Compatibility is a chain of evidence.

Compatibility is a relationship, not a property of one product

A component can publish voltage, protocol and mounting information without proving that it works with a particular host or neighboring part. Compatibility is an evidence record connecting at least two identified products, their revisions, configuration, operating limits and test result.

RCI therefore does not store a flat “compatible: yes” flag. It separates the interface requirements, cited support, verified combination, limitations and date. A later firmware, carrier board or cable revision can supersede the relationship without changing the component name.

Six interface layers must agree

The following layers apply across actuators, sensors, computers and power systems.

• Mechanical: envelope, mounting pattern, tolerance, load path, sealing and service access.
• Electrical: voltage range, current, inrush, regeneration, isolation, grounding, pinout and protection.
• Data: physical medium, connector, protocol version, profile, bitrate, addressing and message semantics.
• Timing: clock source, trigger, PTP or distributed clock, latency, jitter and timestamp domain.
• Thermal/environmental: heat path, airflow, ambient, ingress, vibration and condensation.
• Software/lifecycle: driver, kernel, SDK, firmware, configuration files, license and support window.

Three common false shortcuts

A GMSL2 camera does not connect directly to a Jetson module merely because the module supports camera lanes. The system needs a compatible deserializer, carrier routing, power scheme, driver and device-tree configuration. A USB depth camera and Ethernet LiDAR do not become synchronized because both provide timestamps; their clock domains and host paths must be aligned and measured.

Likewise, a frameless motor can physically fit a reducer while failing torque, speed, thermal, shaft, bearing, encoder or control requirements. A smart battery can share nominal voltage with another pack while using a different pinout, authentication or protection sequence.

The RCI compatibility evidence ladder

Compatibility confidence increases as evidence becomes more specific and reproducible.

• Level 0 — inferred from separate specifications; not published as compatible.
• Level 1 — one manufacturer names the other product or interface combination.
• Level 2 — integration guide identifies model, revision, cable, firmware and configuration.
• Level 3 — public BOM, repository or lab report reproduces the combination under a stated test.
• Level 4 — independent validation covers relevant operating and failure conditions.