Riser card
Encyclopedia
A riser card is a printed circuit board
that picks up a multitude of signal lines (often bused
) via a single connector (usually an edge connector
) on a mainboard and distributes them via dedicated connectors on the card.
Riser cards are often used to allow adding expansion card
s to a system enclosed in a low-profile case where the height of the case doesn't allow for a perpendicular placement of the full-height expansion card.
A riser card is a board that plugs in to the system board and provides additional slots
for adapter cards.
Because it rises above the system board, it enables you to connect additional adapters to
the system in an orientation that is parallel to the system board and save space within the system case.
Printed circuit board
A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
that picks up a multitude of signal lines (often bused
Electrical bus
Electric bus is a bus powered by electric energy. "Electric bus" can also refer to:* Bus , used for connecting components of a computer or communication between computers* Busbars, thick conductors acting as nodes in electrical substations...
) via a single connector (usually an edge connector
Edge connector
An edge connector is the portion of a printed circuit board consisting of traces leading to the edge of the board that are intended to plug into a matching socket. The edge connector is a money-saving device because it only requires a single discrete female connector , and they also tend to be...
) on a mainboard and distributes them via dedicated connectors on the card.
Riser cards are often used to allow adding expansion card
Expansion card
The expansion card in computing is a printed circuit board that can be inserted into an expansion slot of a computer motherboard or backplane to add functionality to a computer system via the expansion bus.One edge of the expansion card holds the contacts that fit exactly into the slot...
s to a system enclosed in a low-profile case where the height of the case doesn't allow for a perpendicular placement of the full-height expansion card.
A riser card is a board that plugs in to the system board and provides additional slots
Slots
Slots may refer to:* Jørgen Slots, a leading Danish periodontist currently on faculty at USC Dental School* Slot machine* Leading edge slots aerodynamic devices on an aircraft leading edgeFor further meanings see slot...
for adapter cards.
Because it rises above the system board, it enables you to connect additional adapters to
the system in an orientation that is parallel to the system board and save space within the system case.