an alternative to American Express. In 1968 it signed a deal with Mastercard so that their cards were accepted by each others networks and this eventually led to a joint venture known as Maestro International in 1992 and merger in 2002. Its operations were relocated to Belgium in the late 1960s and the card became the dominant brand in North and Central Europe between 1970 and 2002. It was eventually replaced by the Mastercard brand in most locations, but its logo is still used in some countries.

History

In 1965, Eurocard International N.V. was established, based in Brussels, as a not-for-profit membership association of European banks. Its operational entity was established as European Payment System Services (EPSS). In 1968, Eurocard International and MasterCard International entered into a strategic alliance, in which both issuer's cards would be accepted on either network. This allowed MasterCard to get an instant European acceptance network, and Eurocard to get accepted worldwide. Eurocard International got the sole license to issue MasterCard cards in Europe.