Patent ID: 8363412

Claim:
An instrument for providing motherboard electrical power at a motherboard output power connector, the instrument comprising: a mother board having a first input connector for receiving control signals, a second input connector for receiving input electrical power, and the motherboard output power connector; the mother board also includes a first path coupled to the first input connector for providing the control signals to a first set of connectors mounted on the mother board, a second path coupled to the second input connector for providing the input electrical power to a second set of connectors mounted on the mother board, and a third path connected to a third set of connectors mounted on the motherboard and connected to the motherboard output power connector; a plurality of daughter boards, each daughter board of the plurality of daughter boards including: a control signal connector coupled to one of the first set of connectors on the mother board, an input power connector coupled to one of the second set of connectors on the mother board, and a daughter board output power connector coupled to one of the third set of connectors on the mother board; power circuitry which receives the input electrical power from the input power connector and provides daughter board electrical power to the daughter board output power connector, control circuitry which in response to the control signals controls the power circuitry to provide the daughter board electrical power to the daughter board output power connector, and a heatsink affixed to the each daughter board; all of the plurality of daughter boards providing substantially a same amount of controlled daughter board electrical power to the mother board; and an apparatus for causing a flow of a cooling fluid to contact the heatsink of the each daughter board of the plurality of daughter boards.