Embedded Computing and Control

Embedded GUI Design and Embedded Software Consulting

2008-09-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

You use various devices in your daily life that have smart and appealing displays, it can be a mobile phone, a wrist watch, portable music player or any other electronic device that you can probably think of. But have you ever imagined how these modern and sophisticated displays are built and what the technology behind all this is.

The technology behind all these smart displays is known as embedded graphical user interface. And the graphical user interface is one thing that consumes a lot of effort of the embedded device designers and developers. Productivity and being on time are key goals in the real world of business. Device designers in the embedded industry are looking for new ways to speed up development and create embedded graphic user interfaces (GUI) by using some sort of GUI toolkits. These GUI toolkits are very powerful and provide means for rapid embedded design.

The most difficult task when it comes to embedded devices is the designing of user friendly and appealing graphical displays. The graphical user interface of a device will eventually decide the success or failure of that device, as the usability of an embedded device depends on how user friendly the interface is. Because of this complexity in designing the user interface of the embedded devices, more and more embedded device developers are looking for embedded GUI design services that offer rich and highly engrossing embedded device interfaces.

Apart from the rich and appealing graphic displays one more thing that always haunts the embedded application developers is the problem of constantly changing platforms because of which embedded application developers feel the need to port their applications to new platforms. But porting embedded applications to new platforms is not an easy task. Because of this difficulty in porting embedded applications across platforms developers have now started to feel the need for a porting toolkit. Embedded application developers also feel the need of an embedded toolkit that provides rapid application development using some form of a visual editor.

EmPresent provides quick prototyping with Visual Editor & GUI simulator.
It is for developers who want to use advanced software for embedded systems like the graphical editing tools & interactive design environment to develop application interfaces. EmPresent team also offers embedded software consulting services for medical device GUI or any other embedded device GUI, which helps in making your embedded environment more simple and easy to use.

Mike Nicholson
Software for embedded systems, embedded software consulting and medical device GUI

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Nicholson

Networked Embedded Computing

2008-08-20T22:16:00.001-07:00

The proliferation of networked embedded devices such as wireless sensors ushers in an entirely new class of computing platforms. We need new ways to organize and program them. Unlike existing platforms, systems such as sensor networks are decentralized, embedded in physical world, and interact with people. In addition to computing, energy and bandwidth resources are constrained and must be negotiated. Uncertainty, both in systems and about the environment, is a given. Many tasks require collaboration among devices, and the entire network may have to be regarded as a processor.

The Networked Embedded Computing group at Microsoft Research is developing new architectures, models, and tools for organizing and programming these systems, and innovative applications in areas such as security, transportation, and healthcare. Our goal is to build systems that are easy to use, manage, and program; robust to failures; and secure. We believe that the traditional node-centric programming of embedded devices is inadequate and unable to scale up. We need new service architectures, inter-operation protocols, programming models that are resource aware and resource efficient across heterogeneous devices that can range from extremely limited sensor motes to more powerful servers.

Lenovo IdeaPad U110 Review - Ideapad U110 is a Laptop to Love

2008-08-20T21:41:00.003-07:00

If you are hoping to snag a quality Lenovo for under two thousand dollars, then the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 is one you should consider. Here are some of the terrific features that make the Idea Pad U110 worth purchasing:

1. At three pounds, when it is fully loaded, it offers a lot of ease and convenience for those who have to carry their notebooks everywhere.
2. This one even comes with a cover sleeve when you purchase it.
3. You can choose from a couple of colors to break out of the all black laptop theme.
4. The IdeaPad has Bluetooth capability and also has A/B/G processing for WIFI purposes.
5. It offers you a grand flexibility with USB ports and memory card and express readers as well as your usual ports that will support Ethernet and Fire wire.
6. The total resolutions for the screen are (1368x768) and the display lacks a bit of sharpness as a result.
7. The nice sizing of the keyboard does make it really easy to work on even in less than optimum lighting.
8. The Idea pad U110 has a 2GB DDR2 RAM and also offers an Intel GMA X3100 graphic card.
9. The processor is a 1.6GHz Intel Core 2Duo L7500 and you should not have anything to complain about with speed.
10. You will love the cool VeriFace log in that comes as a built in feature. This uses your face to log in so your data is going to be kept safe and secure from any prying eyes. This identification process is made easy because the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 also comes with an integrated webcam as a standard feature.

Some of the very minor weak points of the Idea Pad U110 include:

1. One thing you will notice about this model is that it does tend to show fingerprints both on the case and the keyboard so keep a dry cloth handy if you want to keep it looking clean. Some people may not appreciate the fact that the housing case and the keyboard so readily attract fingerprints but this is not an insurmountable problem by any means.
2. You do not get an internal optical drive on this model but you do have an external optical drive.
3. The sound quality on the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 is a bit weak but functional.
4. You also have both a 4 cell and a 7 cell battery with the IdeaPad and these do not show some of the power qualities that are on similar competitors. You will probably end up with about two hour's time on your 4 cell and maybe double that on the 7 cell. This is not a great amount of time and this is one of the drawbacks present with this particular series. If you are going to buy the IdeaPad U110 be wary of the short time on the battery life charge.

For those needing an affordable laptop that offers a good variety of service and features the Lenovo IdeaPad U110 can certainly more than fulfill their expectations. It does not have all of the bells and whistles of some of the more expensive products but it does have a tough little workhouse performance capability that you will appreciate.

You already know what you want in a laptop. Get the best - the Lenovo Ideapad U110 - at a terrific price at: => http://laptopcomputerbargains.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kent_Lee

Top 7 Ways to Discover a Wireless Hot Spot

2008-08-20T21:41:00.002-07:00

Are you having problems hooking on to a wireless hot spot while in a public area? The truth is, hooking up to a hot spot may not be so simple for newbies.

I remember when I tried connecting to a wireless hot spot while in Starbucks - the connection was so difficult to set up ... I spent many frustrated hours checking this and that setting.

I hope that through this article you will learn how to easily configure access to a wireless hot spot.

Overview

If you're trying to find a wireless hot spot while on the road, remember that you need two things. First, you need your mobile gear, e.g. a laptop, usually with built-in wireless connectivity. If your laptop does not have built-in wireless, try getting a wireless adapter card that plugs into your laptop.

The second thing you will need to to know which locators and service providers offer hotspots. This might be a problem if you're not familiar with the offers given by certain service providers. So you need to check up the local newspapers or websites to see what hot spot arrangements are out there.

So let's get started here ... some of these tips may be a little US centric, but if you're in another part of the world, you should be able to find similar services.

1. Find a Hot Spot in the U.S or Cananda

If you come from the US or Canada, you can easily find free public Wi-Fi locations. Some websites have a directory of these locations posted online. You can also just do a Google search on 'hot spots in the US or Canada' to find a list of such Wi-Fi locations.

2. Find a Hot Spot Offline

There are also ways to find hot spots if you're not connected to the Internet. Download a program called JiWire and use it on your laptop to find a hot spot anywhere in the world. This interesting little utility allows you to search by country, state, zip Code or even wireless service provider.

3. Find a Hot Spot in Libraries

Another alternative to finding hot spots is to go to a public library. Libraries can provide a private and quiet location to work. I'm not talking about academic libraries like those in a university. Rather, you can go to a good public library that offers wireless hot spot access. You can check out this directory listing and simply select a country to find specific locations where libraries offer Wi-Fi access.

4. Find T-Mobile Hot Spots

Interestingly, if you subscribe to T-Mobile, they offer a search facility to allow you to hot spot locations in the US and also internationally.

5. Find Boingo Hot Spots

Another wireless hot spot provider, Boingo, also offers a hot spot location finder. You can search by city, state, country or type of Wi-Fi location. The nice thing about this location finder is that you can export the list in PDF format so you can bring it on the road.

6. Find a Flying J Hot Spot

If you do a lot of driving on highways, then you can find hot hot spots in the Flying J chain of truck stops. Flying J offers hot spots in their plazas and is very convenient if you find yourself out on the open highway and requiring a wireless broadband connection.

7. Find a Hot Spot - BT Openzone

For those who live in the UK and Republic of Ireland, BT Openzone provides many ways of searching for hot spot locations. You can simply click here to access their online hot spot locator - which allows you to perform searches, and also download results in Excel and PDF, or by phone and SMS.

Conclusion

I hope this article has shown you some of the best ways to get connected via a wireless hot spot. Remember to hunt around for the best wireless provider and then use the appropriate facility to find the best hot spot for your personal and professional use. Until next time, happy mobile computing!

Gary Hendricks runs a website about laptops. Visit his website at Best-Laptop-Guide.com to learn more about selecting the best laptops and accessories to suit your needs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Hendricks

HP Compaq Presario C770TU - Stylish Laptop With All Useful Technologies

2008-08-20T21:41:00.001-07:00

HP Compaq Presario C770TU is a wide screen notebook with Intel Pentium Core T2370. This processor can do multiple jobs at same time, which is a blessing in today?s hectic times.

Key Features

If you want to know your notebook properly then the first things that should be kept in mind are the key features. You should know how your notebook will become more efficient and give you its proper due. The keyboard set works very efficiently without making much noise in HP Compaq Presario C770TU. Even the hand space provided is very spacious. The touchpad also works very proficiently without being over sensitive to touch.

Design

With the weight of 2.59 kg and the dimensions of 257 x 357 x 32.8 mm, the notebook is not very light to carry around. Most of you might find it a burden rather. The screen size of the notebook is 15.4? widescreen. The Brightview screen of HP Compaq Presario C770TU, with the resolution if 1280 x 800 dpi, is a treat for the eyes. But, HP Compaq Presario C770TU is provided with an internal modem whose speed is 56 kbps with the WiFi 802.11b/g. This gives you the opportunity to get connected to your near and dear ones when you are away from them.

Core Information

The operating system of HP Compaq Presario C770TU is FreeDOS. The hard disk drive capacity of the notebook is 160 GB. This feature gives you the advantage of saving a lot of data on your processor. You do not always need to keep the space free for adding data. The hard disk drive found in this notebook is inbuilt.

Cutting Edge Technology

With this notebook you don?t get the various ports and slots for different utilizations. The only port here is the USB Port. But, again the good thing to notice here is that there are 3 USB ports along with a Serial Port and a SVideo. There is no Bluetooth connection though. HP Compaq Presario C770TU comes with built speakers as well. The notebook comes with 5-in-1 MCR video display card. With this notebook you will also find a built in camera. This will make the video chat possible on you notebook.

Conclusion

Although, the notebook has various features that are needed to be a part of a good PC, its weight is something that most of you would like to avoid. But on the whole it is a good investment.

Pooja Lapasia is a well known author and has written articles on Laptop Computers, Laptop store, Acer Laptops, online shop and many other subjects.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pooja_Kumari_Lapasia

Apple MacBook Air Laptop - The Thinnest Laptop Yet

2008-08-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

The Apple Macbook Air Laptop is very much the latest breakthrough product from this company and is being classed the world's thinnest laptop, it's depth being about that of an average index finger. Wow.

This crazy little device has amazed most people in this world because when it is said to be thin, they mean ultra thin and because it is ultra thin it is of course ultra portable. Ultra thin here means 0.16 inches at it's thinnest to 0.76 at it's thickest! It comes with a 1.6 GHz or 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of memory, an 80GB 1.8-inch hard drive plus the latest 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and of course, Bluetooth. The LED screen is 13.3 inches boasting a panoramic view with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.

Please bear in mind that this machine may lack some features that are important to some folk out there. For example, there is no optical drive, no FireWire, there is no Ethernet port, there is only one USB port, and the battery is non-removable. As said, these features may not be an issue for you, but I state it for clarity sake.

The Apple MacBook Air Laptop is absolutely one of the most stylish and sleek laptops around at the moment and features some excellent hardware in order to make it so thin, but this may not be the case for long as Intel themselves have said they will make the 60% smaller processor available to other laptop brands soon, so watch this space.

Though this gem is undoubtedly a consumer product, it is probably built more to be a business tool. After all, it is thin, light and portable plus it is a testament to what solid engineering and design can accomplish in a laptop computer. It is also tough and durable thereby able to withstand those awful accidents whilst on the go particularly so as it is protected by BodyGuardz.

All in all, simply an amazing piece of machinery. It is a tad on the expensive side so if you do decide to go for it make sure you don't need the missing features mentioned above. If you are ok without them - you certainly won't be disappointed with your new Apple Macbook Air Laptop, that's for sure.

John Milligan.

http://www.computer-games-store.co.uk

For your Apple Macbook Air Laptop please visit the above site and scroll down to the superb Amazon Store and choose the Laptops & Notebooks Category.

An excellent resource for all those consoles and games you've ever wanted, including the Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit, ps3, xbox 360 and Ipod Nano 8GB and lots more. No searching all over the web for different bargains. There's loads of choice here with all the top sellers and best prices. You certainly will not be disappointed.

So, if you're hungry for that bargain console, game or accessory, then go to the website, have a good browse and enjoy your shopping experience.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Milligan

Crystal Reports Is A First Class Writing Tool

2008-04-09T05:30:00.001-07:00

Crystal Reports allows you to generate business intelligence reports from various data sources. It the most advanced and popular report creating tool, which is now also available bundled with several other application software, such as, Microsoft Visual Studio. Crystal Reports allows access to any data source with native ODBC, OLE DB, and JDBC connectivity to relational, OLAP, XML, legacy, and enterprise data sources, which include Oracle, IBM DB2, Sybase, Microsoft SQL Server, and Informix. The latest version of the tool, Crystal Reports XI, provides you with the updated data driver features for XML, JDBC, IBM DB2, and Exchange, letting you have the incredible data access options.

Crystal Reports was originally developed by Crystal Reports Inc. The company produced the versions from 1.0 through to 3.0. Seagate Software consequently acquired Crystal Reports, and renamed it Crystal Decisions, and produced versions 4.0 through to 9.0. In December 2003, Crystal Reports was acquired by Business Objects, and so far have produced versions 10.0 and XI. Version XI is presently in its second release.

Crystal Reports provides you with presentation quality reports, and saves you time in designing and distributing the reports. The powerful report writer produces "what you see is what you get" business decision reports that can provide your company with instant decision making capability, there-by providing you with increased profitability. You can generate quick custom reports, with great looks. The features allow you to easily create the looks of your report presentation documents. You can select your favourite type face, font size, and text colour, and enhance the layout by applying lines, choosing borders and shades. You can provide further enhancement by choosing embedded pictures, diagrams, and logos. Crystal Reports allows you to use tables, cross-tabulations, or one of the many graph styles, which could be used to communicate your business information. The drill-down feature allows you to get to the sections of the detailed report. Just by clicking the report objects, the tool provides you with a series of linked information which has led to the initial information.

Crystal Reports provide unparalleled flexibility in report creation. It provides you with step-by-step process with the help of expert wizards, which guides you in creating the report. You could also find a "Private Tutor" incorporated in the report writer, and this provides you with online help as you proceed. Your finished reports could be run at any pre-determined time, without any attendance. Even you could schedule the run based on time and dates, taking into consideration business holidays. You can find out more about crystal reports at http://www.crystalreportsprofessional.com

Crystal Report allows you to embed sub-reports within your main report, which would mean that, you can embed a customer sales account history report in a sales highlight report. Building special conditions would let you print the sections of the report to produce different report information print-outs from the same report. Crystal Reports allows you to format your reports, by which you may provide summary information in a single cell, instead of using column formats, there-by making it easy to read the report. The report writer provides you with more control over your report design, letting you customise your report.

With more than more than 35 data drivers, and with the flexibility that it offers, Crystal Reports is one of the best report writing tools in the world.

Crystal Reports Is A First Class Writing Tool

2008-04-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

With more than more than 35 data drivers, and with the flexibility that it offers, Crystal Reports is one of the best report writing tools in the world.

Download And Install Free Registry Cleaner

2008-04-09T05:29:00.000-07:00

If you believe that good things can never come free, just think again. With the free registry cleaner you are bound to think differently. Especially, if you are using a Windows based PC a free download of registry cleaning program is possible and it is the most effective software that you can get free of cost. If you are wondering, what a registry cleaner is? Then let us start from the scratch that is the registry.

Registry is a typical feature of the Windows operating system. From Windows 95, Microsoft introduced the registry in its flagship operating system to store all the vital information about the hardware and software configuration and system settings of the computer. Registry is in a way an improved method of storing system information. In earlier versions of Windows before Windows 95, the hardware and software configurations were stored in the INI files those were stored in a scattered way, making the system slower. With the Windows registry these files are stored in specific location that made the system to function faster. A free registry cleaner can keep the registry clean and up to date for more effective and faster computing.

You must be wondering if registry entries are so useful then, why you should clean them up. Actually registry keeps an entry of each and every modification that you make to the system. Whether you install or uninstall a program, change the hardware settings an entry is generated in the registry file and it is stored for good until it is removed. As all the entries, especially those are outdated, are not necessary to run the system. Moreover, they clutter the registry and make the system slower and prone to faults. With free registry cleaning software you can remove these unnecessary entries to get better performance from your PC.

So, download a free registry cleaner and install the software. The program automatically scans the registry, cleans it up, backs up the data for you to restore if you encounter any problem after you have cleaned the registry. The registry cleaner can also configure a startup organizer and remove embedded keys that are used by malware like Trojan, virus, dialers and so on. Registry cleaner software also eliminates the free spaces within the registry and traces of programs that are never completely uninstalled. In short registry cleaners are truly effective tool for safe and faster computing. So get it now!

Thin Client Computing Without "The Bill"

2008-04-09T00:50:00.000-07:00

Corporate America has been looking for ways to reduce the cost of ownership associated with Microsoft Windows®-based computing causing the popularity of Windows-based Thin Clients coupled with deployment of Terminal Server and Citrix grow at a rapid rate. A new trend has been developing; enterprises are now trying to reduce costs further by moving to “intelligent” Thin Clients.

In contrast to “dumb” thin clients, which simply acted as terminals allowing access from desktops to server-based applications, “intelligent” Thin Clients come with built-in emulation software; e-mail; a full-function browser—such as Mozilla Firefox or full Internet Explorer—supporting JVM, Flash and XML; and pop-up window support. These intelligent Thin Clients are served up with Linux or Windows XPe operating systems, and allow access to a file server as well as Web-delivered applications such as Lotus Notes, WebSphere, etc.

Several options now exist for companies wishing to deploy Microsoft Office-type thin client products: Traditional: Serve up these applications using Microsoft Terminal Server (2000 or 2003 server), Citrix, etc., delivered using a remote desktop protocol. Costs associated with this method are: Terminal Server Client Access License at $120; Client Access License at $30; Microsoft Office Professional at $395; and Citrix (if applicable) at $250. The total software cost per user is $545 to $795. The total cost of ownership for software and hardware (Windows CE Thin Client) in a LAN environment is $994 and in a WAN environment is $1,194.

Hybrid: Keep Microsoft Office and serve it up using a Linux server and CrossOver Office. This product allows some Microsoft products to be installed and served up via X-Windows to a Linux desktop or Linux Thin Client. The costs for this method are: CrossOver Office at $50 and Microsoft Office Professional for $395. The total software cost per user is $445. The total for software and hardware (Linux Thin Client) in a LAN environment is $895 and in a WAN environment is $995. Local Linux: Install OpenOffice on a Linux Server and use X-Windows on a Linux desktop or Linux Thin Client. The cost of this method is: X-Windows at no cost and OpenOffice at no cost. The total software cost per user is $ 0. The total cost of ownership for software and hardware (Linux Thin Client ) in a LAN environment is $450.

Versatile Linux: Purchase a Thin Client with embedded OpenOffice. Files are accessed / stored via a Linux or Windows file server. This option incurs an additional cost for a hardware upgrade since it requires more disk space and more memory. It is best suited to remote users, as X-Windows can be bandwidth-intensive and is therefore not recommended for WAN use. Cost of this method: OpenOffice at no cost and additional memory for $125. The total software cost per user is $125. The total cost software and hardware Linux Thin Client) ( in a LAN/WAN environment is $575. Remote Linux: Install OpenOffice on a Linux Server and serve up applications using the Tarantella Enterprise 3 product. This option supports compression and encryption of the X-Windows protocol, allowing applications to be served up efficiently on a WAN. The cost of this method is: X-Windows at no cost; OpenOffice at no cost and Tarantella Enterprise 3 at $100. The total software cost per user is $100. The total for software and hardware (Linux Thin Client) in a WAN environment is $550.

Corporate management has come to realize that the PC revolution has its drawbacks. These drawbacks include higher maintenance costs, lower employee performance, and system vulnerability. The hardware become obsolete and higher performance CPUs are required. Operating systems typically need updating every three years. When you figure in the licensing fees; the time spent by system administrators updating each workstation, installing and maintaining anti-virus software; the downtime this causes other employees; and the additional time required by employees to learn each new revision; the resulting price tag is quite sizeable!

There is currently a growing trend for Thin Clients using embedded emulation alongside server-based or Web-delivered applications. This trend has generated new interest in terminal computing, specifically in the field of thin clients. Linux Thin Clients in particular allow server-based computing without the additional licensing and provide file server access enabling complete independence for applications, whilst maintaining sharing and back-up control.

For a longer version of this article go to http://www.bosanova.net/thinclientbill.html

Data Acquisition - Product Reviews

2008-04-09T00:48:00.002-07:00

Generally data acquisition means to acquire data. However, in computer terminology, data acquisition is defined as the process of uniting real world data to produce the data to be maneuvered by the computer system. The data is in the form of waveforms or signals. These signals are obtained using different instruments and devices. The data acquired can be stored on the computer using vendor supplied software and the control can be made with the use of programming languages like Basic, Pascal, FORTRAN, C etc.

Data acquisition systems, as the name suggests are products or systems used to gather data or information from certain source. The data acquisition systems are distinguished on following basis: serial communication, USB, parallel ports and plug-in boards.

Without going much in depth, below are the details of different data acquisition boards.

Signatec PDA1000: This is the data acquisition product made by Signatec. The PDA100 is a 64-bit data acquisition board compatible with PCI device equipments. The "Plug and Play" feature is standard in all PCI devices. The analog bandwidth of DC to 500 MHz and digitization rate of up to 1 MHz makes it remarkably unique in its class. The bus that it uses is a Signatec Auxiliary Bus (SAB). This bus can allow data of 500 MB to be transferred per second. Multiple PDA1000 boards can be connected to the same PDA1000 DAQ board in the master-slave configuration through an interconnect port. It has six selectable signals ranging from 200 million volts to a maximum of 3.2 volts.

OME-PCI-1002 series: This data acquisition board is made by Omega. It features 12 bits 110 KHz analog to digital converter PCI board. The PCI board provides 32 single ended or 16 differential inputs along with 16 digital input and 16 digital output channels. This PCI board series provide sampling rate of 110 KS/s. However, it may vary within the series depending on whether the channels are single or multiple. Unlike many other company boards, the omega OME-PCI-1002 comes with software development kit compatible with Windows 98/NT/2000/XP. This software development kit includes DLL files for high level programming languages and OCX files for Active X programming.

iOTech DaqBoard-3000 series: This is a multifunction data acquisition board embedded with four 1 MHz PCI boards. Unlike OME-PCI-1002 board, this board has 16 single-ended or 8 differential analog inputs with the option to expand them up to 64 single-ended or 32 differential analog inputs. DaqBoard-3000 series has 24 high-speed digital I/O lines. There are four 32 bit counter input channels with quadrature encoder capability. It supports multiple DMA channels and USB version of this board is also available in market.

Advantech PCI-1670: This is a high performance PCI board with GBIB interface. PCI-1670 board works fully with IEEE 488.1 and 488.2 standards. It has full functionality with windows 95/98/NT/2000/XP and MS-DOS operating systems. The "Plug and Play" feature automatically assigns I/O address and provides powerful and easy to use configuration utility. It also has full support for drivers and libraries of C/C++, C++ Builder, Visual Basic and Labview.

Cutting Edge Software for Embedded Systems

2008-04-09T00:48:00.001-07:00

An embedded system is a special purpose computer system designed to perform one or a few dedicated tasks rather than be a general-purpose computer for multiple tasks. It is generally embedded as part of a device.

Embedded systems are becoming more and more important in today's world as they control almost all of the communication, computing, display and any other electronic device that we can think of. Embedded systems span across all aspects of modern life whether it be education, entertainment, communication or science. Embedded systems are dedicated to specific tasks, so embedded design engineers need to optimize it, reducing the size and cost of the product, and increasing the reliability and performance.

Embedded systems range from portable devices such as digital watches and music players, to large devices and machineries like factory controllers and giant display boards that we see on airports.

Most of the consumer electronic items like personal digital assistants (PDAs), music players, mobile phones, gaming consoles, digital cameras, and DVD players use embedded systems. Many household appliances, such as microwave ovens, washing machines and dishwashers, too include embedded systems to provide efficiency and ease of use.

Embedded systems range from no user interface at all - dedicated only to one task - to full user interfaces similar to desktop operating systems in devices such as PDAs and mobile phones. If you have used any of the modern electronic devices then you must be familiar with the rich graphic displays that guide you or let you choose various options to control the operation of the device. The rich graphic display that you see is known as the Graphical User Interface or GUI of the device. The ease of use of a device depends on how good the interface is.

Designing a user friendly and enticing graphical interface is a difficult task knowing the implicit complexities associated with embedded application development. Because of this complexity in designing the user interface of the embedded devices, embedded application designers and developers feel the need of software for embedded systems that let them build rich interfaces quickly.

EmPresent is Portable GUI software which helps develop powerful GUI applications which can be ported virtually across all embedded development platforms. EmPresent's embedded software solutions make your embedded environment more simple and easy to use.

Mobile processor cuts embedded power consumption

2008-03-01T03:33:00.000-08:00

COM Express module is first to use Intel's Menlow low power platform that consumes just one-tenth the power of other ultra-low-voltage single-core platforms

New from Congatec, the conga-CMEN is claimed to be the industry's first COM Express module based on Intel's latest low power platform for mobile computing, the Intel Menlow. Fabricated using the latest 45nm process and high-K dielectric technology, the Intel Menlow platform comprises the Silverthorne processor, coupled with the Poulsbo chipset with integrated 3D graphics.
This extreme power saving solution consumes just one-tenth the power of other ultra-low-voltage single-core platforms.

This revolutionary technology will enable all types of ultra mobile and fanless applications, leading to the availability of really small solutions with extremely good battery runtime.

ACPI 3.0 with Congatec's intelligent battery management technology is included in the conga-CMEN board, which in combination with the conga-SBM2C smart battery manager module will allow mobile and battery operated systems to be easily realised.

All Congatec boards are equipped with the company's embedded BIOS, including a board controller that enhances embedded features such as system monitoring, watchdog timer and the I2C bus.

With the ability to isolate itself from the main x86 processor, these features are also available in standby mode, hence promoting further power saving functionality.

The conga-CMEN also offers a rich feature-set, including: two PCI Express lanes, two SATA interfaces, an EIDE interface, Gigabit Ethernet, high definition audio, PCI bus, I2C, an LPC (low pin count) interface, eight lines of USB 2.0 and two SDIO sockets.

It also offers integrated graphics supporting EPI (Embedded Panel Interface) with automatic panel detection of almost any flat panel display.

Embedded PC is small, cool and silent

2008-03-01T03:19:00.000-08:00

Small size and low power consumption makes it suitable for protocol convertors, machine controllers and other applications where raw computing power is not the primary requirement

The latest addition to BVM's range of ultrasmall fanless PCs for embedded applications is the EPC-500, a compact 115 x 115 x 35mm unit with VESA mounting capabilities. Powered by an external single 5V/3A supply, the unit is completely silent in operation as forced air cooling is not required.
Based on a VIA Eden ULV 500MHz CPU, the EPS-500 has 500Mbyte of DDR2 RAM onboard; the onboard video supports 2D and 3D graphics up to 1920 x 1440 and has a MPEG4 and WMV9 decoding accelerator, making the unit ideal for use as the engine in graphics-heavy applications such as POS kiosks, display managers and similar uses.

Its small size and low power consumption also makes it suitable for use in protocol convertors, machine controllers and other applications where raw computing power is not the primary requirement.

All popular operating systems, including XP Professional, will run on the device.

Embedded file system protects valuable data

2008-02-26T05:05:00.000-08:00

By adopting a file system with failsafe protections, device manufacturers can be certain that only valid data is stored in the flash in case of power loss or reset during write operations

Micrium's uC/FS (file system) embedded software now offers failsafe operation to prevent data loss in case of power failure. The uC/FS supports the Flash medium for compact, reliable and low-cost storage and provides wear leveling to increase Flash memory lifespan. Implementation of embedded file systems with these capabilities is increasingly critical as multimedia storage devices, such as digital cameras and MP3 players, move to Flash memory and significantly increase their onboard storage capacities.
By adopting a file system with failsafe protections, device manufacturers can be certain that only valid data is stored in the flash in case of power loss or reset during write operations.

This means the file system is not corrupted if it is interrupted while performing a save function.

To further support storage devices requiring a file system, Micrium offers two versions of its software, both with failsafe protection.
The file allocation table (FAT) version supports the standard found on all PCs, allowing for data to be moved easily between embedded devices and the PC.

The company also supports a proprietary embedded file systems (EFS) structure with its FAT-free version, for applications where PC compatibility is not required.

'With the advances in storage media capacity, mobility and CPU performance, an increasing number of manufacturers are incorporating the file system feature into their products', according to Jean Labrosse, President and CEO of Micrium.

'A critical differentiator for uC/FS is the fact that no RTOS is required, so any system that needs to move data from the embedded target to other computers can benefit from our fully featured software'.

'Add to that a low memory footprint, excellent performance and competitive pricing and uC/FS offers the most robust file system available to embedded developers'.

Half-size computer cuts power use and heat

2008-02-25T06:06:00.000-08:00

AAEON releases an economic half-size Single Board Computer (SBC) - HSB-800I, which is designed to target the industrial control and automation market

Aaeon has released the HSB-800I half-size single board computer (SBC), designed for the industrial control and automation market. The HSB-800I is based on the AMD LX800 processor, which features low power consumption and faster heat spreading. The HSB-800I supports onboard DDR400 system memory up to 128Mbyte with an AMDLX800 +CS5536 chipset.
For the display function, the VGA controller is integrated in to the AMD LX 800 processor, which supports CRT and LVDS simultaneous display.

The HSB-800I supports LVDS/TTL LCD up to 24bit with an integrated 2D/3D graphics accelerator to enhance graphics performance.

The HSB-800I features four COM ports, four USB2.0 ports, one standard floppy disk drive port, one Mini-DIN PS/2 Keyboard and mouse connector.

Half-size computer cuts power use and heat

2008-02-25T05:12:00.000-08:00

Embedded controller saves power with a Geode

2008-02-22T23:01:00.000-08:00

The GEME provides a fanless and completely sealed design to prevent dust contamination and to increase reliability, which ensures operational stability

New from Adlink Technology, the GEME-12000 is an ultracompact fanless embedded controller based on the ultra-low-power-consumption AMD Geode LX800 processor. Designed for applications in harsh environments, the GEME provides a fanless and completely sealed design to prevent dust contamination and to increase reliability, which ensures operational stability.
The GEME-12000 also offers an extended working temperature range of -20 to +60C and excellent vibration resistance up to 3g and makes for an extremely reliable and stable platform.

Like all embedded controllers in the GEME series, the GEME-12000 provides an expandable architecture with optional motion, I/O and communications modules through PMC or PC/104 interfaces.

The GEME-12000 has front side access design with various I/O interfaces, including dual LAN ports, one CompactFlash slot, AC97 audio ports, two USB ports and two serial ports (RS232, RS422 and RS485).

The GEME-12000 supports the Windows XP/XP Embedded, Windows CE.NET 5.0, and Linux operating systems.

Module takes control with IEEE1588

2008-02-20T05:02:00.000-08:00

Microcontroller module outperforms competing solutions based on the ARM, XScale and PowerPC architectures, claiming new standards for performance, cost and energy efficiency

IEEE1588 is a clock synchronisation standard for communication devices, which has seen a dramatic increase in interest over the past year. It is today seen as a fundamental cornerstone for future communication systems- wired and wireless, professional and consumer. IEEE1588 enables these to be synchronised to GPS accuracy and enable the quality of service required for future communication systems.
Imsys addresses these new, demanding applications with the introduction of the IM3220-BA10 MCU and the single board reference module that have been shown to deliver telecomms, ITU G.8261, compliance.

With a size only one-quarter that of a business card, 24 x 45mm, the IM3220 module delivers best-in-class sync quality at less than 1/10th the power of the competitors and only 20-25% of their memory needs.

Smaller footprint on the motherboard, as well as fewer connections and glue components result in the lowest-cost bill of materials.

Industry expert Dr Nick Tredennick says: 'Unlike microprocessors, such as ARM and PowerPC that were designed for workstation and desktop computing, the IM3220 MCU has been designed and optimised for embedded applications'.

'Imsys microcontrollers are faster, cheaper, and more power-efficient than complex, high-power, compute-oriented microprocessors that have been adapted to the embedded market'.
'User programmable on-chip microcode enables Imsys MCUs to adapt efficiently to a broad range of embedded applications'.

The IM3220 represents a new type of platform components from Imsys.

It combines the best features of traditional CISC architectures and efficient use of resources with FPGA flexibility for a predefined application - time synchronisation.

It dramatically reduces the cost of the external (local) oscillator when high precision time is communicated by the IEEE1588 protocol.

The outstanding accuracy of the IM3220 comes from the ability to analyse and act on gate level in real-time.

The IM3220 MCU supports two 10/100 Ethernet ports, three UARTs with 920Kbit/s, I2C or SPI port, and eight DMA channels with a sustained 83Mbyte/s throughput.

Imsys' complete offering includes RTOS, TCP/IP-stack, fail-safe flash file system, and an IEEE1588 protocol stack.

With Imsys' full-fledged development system, the customer can concentrate on the application without worrying about software integration problems.

The drop-in module offers the customer low risk development and short time to market.

The IM3220-BA10 MCU is available now with a price of US $16.58 in quantities of 10,000.

The IM3220-M210 module comes with 32Mbyte of DRAM, 8Mbyte of Flash and clock circuitry and is available now at a price of US $98.00 in 1000-unit quantities.

The IM3220 is supported by Imsys development kit DK3-3220.

Board brings new life to 5.25in form factor

2008-02-18T04:49:00.000-08:00

Supports Intel Core2 Duo, Core Duo, Core Solo and Celeron M processors offering a wide range of performance, price and power

The PCM-9452 is the latest-generation 5.25in compact board from Aaeon Technology, combining innovative features in a compact size with expansion to meet any requirement. The PCM-9452 supports Intel Core2 Duo, Core Duo, Core Solo and Celeron M processors offering a wide range of performance, price and power.
Memory support for up to 4Gbyte of DDRII 400/533/667 is available through two 200-pin SODIMM sockets.

Dual Ethernet connectivity is achieved by employing Intel 82573L 10/100/1000Base-TX Ethernet controllers.

To meet demanding expansion requirements the PCM-9452 offers Mini PCI, PCI and PCI-Express x16.

In addition, the PCM-9452 features six USB ports, 8bit digital I/O (programmable) and four COM ports.

With all the available I/O connections and bus expansion, the PCM-9452 is an excellent solution for an integrated system.

The display interface of the PCM-9452 supports CRT/LCD, CRT/TV, LCD/TV in simultaneous and dual view configurations.

The LCD interface is 18bit dual channel LVDS.

Paired with a dual core CPU, the integrated graphics engine provides exceptional 3D graphic performance.

For higher end graphic applications the PCM-9452 offers expandability through the PCI-Express x16 slot.

Whether the application utilises the integrated graphics or uses an addon card for more demanding multimedia applications the PCM-9452 is a solid performer.

'Although most of the market trends indicate smaller form factors are the next big thing, these boards suffer from expansion limitations', says Barnabas Chen, Product Manager of the Embedded Computing Division, Aaeon Technology.

'The PCM-9452 has been designed to cater to applications needing flexible expansion, high performance display, and enhanced storage capabilities'.

'We have already received strong demand for the PCM-9452 from both the China and the US markets'.

'We feel that the debut of PCM-9452 will renew interest in the 5.25in compact boards'.

The PCM-9452 targets markets with high performance demands, such as medical, multimedia, kiosk and gaming applications.

MCU module makes light of instrument design

2008-02-18T04:43:00.000-08:00

FMC Technologies uses the RCM4000 RabbitCore to create robust portable equipment for petroleum metering simulation technology

Petroleum companies rely on large amounts of data collection to help maintain production efficiency. Mechanical metering and counter systems have traditionally been used to collect volume, temperature, pressure, and flow data. These mechanical systems are fairly large and require operators to calculate data manually and adjust processes accordingly.
FMC Technologies, a leader in the energy industry, has made advancements in measurement solutions for liquid petroleum.

The company's load controllers and flow computers cut down the amount work needed to gather usable data for controlling values, pumps, and other instruments.

However, when FMC wanted to demonstrate or test the load controller or flow computers, a meter or pulse generator had to be used.

These tools are accurate, but they can be heavy (40 to 400kg) and difficult to set up and use.

With the help of Rabbit and the RCM4000 RabbitCore, FMC was able to find a solution that could be put to the test.
FMC's Simumate solution is a portable meter simulator that allows customers to easily test and demonstrate the functionality of load controllers and flow computers.

At the heart of the Simumate is the RCM4000 RabbitCore module.

Patrick Walsh of FMC explains that the Simumate is a 'diagnostic tool, which essentially is a meter simulator that customers can understand'.

The Simumate allows extensive testing and demonstration setups without using a meter or pulse generator.

The Simumate connects to a PC via an Ethernet connection, and users are able to customise the meter's function via a web page.

The Simumate mimics an actual meter and sends signals that the load controller and flow computer process.

Information such as volume, flow rate, temperature, and pressure is readily available to the customer.

'Based on internal feed back, the Simumate needed to be simple to use, yet capable of handling the sophisticated functions demanded of the application', says Walsh.

'We wanted a very simple operation, such that the user could plug the device to a PC, open a web browser and select how the meter simulation tool should work'.

'The best solution we sought was the use of an Ethernet based system', he explains.

'Rabbit was recommended to me by a senior engineer in the department who found Rabbit through a trade publication'.

Walsh compared Rabbit Semiconductor with other embedded solutions and found that the RCM4000 RabbitCore was the right choice.

The RCM4000 streamlined the design process, with features such as a clock speed of 58.98MHz, 32Mbyte of NAND Flash, 512Kbyte Flash, 512Kbyte SRAM, eight channels of analogue I/O, integrated Ethernet, small form factor and Dynamic C.

Says Walsh: 'With the embedded RCM4000, the Simumate does everything we intended and still has room for expansion'.

'Because of the low power consumption of the RCM4000, we can sustain power for continuous operation of approximately six hours on two NiMh cells'.

'It can also make use of an external wall power supply while charging'.

Walsh also notes that the easy user interface is made possible by using Dynamic C, the included TCP/IP stack, and the included program libraries.

FMC saved time and money by using Rabbit in its solution, which translates into savings for the end customer.

'Rabbit offered an affordable solution with the 'grunt work' already complete'.

'The Rabbit core expedited the design process by providing a powerful canned hardware solution and complete well-illustrated software examples'.

'Its small form factor provided us the ability to easily create a handheld device', says Walsh.

'Furthermore, we are excited about the possibility of swapping out the tethered Ethernet for a wireless solution such as the RCM440W'.

File systems for CF devices are more reliable

2008-02-14T05:40:00.000-08:00

Abacus Polar is introducing a range of products for embedded devices including file system software

The products follow the signing of a distribution agreement with HCC-Embedded, and complement existing embedded systems from Abacus. These range from microcontrollers and DSP devices, through to memory and development tools and complete systems based on Microsoft Windows CE and XP Embedded.
The HCC portfolio comprises several families of file systems targeted on standard NOR devices, serial Flash and RAM drives, through microcontrollers with embedded Flash, to PC-compatible cards in Compact Flash, MMC and Secure Digital formats.

In addition there is software enabling MCUs to be mounted as pen drives on a standard PC.

EFFS-TINY is a fail-safe file system designed for Flash devices that have small erasable sectors, and hence demand a small ROM footprint and tiny usage of RAM.
It is ideal for most standard serial Flash parts, RAM drives, and especially microcontrollers such as the MSP430, which feature Flash that is both erasable in small sectors and is application programmable.

Using EFFS-TINY allows new possibilities, such as storing configuration data as standard initialization or text files, or simply being able to drop 'wav' files to the microcontroller.

The file system eliminates the need to worry about Flash layout and fragmentation issues.

Other file system products in the EFFS family include EFFS-STD - a fully featured embedded Flash file system for standard flash chips (NOR and NAND) integrated in an embedded design.

EFFS-FAT is HCC's FAT12/16/32 file system for use in embedded devices that require access to PC compatible media, for example, Compact Flash Cards, MMC and Secure Digital Cards.

A scalable and highly optimised version of EFFS-FAT, designated EFFS-THIN, offers a smaller footprint and memory usage, making it suitable for 8051 micros or any 8bit or 16bit application with limited resources.

Complementing the EFFS-TINY and EFFS-THIN file systems, HCC's uCDrive software allows MCUs to appear as pen drives on a PC through a simple serial port connection.

A simple 3-wire connection can be used to enable a PC manage configuration, diagnostic, data logging and field upgrade functions in a safe and reliable way.

These are all supplied royalty free and with full source C source code.

They also come with detailed implementation guide, six month's technical support and one year of free upgrades.

Development tools and evaluation kits have also been developed via partnerships with a broad range of hardware and software vendors including Altera, Lynuxworks, Motorola and TI.

All are available from Abacus Polar.

SBC delivers rich visual gaming experience

2008-02-14T05:19:00.000-08:00

Zendex has launched a special purpose, single board computer (SBC) that is aimed specifically at the gaming market

The ZXE-855 is a full-function dedicated gaming platform that can deliver the rich visual gaming experience that people now expect in casinos. At the same time, it allows the system manufacturer to configure the board in order to optimise speed, power consumption or cost. To allow a choice between performance and cost, many systems are designed with one or two processor choices.
Zendex found a way to provide numerous speed, power consumption and cost options.

For example, the ZXE-855 with low power Intel Celeron 4 processor and Intel 855 chipset can be run at 600MHz for lower power consumption, lower temperature rise and higher reliability.

Typical power consumption at 600MHz is 35W.

Alternatively, the Intel P4 processor and 855 chipset will run at 2GHz for greater performance.

Still other options are available to minimise system cost.
The highly-adaptable VGA video ports will drive two 1600 x 1200 resolution displays.

Behind the video outputs are dual VGA outputs with up to 64Mbyte of shared memory.

For graphically intensive and memory-hungry applications, the board can accommodate up to 1Gbyte of DDR DRAM that is considered sufficient for 99% of all applications The regulatory agencies often demand that casino video games include redundant mass storage, and the ZXE-855 supports a wide array of mass storage devices.

It features two UDMA 100 ATA channels supporting up to four ATA devices (ie four hard drives) or four CompactFlash memory type I headers on the ATA bus.

The ATA bus can also support an ATAPI CD ROM drive, disk on module (DoM) or MultiMediaCard (MMC).

There are also sockets for EPROM or other nonvolatile memory devices.

Cooling fans are a problem in gaming applications.

They are more failure-prone than non-mechanical devices and produce audible noise.

Zendex designed the ZXE-855 for convection cooling (no fan) in all speed-power-cost configurations.

The ZXE-855 mates to a passive backplane, the ZXE-855BP.

The backplane allows quick insertion and removal of the main gaming board and provides I/O connectors that allows the system to interface with bill acceptors, card readers, voucher printers, and monitors.

The backplane is configured with numerous I/O ports including six USB 2.0 ports, one 10/100 Ethernet port, five RS232 serial ports, two RS422 serial ports and one TTL serial port.

In addition, the ZXE-855 main board includes 40 general purpose inputs and outputs.

The user has many operating system choices, including Microsoft [MSFT] Windows XP, 2000, XP Embedded and Linux.

Zendex can modify the proprietary BIOS software to suit the user's needs or to include additional security features.

Most computer systems provide only signal-level audio outputs which must be amplified before it can be applied to a speaker.

The ZXE-855 provides an AC97 amplified stereo audio output which can be directly connected to speakers, saving the cost and complexity of external amplification.

An unusual feature not normally found on products like this is an onboard thermal monitor.

While the board itself is designed to run 24/7 without fan cooling, the system configuration might include other heat-generating devices that could necessitate a fan.

The onboard thermal sensor provides a digital temperature output which can be accessed over the Intranet via the 10/100Mbit/s Ethernet connector.

A large array of games with this feature can be monitored from a single location.

The Ethernet interface allows similar games to be interconnected, so that one person can play against another, or against an entire room full of people.

Also, the Ethernet interface enables remote system monitoring and management.

In the event of a problem with any game, a warning can appear at a monitoring location.

The ZXE-855 is designed to operate from a single +12 or +15V supply.

Power consumption is nominally 35W, and varies by configuration.

The ZXE-855 measures 12 x 9.25 x 2in.

The low profile is especially useful in desktop games, where cabinet size is limited.

Commenting on the new board, Howard Czapla, Zendex CEO, said: 'We designed this board based on 10 years of experience building similar boards for the gaming industry'.

'It includes the features that most gaming system manufacturers are looking for.

We anticipate that companies using the ZXE-855 board will have a significant advantage over our competitors'.

Computer-on-module saves with low-power CPUs

2008-02-13T01:56:00.000-08:00

The Kontron ETX family now offers true scalability with a full range of performance from Geode processing capabilities up to Intel Core 2 Duo processors

Available now from Kontron, the ETX-PM3 is one of the latest generation of Intel Pentium M and Celeron M processor based computer-on-modules. The Kontron ETX-PM3 joins the Kontron ETX-LX, ETX-CN8 and ETX-CD to become the fourth member of Kontron's ETX 3.0 generation of computer-on-modules. The Kontron ETX family now offers true scalability with a full range of performance from Geode processing capabilities up to Intel Core 2 Duo processors.
The Kontron ETX-PM3 combines fast SerialATA hard drive access and extended sleep state modes with the Intel Pentium M and Celeron M processors to round off the highly scalable 3.0 generation of ETX computer-on-modules.

Performance for the new Kontron computer-on-module is provided by the low power Intel Celeron M processors from 600MHz to 1.0GHz and Pentium M processors from 1.4 to 1.8GHz.

Mobile applications in particular will benefit from the Kontron ETX-PM3 module's new power saving feature: The 'suspend to RAM' functions ensure that power is supplied only to the RAM when all other system components are idle.
This not only increases battery life, but also provides more convenient operation, enabling field personnel to awaken sleeping applications at the click of a button.

Additionally, this new Kontron computer-on-module continues to incorporate all of the other advantages embedded designers have come to depend on with the proven ETX-PM range of computer-on-modules, including 1Gbyte of DDR SDRAM as well as four USB 2.0 interfaces, two TTL serial interfaces and 10/100 Base Ethernet.

Software support is provided for Microsoft Windows XP/XP Embedded, Windows 2000 and CE.NET as well as Linux and VxWorks.

As the Kontron ETX-PM3 computer-on-module is designed in accordance with the ETX 3.0 specification, changing from IDE to fast SATA hard drives is easy.

The two ETX 3.0 SATA interfaces are integrated into the computer-on-module without any changes to the module's ETX pins, making the Kontron ETX-PM3 100% pin-to-pin compatible with previous versions.

Because no revisions to existing base board designs are necessary, future support for the already numerous applications based on the ETX range of computer-on-modules is guaranteed.

Kontron will also continue to support the entire range of ETX-PM computer-on-modules along with the new Kontron ETX-PM3.

SBC takes on graphics intensive applications

2008-02-13T01:49:00.000-08:00

MicroATX-format embedded board promises excellent performance per watt, is I/O-rich offers outstanding 3D graphics performance, impressive I/O bandwidth and outstanding reliability

The latest addition to the BVM family of industrial motherboards is the PMSA, a MicroATX format unit, based on the Socket P pinout compatible with Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile Merom processors. Optimised for a broad range of embedded applications such as interactive clients, gaming, medical, POS, digital signage, surveillance, industrial automation equipment and other graphics intensive applications, the unit offers excellent performance per watt, is I/O-rich offers outstanding 3D graphics performance, impressive I/O bandwidth and outstanding reliability.
The PMSA is based on the Intel GME965 and ICH8M chipset supporting up to 3Gbyte of RAM with a 500/833MHz selectable FSB.

On board VGA is provided by Intel GMA X3100 technology and integrated audio uses the Realtek ALC888.

I/O facilities are extensive: five RS232C ports, one RS232/422/485 port, two Intel 82573L Giga LAN interfaces, ten USB 2.0 ports, two IEEE1394 FireWire slots, three SATA interfaces, one IDE interface and a CompactFlash slot.

Expansion slots are one PCI-Express x16/x1, one PCI-Express x1, one Mini PCI, two PCI slots and one ISA slot.

There is onboard 24bit dual channel LVDS capability, a programmable 8bit GPIO interface and a 256-level watchdog timer for system reset.

Adapters ease CompactFlash integration

2008-02-11T00:03:00.001-08:00

The PC/104 multipurpose adapter is a versatile device that allows users to add Sealevel OEM products including SeaDAC Lite modules and embedded four-port USB hub

Sealevel Systems has released adapter kits that improve the functionality of PC/104 stacks by making it easier to include CompactFlash memory, hard drives and other common devices. The kits are mechanical adapters that mount to the PC/104 stack but do not interface to the stack. The interface is made using the IDE or USB connector on the device being added.
The mounting holes on the adapters are arranged with slots at the corners so the board can be mounted in-line with the PC/104 stack or rotated 180 degrees along the long axis.

The ability to choose two mounting options simplifies cable routing and access to connectors.

The PC/104 adapter kit product line is available as a CompactFlash memory adapter, 2.5in hard drive adapter and a multipurpose adapter.
All kits include standard 0.60in aluminium standoffs for mounting to the PC/104 stack.

The PC/104 CompactFlash adapter allows the user to quickly add a CompactFlash memory card in a PC/104 stack.

The CompactFlash adapter supports Type I and Type II cards, or IBM Microdrives and an on-board jumper allows the user to set the flash drive to master or slave mode.

The adapter connects to the host via an IDE interface and both 40-pin and 44-pin IDE connectors are provided.

The adapter ships with 44-pin IDE ribbon cable and a 40-pin IDE ribbon cable is available as an option.

The adapter provides the additional convenience of push-button card eject and a status LED to visibly monitor drive activity.

A CompactFlash adapter kit with a 1Gbyte memory card is available.

The PC/104 hard drive adapter provides a convenient mounting platform for a 2.5in hard drive.

The PC/104 hard drive adapter includes a 44-pin IDE ribbon cable and hard drive mounting screws.

A PC/104 adapter kit with a 60Gbyte hard drive is available.

The PC/104 multipurpose adapter is a versatile device that allows users to add Sealevel OEM products including SeaDAC Lite modules and embedded four-port USB hub.

SeaDAC Lite modules provide a low I/O count solution in a small PCB form factor and offer convenient expansion of embedded computers using only an internal USB connection.

Models are available with optically isolated inputs, Reed or Form C relay and TTL outputs.

The PC/104 multipurpose adapter includes a rectangular cutout to allow the relays on SeaDAC Lite OEM modules to clear the board so that the module is able to mount very closely to the PC/104 adapter board, further minimising the PC/104 stack height.

Acceleration adapter provides security boost

2008-02-10T23:58:00.000-08:00

The RF-330 16-core PCI-X network acceleration adapter is suitable for applications such as security network services and compression acceleration in security, storage and networking appliances

American Portwell Technology has released the RF-330 single-card acceleration adapter with built-in security. Based on the multiCore MIPS-64 technology from Cavium Networks, the RF-330 uses Cavium's Octeon CN38XX series network services processors to provide packet processing with up 16 cores to support both Host Mode for a stand-alone system board and Target Mode as a PCI-X add-on card.
Built-in security features include de/compression, encryption/decryption, regular expression, pattern matching, TCP acceleration, SSL, IPS, Antivirus and QoS (quality of service).

The RF-330 16-core PCI-X network acceleration adapter is suitable for applications such as security network services and compression acceleration in security, storage and networking appliances.

'Our customers were seeking to simplify the physical hardware required for packet optimisation without losing valuable features', says Mark Huang, American Portwell Technology's Product Marketing Manager.

'Not only does Portwell's new RF-330 advanced packet optimising card enhance our customers' x86 server with MIPS multicore power, it provides rich built-in security and expansion features in a single card that offers market-leading performance'.

'The Cavium Network Octeon engine that drives this unit can tap into as many as sixteen MIPS64 processor cores', explains Frank Shen, American Portwell Technology's Product Marketing Director.

'We've enhanced the compression performance to as high as 6Gbit/s, which we believe is the best on the market today and we've combined that with equally outstanding security acceleration for IPS/SSL and TCP of up to 10Gbit/s'.

'The RF-330 offers a full intrusion prevention/antivirus solution that uses RegEx (regular expression) pattern-matching engines with speeds of up to 4Gbit/s'.

Display alliance offers custom options

2008-02-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

Heading innovation in display systems, Huntingdon's Display Solutions has strengthened its partnership with embedded computer systems manufacturer AValue

Huntingdon's Display Solutions has strengthened its partnership with embedded computer systems manufacturer AValue. The new alliance offers the UK a seamless service from design to delivery, across all embedded sectors but with particular focus on the gaming, kiosk, medical and digital signage markets.
The new initiative will bring UK customers the opportunity to profit from both companies' technical expertise in the industrial PC arena with the addition of AValue's research and development resources.

Neil Fanthom, Operations Director for Display Solutions said 'Customers already benefit from our strong technical ability to help select the most appropriate solution from AValue's standard product line, in addition we now have the capability to expedite a custom design from concept through to production - and AValue's very capable engineering team plays a key role in this'.

Projects already in development include those in the digital signage and kiosk sectors, both capitalising on AValue's ability to adapt and introduce new customer requirements into existing technologies and products.

Martin Whitehead, Systems Manager for Display Solutions says: 'The advantage of teaming up with Avalue is they combine a terrific existing range of commercial embedded systems with the ability to work with us to develop bespoke systems'.

'That ability to cover each end of the spectrum is important for maximum scope and solutions delivery'.

Controller supports varied video sources

2008-02-07T06:26:00.000-08:00

In addition to RGB and DVI, the CRTtoLCD-8 flat panel controller board offers composite and S-Video inputs for PAL/NTSC signals, providing comprehensive support for different video sources

Kontron has added the CRTtoLCD-8 flat panel controller to its aFLAT series The Kontron CRTtoLCD-8 has a 12 - 24V power supply and is designed to support industrial applications. The flat panel controller is an interface, convertor and scaler board between graphic sources and flat panels. The Kontron CRTtoLCD-8 is mechanically compatible with the other members of the Kontron CRTtoLCD family, providing a portfolio of flat panel controllers that offers scalable interfaces and performance.
In addition to RGB and DVI, the flat panel controller board offers composite and S-Video inputs for PAL/NTSC signals, providing comprehensive support for different video sources and providing all prevalent flat panels with the right signals.

The Kontron CRTtoLCD-8 is suitable for processing signals from IPCs and video cameras, which are becoming increasingly important for industrial and security applications.

Other application areas include medical devices for endoscopy and minimally invasive surgery, POS/POI terminals and gaming machines.

Designed around the Genesis FLI5961chip, the Kontron CRTtoLCD-8 flat panel controller comes with two 24bit LVDS support for up to two flat panels with a resolution up to SXGA.

There are also a large number of cost-optimised cables for connecting relevant flat panels via the JILI30 interface.
TTL flat panels can also be connected via an adapter cable.

Other flat panels can also be accommodated.

The Kontron CRTtoLCD-8 flat panel controller board is a suitable entry level solution for flat panel convertor boards with video input.

The wide range power supply also provides new connections to industrial applications.

The Kontron CRTtoLCD-7 graphic convertor suits applications that require picture-in-picture, a TV tuner, image rotation, a screen-saver or optimised display of fast moving pictures with adaptive motion deinterlacing.

An on-screen display (OSD) keypad for changing settings and controlling the special properties of the Kontron CRTtoLCD-8 is available.

Alternatively, OSD configuration also can be carried out from a PC via the serial interface.

Once settings are optimised, they can be saved as a file and called up at any time - even for other panels.

This makes the Kontron CRTtoLCD-8 suitable for large series production, since it is not necessary to adjust every single controller manually.

Individual adjustment of the different flat panels takes place, as with other Kontron flat panel controllers, via special 'panel files', which guarantee an optimal display.

Individual firmware adjustments also can be made quickly and conveniently with the Kontron Configuration Workbench that has the same look and feel for all new controllers in the aFLAT series.

Carrier Grade Linux meets new OSDL specs

2008-02-02T02:48:00.001-08:00

FSMLabs has announced the immediate availability of a complete 64bit Carrier Grade Linux distribution qualified under the recently published OSDL Carrier Grade Linux (CGL) 3.2 specification

The new specification is far more wide ranging and rigorous than previous CGL specifications and goes further in meeting the emerging requirements of telecommunications and network equipment manufacturers. FSMLabs 'first to market' status underscores the rapid pace of the company's product roll out and development strategy.
The 2.6 Linux kernel that FSMLabs delivers with the system is plug-in compatible with FSMLabs' RTCore hard real-time technology, offering single-digit microsecond responsiveness, seamlessly available to CGL customers.

Michel Ruffin, Senior Member of the Alcatel CTO Office noted: 'FSMLabs' RTCore Enhanced Carrier Grade Linux is a long awaited solution to the need to add real-time capabilities to Linux for the telecommunications industry'.

Manas Alekar, CGL Project Leader at FSMLabs Pune India Development Centre added: 'As soon as the 3.2 specification was released, FSMLabs began an incremental upgrade to our existing real-time CGL platform and started applying our industry-leading build and test system to rigorously qualify reliability and performance'.

Carrier Grade RTLinux offers a rich capability set for communications equipment OEMs: native support for 64bit multicore and multiprocessing; real-time processor reservation; Eclipse based IDE; standards-based real-time threads programming capability; real-time Ethernet; migration tools for legacy OS platforms; and full support for running Windows XP as a guest operating system as well as the benefits of FSMLabs rigorous quality assurance.

Carrier Grade RTLinux provides a comprehensive solution for mission critical control and communications projects.
'FSMLabs core business is to provide real-time functionality as an upgrade to any Linux or BSD distribution', said FSMLabs CEO Victor Yodaiken.

'Today we are offering our customers the option of end-to-end complete solutions by adding Carrier Grade Linux and hardware platform qualification'.

FSMLabs customers include Alcatel, BBN, Harris, Pratt and Whitney, Samsung Heavy Industries, Infineon, DRDO (India), Beijing Northern Power and Sandia National Labs.

FSMLabs RTLinuxPro and RTCoreBSD meet requirements for low-latency hard real-time responsiveness without sensitivity to application load for a wide range of CPU clock rates.

Worst case interrupt latencies range from under 2us on AMD Opteron processors to 20us on low-power 100MHz ARM9 devices.

These measurements are computed while the Linux or BSD guest operating systems are fully loaded and servicing heavy network traffic.

By comparison, native Linux and BSD offer limited real-time performance, with response times for comparable operations measured in terms of milliseconds, not microseconds.

The RTCore dual kernel architecture enables developers of intelligent devices to build high-reliability systems and to support the ever-increasing software content on those devices.

Application developers can take advantage of the RTLinux and RTCoreBSD models to use standard Linux and BSD applications and services in conjunction with Posix 1003.13 real-time code that runs in the RTCore environment.

All of the enhancements in functionality and reliability required for OSDL Carrier Grade Linux are transparently available to RTLinux developers.

Additionally, RTCore provides supplementary Carrier Grade functionality not found in enterprise-derived and also embedded-type Carrier Grade Linux platforms.

With FSMLabs Carrier Grade platforms, real-time code can migrate freely between execution on RTCore and Linux/BSD clients, giving customers a true OS choice.

FSMLabs products are distributed and supported across Europe by SDC Systems.

GPS receivers gain assistance

2008-02-02T02:36:00.000-08:00

AssistNow is a complete Assisted GPS service package that brings instant positioning to any u-blox GPS-enabled device with mobile phone connectivity

The new technology cuts a GPS receiver's time to first fix (TTFF) to seconds by providing the receiver with assistance data that practically eliminates download times of data originating from the satellites. AssistNow enables applications that provide on the go, accurate and reliable location information with minimal installation and maintenance efforts.
From enhanced personal navigation services, that can be consulted on the fly from a PDA or a mobile phone, to complex, multi-user/terminal management systems for vehicles, goods or staff, the range of potential applications is broad.

'GPS users increasingly require accurate positioning data in real time, either to pinpoint a location in an emergency situation or to manage their business assets more effectively', said Karsten Tietz, VP Sales EMEA at u-blox.

'Our new off the shelf AssistNow service addresses these needs by providing a GPS position immediately when you need it'.
Standard GPS operation requires a minimum of four satellites to transmit their precise orbital position data, called Ephemeris, to the GPS receiver.

However, bad signal conditions can hinder, or even prevent, the data from downloading.

A-GPS provides assistance data, such as Ephemeris, Almanac, as well as accurate time and satellite status, which boosts acquisition performance enabling instant positioning, even under difficult signal conditions.

AssistNow accesses positioning data from a network of u-blox GPS receivers deployed globally, called the AssistNow Global Reference Network, which collects data from satellites and sends it to a dedicated AssistNow Root Server.

This server calculates the assistance data and instantly transmits it to customer user terminals or a client's proxy server.

Customers who opt for the AssistNow Direct Service package get direct access to the AssistNow Root Server.

All a customer needs is a TCP/IP Internet connection, such as a GPRS wireless network connection, to enable the data flow between the terminals and the AssistNow Root Server providing the data.

u-blox operates and maintains the server, and provides the GPS receivers for the user terminals.

Alternatively, customers with a large number of mobile devices, may choose the AssistNow Proxy Server framework, where the customer is provided with the necessary software to operate a proxy server on his/her own premises, which receives periodic data updates from the AssistNow Root Server and handles all assistance data requests locally.

Motherboard supports Intel processors

2008-01-31T23:45:00.001-08:00

The RUBY-9717VGAR motherboard is designed for applications that need more onboard integration and fewer costly add-on devices

American Portwell Technology has developed an industrial and embedded Intel Q965-based motherboard in a uATX form factor that supports all Intel mainstream desktop processors including Core2 Duo (C2D), Core 2 Quad (C2Q), Pentium D, Pentium 4 and Celeron D in the LGA-775 package. The RUBY-9717VGAR features an onboard dual VGA and DVI independent display; an ADD2 graphics card slot; one PCI-E x4 slot for nongraphical devices; two 32bit PCI expansion slots for legacy devices; six 32bit PCI expansion slots to accommodate most industrial I/O cards; six SATA-300 ports to support Intel Matrix storage technology with RAID 0, 1, 5 and 10; and RS-232/422/485 connectivity.
The industrial uATX motherboard is suitable for applications in the medical ultrasound equipment, data communications, multimedia, point-of-sale (POS) and gaming markets.

'The RUBY-9717VGAR's ability to support Intel's C2D and C2Q multicore processor architecture means it can provide developers with greater computing performance while retaining lower power consumption', says Jack Lam, American Portwell Technology's Senior Product Marketing Manager.

'However, unlike commercial motherboards, the RUBY-9717VGAR is designed specifically for applications that need more onboard integration and fewer costly add-on devices', Lam adds.

According to Lam, expansion on a typical commercial motherboard is usually restricted to one PCI-E x16 and a small amount of PCI-E x1 and PCU slots.

'While this will serve the home user and casual gamer, it is a less than satisfactory choice for the applications developed by OEMs and service providers'.
'They have completely different needs', Lam confirms.

'Portwell's RUBY-9717VGAR uATX industrial motherboard targets these needs by providing multiple onboard I/O slots'.

Frank Shen, American Portwell Technology's Product Marketing Director, believes that the new RUBY-9717VGAR is the perfect solution for applications that need small footprint and great connectivity.

'While users of commercial motherboards can add a few extra PCI-E x1 cards to accommodate the add-on Ethernet card, a true performance-oriented board such as the 4Gbyte fibre-channel or four-Port LAN card needs a minimum PCI-E x4 slot to function efficiently'.

'Medical applications are good example', he adds.

'Compared to the expensive high-end graphics card with 2x DVI output found in commercial PC, the ADD2 graphics card slot built into the new RUBY-9717VGAR enables developers to add two DVI-independent displays at a very low cost'.

'Add in up to 10 USB ports, four serial ports and an HD two-channel audio interface and the RUBY-9717VGAR becomes a powerful, cost-efficient solution for the integration-hungry applications developed by today's OEMs and service providers'.

Single-board computer meets multicore demands

2008-01-31T23:42:00.000-08:00

Two DIMM slots of dual-channel DDR II 800 RAM provide ample memory bus bandwidth for demanding applications

Aaeon has released the FSB-960H high-performance, full-size single board computer. Aaeon has developed this full-size SBC based on the latest Intel Q35 Express chipset and the Intel Core 2 Duo processor, to fulfill the increasing demands of multicore processing. The FSB-960H adopts Intel's dual-core processor at current speeds up to 2.13GHz with 1066MHz FSB to meet a wide range of performance requirements.
In a PICMG 1.3 SHB Express form factor the FSB-960H system host board takes full advantage of the Intel Q35 Express chipset for enhanced system performance and generous expansion capabilities.

Maximising the available PCI Express channels offers the greatest flexibility.

Two DIMM slots of dual-channel DDR II 800 RAM provide ample memory bus bandwidth for demanding applications.
The FSB-960H has been designed for users that require high-performance and reliability for critical applications.

'Highly complex, embedded applications that require outstanding security and manageability will benefit from high-performance SBCs, such as the Aaeon FSB-960H, using the combination of the Intel Core2 processor with the Intel Q35 Express chipset', said Joe Jensen, General Manager of Intel's Embedded Market Division.

The FSB-960H offers up to 11 USB2.0 ports through onboard connectors and out to the backplane via the card edge connector.

It also includes legacy connectors such as Mini-DIN PS/2 keyboard and a mouse connector, one IrDA header and one standard Floppy Disk Drive.

Storage needs are met with support for four SATA II with RAID functionality and a CompactFlash Type II socket capable of supporting bootable flash devices.

The versatile expansion interfaces make the FSB-960H flexible enough to fulfill various application demands.

Fanless computer suits signage applications

2008-01-30T02:30:00.000-08:00

The WPC-763 is configured to accept the barcode scanners, photo sensors, card readers, limit switches, printer and other peripherals required in POS and kiosk applications

BVM has released the WPC-763, an I/O-rich, fanless micro computer designed for applications such as digital signage, POS terminals, kiosks, ATM, thin servers, in-vehicle displays, outdoor entertainment, gaming, multimedia system and building automation.
Based on the Intel 945 GM and ICH7M chipset, two versions are available, with either Core Duo 2GHz or Celeron M 1.86GHz low-power processors.

The systems fully support Vista as well as Window XP and XP Embedded.

With six COM ports, a GPIO port for data collection and unit management, two USB 2.0 ports and a LPT port, the I/O-rich unit is ready-configured to accept the barcode scanners, photo sensors, card readers, limit switches, printer and other peripherals required in POS and kiosk applications without having to install additional cards.

Power input is 12 - 28V DC with robust on-board voltage conversions that isolate the unit from voltage spikes and current surges likely to be encountered in automotive applications.

An anti-vibration drive bay provides protection from shock and vibration.

The watchdog timer function automatically resets in the event of a software crash to maximise system up-time in embedded public applications.

Wide-range embedded board upgrades for compliance

2008-01-30T02:13:00.000-08:00

RoHS-compliant extended temperature board is based on the low-power-consumption AMD SC520 CPU for fanless operation

VersaLogic has released a RoHS-compliant version of its popular extended temperature Lynx single board computer for embedded applications. Featuring the same high reliability and technical specifications as its non-RoHS counterpart, the Lynx EPM-4h is rated to operate in temperatures from -40 to +85C.
The Lynx uses the AMD SC520 CPU for low power draw (less than 5W) and fanless operation.

Key features of the Lynx include soldered-on system RAM, four COM ports, 10/100 Ethernet, watchdog timer and VCC sensor, and a CompactFlash adapter.

The extended temperature Lynx is well-suited for OEM applications that require rock solid performance in extreme or harsh conditions.

The introduction of this RoHS-compliant extended temperature product demonstrates VersaLogic's continuing commitment to support embedded computing applications that are subject to RoHS regulations.

Pricing for the EPM-4h starts at around US $400 in OEM quantities.

Baseboard offers scalable processor performance

2008-01-28T05:40:00.000-08:00

The ETXexpress miniBaseboard meets the design guidelines of the COM Express Extension and all the interfaces are dedicated for accelerated application testing

Kontron has released the ETXexpress miniBaseboard, a compact and COM Express compliant system with a footprint of 170 x 145mm. For applications designed to run on COM Express-compliant designs, the Kontron ETXexpress miniBaseboard serves as a universal platform for rapid software validation.
It is a cost-effective alternative to time-consuming full custom designs for small-volume projects based on COM Express compliant ETXexpress modules.

These include the ETXexpress-PM (Intel Pentium M, Intel Celeron M), ETXexpress-CD (Intel Core Duo), ETXexpress-MC (Intel Core2 Duo) and ETXexpress -CN8 (VIA C7 processor).

The ETXexpress miniBaseboard meets the design guidelines of the COM Express Extension and all the interfaces are dedicated for accelerated application testing with freely scalable processor performance.

Therefore, time-to market for COM Express-compliant ETXexpress embedded applications is significantly reduced.

OEM customers benefit from long-term availability, robust construction and a function-tested, future-proof design.
At 170 x 145mm and a height of only 1U including computer-on-module, the Kontron ETXexpress miniBaseboard has a compact design for easy integration in almost every embedded application.

OEMs also benefit from the optional power input ranging from 8.5V to 18V provided by the four-pin ATX power connecter that makes integration into different applications even more convenient.

The Kontron ETXexpress miniBaseboard provides communication interfaces including one PCI Express slot, one ExpressCard54 slot on the backside, one 32 bit PCI slot, six USB 2.0 slots (four on the front and 2 on the pin header) and one gigabit Ethernet interface.

Storage media can connect to ETXexpress computer-on-modules via four SerialATA interfaces.

One CF card slot and a 44-pin IDE interface are offered.

The Kontron ETXexpress miniBaseboard also provides S3 cold support for PC sleep modes.

Flat panels are controlled via two standardised JILI LVDS interfaces.

Development environment speeds PC configuration

2008-01-28T05:32:00.000-08:00

The Artigo offers external connectivity to the PS/2 port, 10/100 Ethernet connection and VGA output as well as audio ports and four USB 2.0 ports

Trident has released the Artigo from Via, an evaluation and development environment supporting the popular Pico-ITX. The Artigo Pico-ITX builder kit from Trident will enable embedded system designers to quickly configure a fully functioning PC based on the Pico-ITX motherboard for software development, debugging and pre-production testing.
Once the evaluation hardware is assembled, the operating system can be installed, providing a fully functioning platform.

The kit contains a Via EPia PX10000 Pico-ITX board, chassis, power adapter and accessories.

The Artigo offers external connectivity to all the I/O ports and functionality on the motherboard, including the PS/2 port, 10/100 Ethernet connection and VGA output as well as audio ports and four USB 2.0 ports.

Simply add RAM and a hard disk to enable a fully functioning PC solution.

At just 150 x 109mm the Artigo is suitable for applications with limited space.

The Pico-ITX motherboard offers a combination of high specifications, small size and low power consumption.

The board delivers a fully functioning multimedia PC, drawing approximately 20W when under full load.

The board can support up to 1Gbyte of DDR2 533 SODIMM system memory and boasts a Via UniChrome Pro II AGP 3D/2D graphics core, MPEG2/4 and WMV9 hardware decoding acceleration as well as a dedicated HD audio Codec.

The Artigo can accept a 2.5in IDE hard disk drive.

This compact but powerful PC solution is compatible with popular PC operating systems such as Windows 2000/XP, WinCE and Windows XP Embedded.

Universal submodule cuts design times

2008-01-17T23:53:00.000-08:00

MEN Micro's USM concept uses one or more IP cores in an FPGA to help designers easily and quickly turn individual I/O requirements into production-ready products

MEN Micro is now offering its FPGA-based Universal Submodule (USMT) concept on two additional mezzanine cards; the P699 XMC and the P598 conduction-cooled PMC (ccPMC). All products based on MEN Micro's USM concept use one or more IP cores in an FPGA to help designers easily and quickly turn individual I/O requirements into production-ready products, reducing design time and costs.
The use of Cyclone FPGAs on the two new cards enables exceptional I/O combinations in a very small space for moderate volumes and at a low cost.

The P699 XMC uses a Cyclone III FPGA with 24,624 LE (logic elements) and the P598 ccPMC features a Cyclone II with 33,216 LE.

Different IP cores allow users to change the functionality of either card without any hardware modifications to the main module.

The corresponding line drivers are implemented on the individually designed USM submodule that plugs into the main XMC or ccPMC.

Because they function independently of other electronic components, the IP cores provide trouble-free, long-term operation over a temperature range of -40C to +85C.

A Nios soft core processor, which features 32Mbyte of DDR2 SDRAM main memory and 2Mbyte (P598) or 4Mbyte (P699) Flash memory, is implemented on the FPGA providing local intelligence to the main module.

A USM development package includes a main PMC with a USM submodule, test hardware and an FPGA package with a Nios CPU, memory control, connection to the PMC, Avalon/Wishbone bridges and detailed documentation.

The Wishbone Bus Maker tool from MEN is included for development of IP cores on the standard Wishbone bus.

The Nios core and the development of IP cores on the Avalon bus require Altera 's Quartus II design environment including the SOPC builder.

MEN Micro also offers design and implementation of IP cores, design of the USM submodules as well as production of main modules and submodules.

In addition to the two new cards, the USM Universal Submodule I/O family also consists of the P599 PMC and the M199 M-Module.

Small form factor board has multiple connectors

2008-01-17T23:37:00.000-08:00

EPIC-format single board computer provides the performance required for embedded systems, transportation, panel PCs or digital signage

Available now from Acrosser Technology, the AR-B5230 is an EPIC-format single board computer that provides the performance required for embedded systems, transportation, panel PCs or digital signage. The most important feature of the EPIC board is that all locations of connectors are specified, which means it is a standard form factor.
Designers can easily upgrade the board if they have further performance requirements in the future.

The AR-B5230 is also a small form factor board but with multiple connectors on the board edge.

This can help reduce cable routing, resulting in a smaller overall system.

The board uses the Intel 915GME chipset allowing the addition of economical DDRII memory, SATA interface HDDs, and the cost-effective CPUs.

Single-board computer supports Intel processors

2008-01-10T04:06:00.000-08:00

The EP830 embedded board offers improved graphics and increased I/O bandwidth and provides excellent flexibility for a wide range of embedded applications

Axiomtek has introduced an EPIC form factor single board computer (SBC), the EP830, which supports Socket M Intel Core2 Duo, Core Duo and Core Solo processors with 533/667 MHz front side bus (FSB). Powered by a Mobile Intel 945GME+ICH7M Express chipset, this embedded board offers improved graphics and increased I/O bandwidth and provides excellent flexibility for a wide range of embedded applications like digital signage appliance (DSA,) DVR, POS and gaming markets.
The EP830 has a mainstream DVI-I interface onboard, which integrates DVI-D (digital video) and CRT (analogue video) displays as well as 24bit single/dual-channel LVDS that can maximise the visual quality on flat panel LCD and digital projectors.

The Mobile Intel 945GME Express Chipset provides remote asset management capabilities and improved storage speed and reliability.

'Based on Intel Core 2 Duo processor, the EP830 is designed to supply powerful energy-efficient performance so users can do multiple tasks at once without slowing down' said Peter Pen, Vice President of Embedded Computing Division.

'Axiomtek's EPIC standard form factor single board computer has targeted features in a tiny size and offers system developers a ready-made board weapon for application deployment like gaming, POS, digital signage and more'.

Additionally, dual gigabit Ethernet ports are connected from PCIe x1 bus for full-speed 1000 Base-T networking connectivity.

It comes with two IEEE1394a ports, four USB 2.0 ports, eight Digital I/Os, four COM ports and CompactFlash for SSD storage devices.

Modular FPGA and DSP power goes industrial

2008-01-10T04:04:00.000-08:00

Analogue interface module is redesigned with industrial-rated components and a new thermal design that doubles as a Faraday cage for shielding purposes

Sundance Multiprocessor Technology has created a new version of its best-selling SMT370 DAQ module, re-engineered with full industrial specifications. For five years the standard SMT370 has provided physicists, researchers, system engineers and scientists with a high-quality and tightly integrated analogue interface for their digital signal processing applications.
Now, in addition to the installation of industrial-rated components, the heatsink and fan arrangement of the standard version has been replaced by a custom-made anodised aluminium heatsink which doubles as a Faraday cage, protecting the analogue signals from noise.

With no airflow the system is rated to an ambient temperature of 40C, and has no moving parts to replace.

'After five years' success as a flagship dual-channel ADC and DAC module, it's time this flexible and capable product was available for more industrial purposes', says Flemming Christensen, Managing Director of Sundance Multiprocessor Technology.This is a significant milestone in our programme to bring our modular FPGA and DSP power to industrial applications'.

The compact SMT370-I offers a pair of 14bit ADCs clocked at 105MHz and a pair of 16bit DACs clocked up to 400MHz with interpolation.

These are integrated with a large Xilinx Virtex-II FPGA.

The module can be combined with Sundance's extensive range of DSP, FPGA, storage and radio modules to create full digital processing systems from COTS parts.

With comprehensive support from 3L Diamond FPGA, the SMT370 is easily integrated into complex arrays of modules, with all the otherwise tiresome configuration and communication functions handled behind the scenes using a simple but powerful GUI.

The SMT370-I is available now for a 10-off price of US $6245, and OEM prices are available on request.

Board deal completes embedded coverage

2008-01-10T04:02:00.000-08:00

Addition of Lanner's x86-based processor boards allows DSP Design to offer a solution to almost every embedded computing application

DSP Design has been appointed as the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Lanner of Taiwan. Lanner produces a broad range of applied and industrial computing products that include low-cost high-performance x86-based processor boards in a number of form factors. These products are ideally suited for markets such as gaming, digital signage, kiosks etc.
DSP Design has a long track record in the UK embedded market and offers a range of small-form-factor low-power-consumption RISC-based products.

The combination of these two product ranges allows DSP design to offer a solution to almost every embedded computing application.

DSP Design has worked with Microsoft to offer comprehensive support for Windows Embedded operating systems.

The company will be using this expertise to offer QuickStart Windows Embedded solutions for the Lanner products.

DSP Design's technical expertise and product support has recently been acknowledged by Microsoft, which awarded DSP Design the Windows Embedded Partner Excellence award for EMEA.

PowerPC SBCs to gain secure RTOS port

2008-01-03T02:03:00.000-08:00

Aitech Defense Systems is working with LynuxWorks to provide comprehensive high performance modular computing and integrated subsystems for aerospace, defence and industrial applications

The companies will first port LynuxWorks' popular LynxOS RTOS operating system family to Aitech's ruggedised, conduction-cooled PowerPC VMEbus and CompactPCI platforms of single board computers (SBCs). This will provide developers with lowered development cost, faster turnaround with reduced time to market, and one of the industry's highest density computing platforms for sophisticated embedded real-time systems.
Aitech has long supported customer-configured LynxOS on some of its SBCs, and this combined hardware/software solution represents the first Posix conformant and Linux binary compatible operating system to be ported native on Aitech's PowerPC SBC platform.

Doug Patterson, Aitech Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing, said: 'By combining the extensive talents of Aitech with those of LynuxWorks, we can provide more comprehensive, integrated hardware and software solutions to the designers who are working in ruggedised computing environments throughout the military, rugged and commercial markets'.

Patterson continued: 'The integrated, software development environment we can now provide under a flexible and powerful operating system like LynxOS, will enable our customers to focus their attentions on what they do best - their application software - not struggle to get the hardware to function'.

Robert Day, Vice President of Marketing, LynuxWorks, noted: 'The LynxOS family of real time operating systems is both a proven solution as well as a widely popular choice for embedded computing applications'.

1U controller takes charge of multiple I/Os

2008-01-03T02:02:00.000-08:00

An input output controller (IOC) maximises functionality and options by incorporating plug-in industry packs together with a PMC card

Hytec Electronics now offers a compact, self contained 1U high rack mounted IOC with six industry pack slots each with a mini signal conditioning card, one PMC slot and a PC104+ processor, with Ethernet network (10/100)MHz, USB, hard disc and 256Mbyte RAM (up to 1Gbyte CompactFlash optional).
The 9010 IOC will run with Linux, Windows XP or with the open source RTEMS real time embedded system.

Hytec provide software drivers for these operating systems.

As a system component it is available as an EPICS IOC running either RTEMS or Linux, or as an OPC server allowing operation with most Scada packages.
It also supports TCP/IP sockets interface and HTML web browser access.

Six sites are provided for industry packs (IPs), providing a wide range of I/O functions.

An open specification defines the key characteristics ensuring compatibility between suppliers.

A rich mix of functionality is possible by using these plug-in cards.

They are very compact in size and include an ID PROM which aids auto-configuration.

A broad range of products is available from suppliers all over the world.

These include ADC, DAC, I/O, isolated I/O, RS232, RS485, stepper motor controllers and scalers.

In addition a PMC card slot provides access to the wide range of specialist cards.

Each industry pack has a signal conditioning board which allows conditioning and plant isolation to be added.

50-way SCSI II connectors are used so that inexpensive, commercially available cables can be used with Hytec's range of DIN-rail terminal boards for connection to plant wiring.

Five cooling fans are fitted, all controllable remotely or locally with automatic temperature control.

Embedded CPU has six appeal for serial ports

2008-01-03T02:00:00.000-08:00

The days of CPUs lacking enough serial ports are now behind us with the introduction of Sensoray Model 303, a CPU that comes standard with six

Two are full-featured RS-232s and the remaining four are three-wire ports. Rapid communication is available from two USB 2.0 channels and one 1000Base-T Ethernet port. The 303's low power Elan SC520 runs at 133MHz and is x86 code compatible. It comes supplied with 32Mbyte of soldered-on Flash memory, a socket for a CompactFlash memory card and a socket for 128Mbyte of SDRAM.
Programmed into the onboard flash is the system BIOS which enables portable applications and operating system via the CompactFlash module.

Hard drive storage is also available through the IDE port.

The 303's bus driver ICs enable addition of up to five PC/104 boards to the same stack.

A built-in watchdog timer can reset the CPU and external circuitry.

Ultracompact mainboard is easy to embed

2008-01-03T01:59:00.000-08:00

The EPIA CN-Series Mini-ITX mainboard is the latest in the range of VIA C7-processor-based ultracompact platforms boasting an average power consumption of just 16W

The VIA EPIA CN-Series Mini-ITX mainboard is the latest in the range of VIA C7-processor-based ultracompact platforms boasting an average power consumption of just 16W. With VIA's hallmark rich integration in the ultracompact Mini-ITX form factor, the VIA EPIA CN mainboard is a flagship example of VIA's 'embedded made easy' philosophy to small form factor computing that enables developers to bring powerful digital media appliances products to market simply and quickly.
Initiated with its introduction of the Mini-ITX form factor in 2002, this philosophy has been part of VIA's proactive efforts to offer more affordable and flexible embedded computing products.

Boasting the highly power efficient VIA C7 processor at speeds of 1 or 1.3GHz, along with the VIA CN700 digital media chipset integrating the VIA UniChrome Pro 2D/3D graphics with hardware MPEG-2 acceleration, dual monitor support, VIA Vinyl multichannel audio, a PCI legacy port, support for up to 1Gbyte of DDR2 400/533MHz memory and SATA II RAID, the VIA EPIA CN mainboard sets new standards for small form factor innovation.

'The VIA EPIA CN mainboard is a model embedded space workhorse that makes possible rapid development for a wide spectrum of applications', said Daniel Wu, Head of VIA Embedded Platform Division, VIA Technologies.

'As the world advances towards a totally digital lifestyle, the role of highly integrated, ultra compact x86 platforms becomes ever more important, and our VIA EPIA mainboards are helping to drive this transition'.

Based on the advanced VIA CoolStream architecture and manufactured using the state-of-the-art 90nm process, the VIA C7 processor together with the VIA EPIA CN mainboard offers a highly energy efficient platform that includes VIA PowerSaver 3.0 technology and reduces memory power consumption by over 50% through DDR2 support to make possible leading performance per watt.
Designed to inspire a new generation of powerful digital media appliances, the powerful and flexible VIA EPIA CN Mini-ITX mainboard is available with either the 1.3 or 1.0GHz VIA C7 processor and boasts the ultra efficient VIA V4 bus interface and VIA CN700 digital media chipset.

The VIA EPIA CN Mini-ITX sets new standards for feature completeness and flexibility to make embedded development easy.

Its feature set includes the VIA UniChrome Pro IGP graphics processor that offers users smooth and crystal clear video using MPEG-2 hardware acceleration and the Chromotion CE engine with DuoView+, six-channel audio, a legacy PCI port, S-Video and RCA outputs as well as serial, parallel and USB ports for unparalleled connectivity options.

Also supported by the ultra compact mainboard is up to 1Gbyte of DDR2 400/533MHz memory, native SATA II RAID 0 and 1, and 10/100Mbit/s broadband Ethernet.

Integrated into the VIA C7 processor is the world's most advanced x86 hardware security, the VIA PadLock security engine.

Featuring the world's fastest x86 AES encryption engine, VIA PadLock offers a comprehensive sets of tools to enable developers to seamlessly offload the computational process involved in complex security algorithms freeing processor load to handle more data faster.

Gaming platforms suit multiple countries

2008-01-03T01:57:00.000-08:00

The AGB model AR-B5600 gaming board uses Intel's GME965 mobile chipset, which supports dual and single-core mobile processors

Acrosser is exhibiting two new all-in-one gaming platforms and series of fanless embedded systems at ICE. Acrosser's All-in-One products feature digital I/O with an interrupt, timer, intrusion logger, SRAM, security, RNG, ccTalk and read-only RTC. These products are designed to meet GLI, BMM and other gaming regulations.
Acrosser also provides ODM services by modifying the standard products to meet the legal requirements of specific countries.

The two new all-in-one gaming platforms added to Acrosser's Wager series include an AGB (Acrosser Gaming Bus) board with backplane and a JAMMA/72-pin interface gaming board.

The AGB model AR-B5600 gaming board uses Intel's GME965 mobile chipset, which supports dual and single-core mobile processors.

The JAMMA interface AR-B5292 gaming board is an extended model of the AR-B5290.

This Intel GME915 basis AR-B5292 offers a PCI Express video acceleration card slot, Hagiwara bNand support and on board chassis intrusion switches.

All products in the Acrosser Wager series are supported by the same AGC (Acrosser Gaming Core) device driver and API for Windows XP, Windows CE and Linux.

The design reduces development time.

PC-based embedded computers are based on Intel and AMD's processor and chipsets: from a low-cost 486 to high-performance dual-core processors.

The single-board computers are designed with form factors such as EPIC, 3.5in and PC-104 plus.

Embedded modules ease networked applications

2008-01-03T01:56:00.000-08:00

Rabbit Semiconductor's modules provide a hassle-free way to develop Ethernet and wireless applications around Rabbit 8bit microprocessors

Already an established distributor of Digi International products, Solid State Supplies has now been appointed to distribute the Rabbit Semiconductor range. Offering customers a complete embedded design system, including low-cost development kits and comprehensive technical support for both hardware and software, Rabbit Semiconductor's modules provide a hassle-free way to develop Ethernet and wireless applications around Rabbit 8bit microprocessors.
Network-enabled RabbitCores are ideal for reducing OEM development time.

Solid State's Technical Director Richard Bethell commented: 'The addition of Rabbit Semiconductor to Solid State's portfolio of modular processing solutions allows Solid State to offer solutions across the entire performance and price spectrum'.

Compact computer puts processor on CompactFlash

2007-12-27T01:54:00.000-08:00

Based on the Analog Devices BF533 Blackfin processor, entry-level CoCo systems are clocked at 500MHz with 32Mbyte SDRAM and 8Mbyte Flash

C Data Solutions, the company that developed a complete ucLinux SBC in CompactFlash format, has released its successor, the CoCo (compact computer) which has been designed in line with customer feedback. The new unit maintains the CompactFlash format (42 x 37 x 5mm) but adds new features and improved performance to address many new application areas.
Based on the Analog Devices BF533 Blackfin processor, entry-level CoCo systems are clocked at 500MHz with 32Mbyte SDRAM and 8Mbyte Flash.

The systems can be upgraded to 600 or 750MHz processors, 64Mbyte SDRAM and 16Mbyte Flash.

The CoCo has two 50-way connectors, one of which provides access to all the Blackfin peripherals, including: a parallel peripheral interface supporting ITU-R 656 video data formats; a dual-channel full-duplex synchronous serial port supporting eight stereo I2S channels; an SPI-compatible port; three timer/counters with PWM support; a UART with support for IrDA; and a debug/JTAG interface.
What makes CoCo different is the second (bottom) connector.

This provides 46 digital I/O lines from an onboard FPGA, which is programmed as a CompactFlash COM port.

This allows the CoCo to be plugged directly into a CF slot on any host computer.

This could be a laptop, PDA or legacy equipment, and opens up new markets, such as: secure applications/encryption on laptops or PDAs; software acceleration for existing products and legacy equipment nearing the end of life; adding additional I/O; and FPGA acceleration.

The interface also supports a host mode, which allows the CoCo to drive the CompactFlash and control other CompactFlash cards.

This allows miniature systems to be constructed.

The FPGA can also be reprogrammed to provide any interface.

Whether this is used to mop up system glue logic, provide proprietary buses or build multiprocessor systems using shared memory or message passing is completely up to the user.

The CoCo FPGA can be reprogrammed to mimic any CF interface.

It can be programmed to be a storage card.

Processor modules take masses of storage onboard

2007-12-27T01:53:00.000-08:00

Onboard mass storage provides even more performance and easier design than any other alternative in its price range

New from Rabbit, the RCM4300 series of RabbitCore modules enables a new generation of applications that use more memory for data and code. The onboard mass storage provides even more performance and easier design than any other alternative in its price range. Software design is supported by a new release of Rabbit's Dynamic C tools.
Dynamic C version 10.21 includes the new Megabyte Code Support (MCS), enabling designers to use over 1Mbyte of SRAM for shared code and data.

Pin-compatible with the complete family of Rabbit 4000 based core modules, the RCM4300 supports twice as much code space compared with any other Rabbit core module, enabling complex embedded applications such as data encryption and security-enabled web servers.

The RCM4300 series also provides the capability to implement up to 1Gbyte of storage using an industry standard miniSD memory card.

To ease design effort and reduce development time, the RCM4300 development kit is available.

The development kit has all the essentials needed to design a microprocessor-based embedded system with mass storage.

The kit includes an RCM4300 with a 512Mbyte miniSD card, a prototyping board, accessories, and development tools to get design engineers up and running quickly.

Along with our industry-proven Dynamic C integrated development software - incorporating an editor, compiler and in-circuit debugger - there is also the FAT file system familiar to many programmers, RabbitWeb for creating HTML web pages, and Rabbit's Secure Socket Layer (SSL) utility.

Pentium-based SBCs go to extremes

2007-12-27T01:50:00.000-08:00

Single board computers combine high performance with maximum reliability, guaranteed 5-year availability, RoHS compliance and tolerance for extreme conditions

Two new RoHS compliant versions of the popular Cobra single board computer from VersaLogic Corp offer a choice of standard (0 to 60C) and extended (-40 to +85C) temperature ranges. These new single board computers combine high performance with maximum reliability, guaranteed 5-year availability, RoHS compliance and, in the case of the extended temperature version, a tolerance for extreme conditions.
The extended temperature and standard temperature Cobra are both appropriate for high-end applications in transportation, automation, medical equipment, and other areas where extreme reliability is needed.

Using the innovative Intel Pentium M processor and 855 GME chipset, the new Cobras are complete single board computers on an EBX platform.

The EBX-12p (standard temperature version) features a 1.8GHz Pentium M processor, whereas the EBX 12t (extended temperature version) features a 1.0GHz Pentium M processor.

Both boards include onboard support for up to 2Gbyte of RAM, Extreme Graphics 2 video, Ethernet, USB, serial communication and analogue and digital I/O.

The new boards include specialised reliability features, such as TVS devices to protect against ESD damage, a watchdog timer and CPU temperature sensor, and an OEM-enhanced field-upgradeable embedded BIOS.

Off the shelf options include Gigabit Ethernet, analogue I/O and a pass-through PC/104-Plus connector.

Customisations include conformal coating, customised BIOS, and many other options.

Module takes control with IEEE1588

2007-12-19T22:06:00.000-08:00

Microcontroller module outperforms competing solutions based on the ARM, XScale and PowerPC architectures, claiming new standards for performance, cost and energy efficiency

IEEE1588 is a clock synchronisation standard for communication devices, which has seen a dramatic increase in interest over the past year. It is today seen as a fundamental cornerstone for future communication systems- wired and wireless, professional and consumer. IEEE1588 enables these to be synchronised to GPS accuracy and enable the quality of service required for future communication systems.
Imsys addresses these new, demanding applications with the introduction of the IM3220-BA10 MCU and the single board reference module that have been shown to deliver telecomms, ITU G.8261, compliance.

With a size only one-quarter that of a business card, 24 x 45mm, the IM3220 module delivers best-in-class sync quality at less than 1/10th the power of the competitors and only 20-25% of their memory needs.

Smaller footprint on the motherboard, as well as fewer connections and glue components result in the lowest-cost bill of materials.

Industry expert Dr Nick Tredennick says: 'Unlike microprocessors, such as ARM and PowerPC that were designed for workstation and desktop computing, the IM3220 MCU has been designed and optimised for embedded applications'.

'Imsys microcontrollers are faster, cheaper, and more power-efficient than complex, high-power, compute-oriented microprocessors that have been adapted to the embedded market
'User programmable on-chip microcode enables Imsys MCUs to adapt efficiently to a broad range of embedded applications'.

The IM3220 represents a new type of platform components from Imsys.

It combines the best features of traditional CISC architectures and efficient use of resources with FPGA flexibility for a predefined application - time synchronisation.

It dramatically reduces the cost of the external (local) oscillator when high precision time is communicated by the IEEE1588 protocol.

The outstanding accuracy of the IM3220 comes from the ability to analyse and act on gate level in real-time.

The IM3220 MCU supports two 10/100 Ethernet ports, three UARTs with 920Kbit/s, I2C or SPI port, and eight DMA channels with a sustained 83Mbyte/s throughput.

Imsys' complete offering includes RTOS, TCP/IP-stack, fail-safe flash file system, and an IEEE1588 protocol stack.

With Imsys' full-fledged development system, the customer can concentrate on the application without worrying about software integration problems.

The drop-in module offers the customer low risk development and short time to market.

The IM3220-BA10 MCU is available now with a price of US $16.58 in quantities of 10,000.

The IM3220-M210 module comes with 32Mbyte of DRAM, 8Mbyte of Flash and clock circuitry and is available now at a price of US $98.00 in 1000-unit quantities.

SBC extends to extremes

2007-12-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

Extended temperature single board computer features a high-reliability design, low power consumption (less than 5W) and a robust complement of onboard I/O options

VersaLogic has produced an extended temperature version of the popular Python single board computer with a high-reliability design, low power consumption (less than 5W) and a robust complement of onboard I/O options. Like other Python boards, this Python version includes VersaLogic's new SPX expansion interface that allows users to easily add a wide-range of low-cost I/O options to the system.
The Python boards use AMD's energy-saving LX 800 processor.

It features the standard x86 architecture to support familiar user interfaces and operating system environments.

The processor consumes very little power (less than 1W) and is one of the highest performance-per-watt CPUs available
The extended temperature Python version is designed to operate in environments from -40 to +85C.

Standard onboard features include a 200-pin socket accepting up to 1Gbyte of 333MHz DDR RAM, four COM ports, four USB 2.0 ports, dual Ethernet ports, IDE, LPT, digital I/O, analogue input, audio I/O and keyboard/mouse support.

The new board also includes integrated SVGA and LVDS flat-panel support with MMX and 3DNow for video-intensive applications.

System expansion is supported by the PC/104-Plus interface (for ISA and PCI addon modules), and VersaLogic's new SPX interface for simplified I/O expansion.

The Python may also be used as a CPU module for a larger system, by plugging it into a proprietary base board that includes specific user I/O circuitry.

The extended temperature Python is ideal for aerospace, homeland security, medical and industrial applications that require high reliability under harsh environments.

Fully RoHS-compliant and designed to meet EU Directive 2002/95/EC, this board is suited for markets in Europe, California, China and other areas where restrictions on the use of hazardous materials in electronic components are in force.

As with other VersaLogic embedded computer boards, the Python includes a customisable, OEM-enhanced BIOS that is field-upgradeable.

Computer-on-module saves with low-power CPUs

2007-12-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

Reconfigurable module comes with Java onboard

2007-12-19T21:53:00.001-08:00

The IM3910 claims new standards for energy efficiency due to its compact code, efficient control logic and patented memory interface

The IM3910 is the newest member of Imsys' IM3000 platform family of RSoC reconfigurable system on chip products. Its high energy efficiency and ability to deliver a sustained throughput of 83Mbyte/s makes it an ideal choice for I/O-demanding cost and power sensitive devices. The combination with Java makes it useful for applications such as automation networking, battery powered devices, Internet connected equipment, and Java enabled remote control, point of purchase systems and facility management.
The Java Virtual Machine is an integral part of the MCU, which reduces the JVM interpretation overhead leading to lower power consumption and longer battery life.

The IM3910 sets new standards for energy efficiency due to its compact code, efficient control logic and patented memory interface.

Using Java the developer gets done faster doesn't need to learn anything Imsys specific and hidden by the Java API.

API support includes efficient networking and the designer can mix and match between Java, C and assembler.

The DK3-3910 development kit is up to speed in 15 minutes and contains everything needed for developing and debugging.
The IM3910 is an ideal platform for prototype work and the module can be used as a component in OEM products.

The module has 32Mbyte of DRAM and 8Mbyte of Flash memory and only needs to be complemented with the customer specific peripherals and power supply.

A product usually needs less DRAM and Flash than on the development kit.

The IM3910 combines the best features of traditional CISC architectures and energy efficient use of resources with 'FPGA-like' flexibility.

IM3910 MCU supports dual 10/100 Ethernet ports, three UARTs with 920Kbit/s, I2C or high speed, up to 20Mbit/s, SPI port, and has eight DMA channels with a sustained 83Mbyte/s throughput.

'The introduction of the IM3910 represents yet another milestone for Imsys and offer better performance, more features and lower system cost and power consumption than its predecessor', says Ola Andersson, Imsys President and CEO.

Imsys' complete offering includes RTOS, TCP/IP-stack, fail-safe Flash file system and embedded web server.

With Imsys' full-fledged development system, the customer can concentrate on the application without worrying about software integration problems.

The drop-in module offers the customer low risk development and short time to market and is ideal for customers that want a speed and feature upgrade from TINI or SNAP.

The IM3910-BA10 167MHz MCU is available now at a price of US $14.20 in 10,000-unit quantities.

The IM3910-M210 module comes with 32Mbyte DRAM and 8Mbyte Flash and is available now at a price of US $76.00 in 1000-unit quantities.

Reconfigurable module comes with Java onboard

2007-12-19T21:53:00.000-08:00

Distributor boosts Sensoray's European presence

2007-12-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

Enciris Technologies has recently become a distributor for Sensoray in Europe, and will provide full technical and application support for its products
'By providing a timely technical support for the European customers, and by being based in Europe, we feel that we can expand Sensoray's position within the global market', comments Phillip Weissfloch, President of Enciris Technologies and former Engineering Manager for Sensoray

PC/104 board tackles demanding applications

2007-12-05T20:57:00.000-08:00

The new Vega86-6247 is designed to handle the most demanding of industrial applications and interfaces with a wide choice of displays

Providing 533MHz of processing power from the Via Mark CoreFusion CPU, the new Vega86-6247 from Icop Technology is designed to handle the most demanding of industrial applications and interfaces with a wide choice of displays. The PC/104 standard board has 256Mbyte of SDRAM system memory with 16Mbyte and above of Flash disk support.
The L1 and L2 caches are both 64Kbyte and the computer supports VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA and DSTN/TFT flat panel interfaces with an integrated 2D/3D AGP4X graphics with an MPEG2 accelerator.

Shared system memory is 8, 16 or 32Mbyte.

LAN is catered for by a Realtek 8100B 10/100Mbit/s Ethernet controller with half/full duplex capability and audio is fully compliant with AC97 V2.0.

The board has a range of I/O interfaces including enhanced IDE, FDD, five RS232 ports, RS485, parallel, USB and Ethernet.

All of these major features are contained in a 102 x 144mm package, powered by a 5V supply and will operate in temperatures between -20 and +60C.

Promotion for Grabow

2007-12-05T20:56:00.000-08:00

Jurgen Grabow is the new Vice President of Sales EMEA at Kontron

Effective 1st September 2006, Jurgen Grabow (42) is the new Vice President of Sales EMEA at Kontron. A Certified Engineer, Grabow studied electrical engineering at the RWTH in Aachen, Germany, and then initially worked in sales and product management of electronic measurement technology and industrial computers.

Since 2005, he has been responsible for sales in Central Europe at Kontron.

System-on-module fits space-constrained kit

2007-11-21T03:29:00.000-08:00

Anders Electronics has a new, highly advanced system-on-module featuring Intel's 915 Express chipset, a powerful Pentium M processor and dual-channel DDR2 RAM

Measuring just 90 x 70mm and offering all the features needed for a complete PC, the CM-iPM system-on-module (SoM) can fit into extremely space-constrained applications that nonetheless require high levels of performance from the vast library of standard PC software. Despite its small size, the CM-iPM offers more features than larger SoM alternatives at a competitive cost - starting from US $225 including the processor and memory.

It allows the integration of many different types of external electronic devices through PCI and LPC buses, and includes three 5Gbit/s PCI Express channels, and so it is ideally suited to test, measurement and control applications.

A range of standard and legacy peripheral interfaces are also provided, including six USB2.0 ports, dual LAN (including one gigabit Ethernet channel), PS/2 keyboard and mouse, GPIO, RS232, infra-red, SMBus, IDE and Serial ATA.

An onboard 512Mbyte Flash disk can remove the need for an external hard disk, which greatly improves reliability.
Multimedia support is provided through the onboard Intel Azalia high definition audio and a PCI Express GMA900 graphics controller supporting dual screen video, VGA, TTL LCD and dual-channel LVDS outputs with 3D and video playback acceleration.

With its high-performance embedded BIOS and support for industrial operating systems, the CM-iPM can look completely unlike a standard PC, with the boot and setup screens hidden, but accessible by serial port.

This can increase the perceived value of the end application.

Anders Electronics' system-on-modules are interchangeable, allowing a wide range of performances with modules available on three different processor architectures: ARM, PowerPC and x86.

This can save designers months, compared with trying to integrate with a standard SBC or designing their own solution.

COM Express module keeps power down

2007-11-21T03:28:00.000-08:00

For applications in which low power consumption is of high importance, the CXB-CD945 COM Express module is based on the Intel Celeron M-Processor ULV 423

For applications in which low power consumption is of high importance, MSC Vertriebs has developed the CXB-CD945 COM Express module based on the Intel Celeron M-Processor ULV (Ultra Low Voltage) 423. The processor features a low power dissipation of just 5.5W (thermal design power) at a clock frequency of 1.06GHz.

The CXB-CD945 COM Express module incorporates optional security functions allowing only the customer-owned user software (IP) to be executed on the module.

To achieve this innovative capability, the Trusted Core BIOS by Phoenix Technologies is implemented on the module, in addition to the TPM-Chip (Trusted Platform Module) from Infineon.

Thanks to the Mobile Intel-Chipset 945GM available on the board, the CXB-CD945 COM Express module offers excellent 3D graphic characteristics.

The graphics media accelerator uses a video RAM with a maximum capacity of 224Mbyte at a bandwidth up to 10Gbyte/s and supports dual-display solutions.

Main memory can be increased up to 2Gbyte by inserting fast DDR2-RAM modules.

For fast data transfer, a PCI Express x 16 interface and four PCI-Express x1 interfaces are provided on the small COM Express module measuring only 125 x 95mm.

In addition, eight USB 2.0 ports are available for communication with peripheral systems.

COM Express CPU runs up to Core 2 Duo

2007-11-21T03:26:00.000-08:00

Aaeon has released the advanced COM-945, a COM Express CPU module that adopts the Intel 945GM platform

With more and more demands on small and rugged embedded industrial boards, the multifunction COM (computer-on-module) is the one system for which manufacturers strive. Now Aaeon has released the advanced COM-945, a COM Express CPU module that adopts the Intel 945GM platform. The COM-945 uses Intel Core 2 Duo, Core Duo or Core Solo or Celeron M processors, with system memory supporting DDR II 400/533/667 up to 1Gbyte.
Both parallel and Serial ATA interfaces are featured, giving the user flexibility in storage choices.

In addition, versatile expansion interfaces allow system manufacturers to expand their embedded systems without having to worry about purchasing other devices to build up necessary functions, for example, PCI-Express x16, PCI-Express x1, 32bit PCI and LPC bus.

Aaeon's COM-945 supports CRT/LCD, CRT/TV, LCD/TV simultaneous dual independent displays.

The LCD interface also supports up to 18/36bit dual channel LVDS TFT panels that bring high quality and performance in display support.

The COM Express module offers advantages of faster time to market, reduced product development cost and risk and easily adapts to various embedded applications.

Embedded miniboard displays many interfaces

2007-11-12T06:55:00.000-08:00

Equipped with Intel's latest Mobile GME965 Express chipset, embedded board is suitable for multiple-display applications

The latest addition to the Commell family of 5.25in embedded miniboards is the LS-571. The embedded miniboard incorporates an Intel Socket P pin-out compatible with Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile Merom processors with FSB 533/800MHz support for T7700, T7500, T7300, T7100 and L7500. Equipped with Intel's latest Mobile GME965 Express chipset, the new board is suitable for embedded applications ranging from gaming, medical, POS, kiosks, digital signage, mobile data acquisition, surveillance, industrial automation equipment and other multiple-display applications.
The LS-571 embedded miniboard includes the X3100 graphics accelerator, Intel Clear Video Technology and graphics core speeds up to 500MHz, providing enhanced graphics and 3D rendering performance to meet the requirements of embedded applications that require advanced video capabilities.

And it also provides a dual display for VGA/LVDS, VGA/DVI and LVDS/DVI.

The miniboard has an SO-DIMM memory slot for up to 2Gbyte of DDR2 SDRAM or can be supplied with 1Gbyte of DDR2 SDRAM soldered onboard, and comes with PS/2 keyboard and mouse, an RS232C/422/485 port and four RS232C interfaces.

Networking is provided by two Intel 82573L Giga LAN interfaces and eight USB2.0 ports.

10-year support provided for SBCs

2007-11-12T06:53:00.000-08:00

The heart of the ICOP-6154 PC104 module is a 300MHz Vortex86SX processor supported by two USB 2.0 ports and DDR2 RAM

The ICOP-6154 PC104 module from Datasound Laboratories is the first of a new generation of x86 low-end SBCs which will remain in production until 2016, giving designers and their customers the security of using a computer which will be available and fully supported for almost another decade.
The heart of this module is a 300MHz Vortex86SX processor supported by two USB 2.0 ports and DDR2 RAM yet the power consumption is only 640mA at 5V with 128Mbyte RAM.

Communications are covered by 10/100 Base-T LAN and three RS232 and one RS232/422/485 port, plus IDE, LPT and 16bit GPIO digital I/O interfaces.

Designed for use with either an LCD or CRT display, the ICOP-6154 has an on-board XG Volari Z9s graphics chipset.

Incorporating a watchdog timer which is programmable from 30.5 to 512 seconds, the RoHS Compliant board measures 90 x 96mm and has an operating temperature of -20C to +70C.

10-year support provided for SBCs

2007-11-02T00:00:00.002-07:00

Motherboard maximises I/O performance

2007-11-02T00:00:00.001-07:00

The i945GM3DCQI supports a 64bit PCI expansion slot, two 300Mbit/s series ATA ports, a CompactFlash slot, eight USB ports, four COM ports and 16bit GPIO

Advansus has released the i945GM3DCQI is a highly integrated Mini-ITX motherboard built around Intel Core 2 Duo and a mobile Intel 945GM Express northbridge and an ICH7-M southbridge. The i945GM3DCQI is a multi-purpose platform for demanding multimedia applications like point of sale, Kiosk, digital signage, gaming and medical applications.
The i945GM3DCQI accommodates the Intel 945GM Express chipset, which supports Intel Core 2 Duo processors, the Intel GMA950 and dual-channel DDR2 667 SDRAM up to 4Gbyte.

Derived from Intel 945GM and Chrontel CH7307C chips, i945GM3DCQI supports onboard LVDS in both dual-channel 18bit, or single-channel 24bit.

The Intel GMA 950 enables a maximum resolution of 2048 x 1536 at 75Hz and powers hardware acceleration for Microsoft DirectX 9.

The Chrontel CH7307C supports the full operating range of Intel's SDVO (serial digital video output) input port (1-2 GHz) and the scalable DVI output bandwidth reaches 165MHz.

The i945GM3DCQI uses PCI Express technology to maximise I/O performance.

It supports a 64bit PCI expansion slot, two 300Mbit/s series ATA ports, a CompactFlash slot, eight USB ports, four COM ports and 16bit GPIO.

Integrated with Intel ICH7-M and Realtek ACL888 chipsets, the i945GM3DVQI delivers 5.1 channel amplified audio output suitable for driving efficient loudspeakers.

The mini-ITX motherboard runs 1000Mbit/s Ethernet through the Realtek 8110B Gigabit LAN chip.

Embedded miniboard displays many interfaces

2007-11-01T23:58:00.000-07:00

CompactPCI boards suit tough applications

2007-10-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

The passively cooled Kontron CP6001 has up to 4Gbyte of soldered RAM and soldered application flash comes in three rugged levels

Kontron has released the CP6001, a 6U CompactPCI PICMG 2.16 compliant board. Based on the Intel Core Duo/Core2 Duo processor and mobile chipset, the Kontron CP6001 features high computing and graphic performance with a low thermal design power and a complete set of data, communication and multimedia interfaces.
Designed to withstand even the toughest environmental conditions, the passively cooled Kontron CP6001 has up to 4Gbyte of soldered RAM and soldered application flash and comes in three rugged levels; R1, R2 and R3.

All three versions are available with E2 capabilities and an extended temperature range from -40C to + 85C.

The R1-version is designed for standard application requirements in air-cooled environments.
The R2-version is rugged for high shock and vibration environments in accordance with the VITA 47 EAC6 specification.

The R3-version is fully conduction cooled and meets VITA 47's ECC4 requirements.

These three versions make the Kontron CP6001 suitable for use with the CP6923 PICMG2.16 Ethernet switch board, which Kontron has already deployed as an R1-version and will make available for the R2 and R3 rugged levels.

Together, these 6U CompactPCI boards provide a cost-effective alternative for rugged, high demand systems in a variety of markets, including military and aerospace applications.

The Kontron CP6001 features energy efficient embedded Intel dual core processors.

It has a 1.2GHz Intel Core Duo U2500 ULV processor and a 1.5GHz Intel Core 2 Duo L7400 LV processor.

Based on the Intel Mobile 945GM chipset with a front side bus of up to 667MHz and ICH7-R Southbridge, the Kontron CP6001 provides high graphics performance for the two independent digital video outputs to the rear I/O (2x DVI - 1 x DVI and 1x HDMI) as well as AC97 audio capabilities.

With up to 8Gbyte of USB or 2Gbyte soldered flash, the Kontron CP6001 enables the construction of highly shock and vibration-resistant systems with nonrotating, nonvolatile memory.

Long-life modules embed VIA processors

2007-10-12T04:57:00.000-07:00

ETXexpress modules are based on the VIA C7 processor paired with the VIA CN896 and VIA VT8251chipset

Two new ETXexpress modules based on the VIA C7 processor paired with the VIA CN896 and VIA VT8251chipset fill a gap in the Kontron computer-on-module range, offering embedded designers scalable long-term embedded solutions. The Kontron ETXexpress-CN8 is 100% compliant with the COM Express standard (basic form factor - 95 x 125mm) as defined by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturer's Group.
Versions of this module will be available with either the VIA C7 or Eden 7 processors (1.5GHz and higher) paired with the VIA CN896 and VIA VT8251 chipset.

The Kontron ETXexpress-CN8 will support two PCI Express x1 lanes along with gigabit Ethernet.

Support for eight USB 2.0 ports provides fast and sufficient interfaces for external peripherals.

Applications requiring the PCI and IDE interfaces are still supported by the Kontron ETXexpress-CN8 module that follows the COM Express Type 2 pinout.

For embedded applications that would like to reuse the enclosure from previous solutions, yet bring in more modern bus technologies, the Kontron microETXexpress-CN8 is a perfect fit at 95 x 95mm.

Built around the VIA Eden 7 processor (up to 1.0GHz) and with the VIA CN896 and VIA VT8251 chipset, this 'micro' COM Express compatible module is a great solution.

The Kontron microETXexpress-CN8 offers support for up to 2Gbyte of systems memory, four Serial ATA interfaces, two PCI Express x1 lanes, gigabit Ethernet, dual video streaming capabilities and much more with an estimated power consumption of 15W.

Both modules support Microsoft Vista.

Kontron expects to have samples of the ETXexpress-CN8 and microETXexpress-CN8 modules available by Q4 2007, giving embedded designers the immediate opportunity to evaluate these low-cost COM Express solutions.

How To Choose The Best PC Gaming Headset

2007-10-11T05:40:00.001-07:00

A good PC gaming headset is almost a must if you want to have the best gaming experience. Most games nowadays are embedded with high definition audio effects. To really enjoy the game and be in the game, a good gaming headset is necessary.

So what constitutes a good PC gaming headset?

Comfort

A good computer gaming headset must be able to provide comfort to the user. This is necessary since you will be wearing it for a long period of time. There is only one way to test whether a headset is comfortable or not, and that is to try it out before you make your purchase.

Most of the time, the comfort factor is dependent on the:

* Padding - Is it thick and soft enough to protect your ear?
* Ear cups - Is it big enough to contain your ear?
* Headband - Is it freely adjustable to suit the size of your head?
* Weight - Is it too heavy for your ear to carry?

Put it on for 15 minutes and you will know whether it is suitable for you or not.

Sound Quality

A good PC gaming headset must have the ability to produce great sound quality. While different people perceive sound differently, you can use these few guideline to distinguish a headset with good sound quality from a bad one.

Bass
A gaming headset with a powerful bass will show significant differences in first person shooting game such as Counterstrike. You will be able to hear clearly the bullets flying around you and distinct explosion in the background.

Surround Sound
Surround sound effect is necessary to create the realism in your gameplay. Those PC gaming headsets with 5.1 digital audio encoded will be useful to help you identify the enemy that is sneaking behind you or shooting at you

Noise Cancellation
Some gaming headset uses an external microphone to pick up external noise and invert them to cancel out any unwanted noise. This is extremely useful if you are always playing in a noisy environment, such as an Internet cafe.

Cable Length

The cable length will determine how far away you can stay behind the screen. A typical gaming headset should have a cable length of 2m. Anything shorter than this length will restrict your movement and cause inconvenience to you. If you are playing game console, such as Xbox or PS3, in your living room, you might consider getting a headset with longer cable or an extra extensible cable to connect to your headset.

Wireless Headset

If you always move around and do not wish to be bothered by the cable, you can choose the wireless gaming headset that makes use of Bluetooth or RF technology. A word of caution, wireless headsets might be more prone to noise interference and/or loss of signal during the transmission, which can lead to static, pops or annoying noise.

Microphone

Some of the PC gaming headsets are geared with a microphone to allow interaction during gameplay. This might be a useful feature that you want to include in your gaming headset.

Volume Control

This may seem a trivial feature, but it matter a lot when you are far away from your sound system. For a gaming headset with surround sound feature, it would be useful to have an inline volume control to control the individual speaker levels. You can customize the volume setting for each speaker to enhance your gaming experience.

Vibrator

Force feedback gaming headsets make use of vibration to try to recreate the physical sensation of bass frequencies. The headset can vibrate in sympathy with the low frequencies in the audio signal, so that listeners both hear and feel the bass.

Computer Engineering Education

2007-10-11T05:38:00.000-07:00

Computer Engineering includes design, construction, execution, and maintenance of computers and computer controlled equipment. It is an interdisciplinary course, which incorporates both Computer Science and Electrical Engineering study. Computer Engineering education programs include topics on computer software and hardware.

There are many universities that offer Computer Engineering either as a degree program or as a sub-discipline of Electrical Engineering. A few of the prominent Computer Engineering courses impart knowledge on the power systems, digital systems and electronics. They cover subjects that include digital logic circuits, computer systems, communication systems and electro-optics microprocessors. Others include logic circuits, micro-coding, digital image processing, lasers and machine vision.

Courses in computer engineering are designed to build and operate software and hardware for computers used in everyday life as well as the supercomputers, used by scientists. The scientists use them to resolve sophisticated and complex problems related to their studies. Computer engineering education also provides information on computer network, Internet, distributed and web computing.

There are graduate and postgraduate programs such as Master of Science or MSC and PHD computer engineering programs. Students learn programming, digital designing, computer architecture and embedded systems courses, in the bachelor program. In the postgraduate programs students learn advanced courses in computer architecture, logic designing, computer arithmetic and hardware design languages. They also learn testing, multiprocessor systems, media processing, and advanced system designing and programming techniques.

Computer engineering education prepares the students to start their own companies. Besides learning how the software and hardware works, students also learn to actually program and design computers. Internet has provided an option to pursue the course of Computer Engineering online.

Due to the widespread use and integration of computers into everyday life, it is hard to separate the fields of Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering.

Record year for embedded computing specialist

2007-10-10T03:52:00.000-07:00

Embedded computing specialist breaks euro 100 million revenue barrier for a quarter and increases net profit by 56%

For the financial year 2006, Kontron AG, on a purely organic basis, realised a record rate of revenue growth of 35%, with a rise to euro 405 million (compared to euro 300 million in 2005), and an increase of 56% in net profit to euro 25.7 million, compared to euro 16.5 million in 2005. In the best year in the company's history, operating cash flow over the same period doubled to nearly euro 23.4 million and the company's liquidity was up by euro 11 million, resulting in a cash position of over euro 64 million.
'This solid financial situation will allow us to once again increase the dividend payout for shareholders for the 2006 financial year, compared to 2005, and to continue with our stock purchase program', states CEO Hannes Niederhauser at the company's balance sheet press conference in Munich.

For 2007, CEO Niederhauser expects 'a further double-digit increase in revenue, and net earnings growth at a faster rate'.

Following the dynamic development of business in the first half of the year, and breaking the euro 100 million revenue barrier for the first time in the third quarter, Kontron AG continued to power ahead in the final three months of the 2006 business year with sales reaching a new historic record level of euro 119 million.

This means that the company has achieved the highest level of organic growth from among the top five global competitors, and established itself as the number one global provider of embedded computer technology (ECT).

Earnings in the fourth quarter developed even more favourably than revenue.
Operating earnings (EBIT) rose to euro 12.2 million, in excess of 45% above the previous year's level (euro 8.4 million).

At euro 11.1 million, net profit for 2006 was 82% above prior year earnings (euro 6.1 million).

As a consequence, Kontron, in the fourth quarter, has for the first time significantly surpassed the 10% EBIT margin level.

Kontron generated a full-year EBIT euro 32.9 million (2005: euro 22.6 million), thereby achieving an 8.2% margin, compared to 7.5% in 2005.

The 2006 order book rose to a level unsurpassed in the history of Kontron AG: it climbed by 46%, from euro 151.1 million as of the end of 2005 to euro 220 million at the end of the 2006 financial year.

There was a comparably dynamic rise in the number of design wins.

Volumes rose to euro 217.7 million, following euro 175.6 million in 2005.

Kontron experienced strong growth in all markets in 2006.

Europe continued its positive trend with an increase of 23% year on year.

In line with the overall business development from quarter to quarter, European revenue rose to almost euro 228 million.

America trailed only slightly behind Europe, with an overall sales growth rate of 23%.

'As in 2005, our strongest rate of revenue growth was in emerging markets, particularly Russia and China', says Niederhauser.

'Here the increase was 118%'.

As a result, this region already contributes 24% of Kontron AG's entire sales on the basis of 2006 turnover.

As was the case previously, the largest proportion is contributed by Europe, with America returning around 30%.

In terms of vertical markets, telecoms applications represented the largest proportion, with around 28%, followed by automation with 19%.

Besides communications, strong growth drivers included mainly the gaming areas (15%) and energy (12%).

Medical applications in particular experienced a strong upwards trend, and they already generate a 9% share of total sales on the basis of 2006 figures.

Niederhauser sayst that Kontron attributes the marked profitability improvement primarily to the successful implementation of the Profit Improvement Program.

Sustainable effects were felt particularly from the relocation of basic production to the new location in Malaysia.

Kontron is aiming to produce more than 50% of its entire product at this location by 2008, which should reduce the proportion of production costs expressed as a percentage of revenue from currently 8.5% to less than 7%.

'We were able also to achieve major cost reductions in warehouse administration in 2006', says Niederhauser.

Here, the figure of euro 65.7 million was almost unchanged compared to the prior year (euro 68.4 million) - despite the strong rise in revenue.

Overall operating costs in 2006 rose by only 18% to euro 98.2 million (2005: euro 83.2 million), compared to revenue growth in excess of 35%.

Compared to the leap in revenue, growth in the number of employees was moderate in 2006, with the Group total amounting to 2,445 (2005: 2,382).

The majority of newly appointed members of staff comprised highly qualified managers for the research and development area.

With a base of now 849 engineers, which corresponds to over one third of the entire workforce, Kontron AG now occupies a position of pioneering technology leadership in the sector.

Kontron AG also achieved one of its further key objectives for the 2006 financial year, which was to raise liquidity and generate further cash: as of December 31, 2006, the cash position at euro 64.4 million was euro 11 million higher than at the end of 2005 (euro 53.3 million), despite spending around euro 8 million on the dividend distribution and the stock purchase program.

At the same time, bank borrowings were reduced by euro 10.7 million to euro 7.0 million.

As a result, the net cash position rose to euro 28.5 million as of the year-end.

Operating cash flow doubled nearly to euro 23.4 million.

Total assets amounted to euro 362.8 million (2005: euro 339.2 million) and the equity ratio was 69.4%.

As Hannes Niederhauser comments: 'Both in the awareness of our employees and in our organisational structures, a shift in values has taken place: we have made the transition from a primarily technology-driven company to an organisation with a stringent strict focus on markets and earnings'.

'Our highest priority is raising corporate value and profitability'.

'We are concentrating on dynamic, high-quality, and organic growth'.

'We are not contemplating acquisitions, and continue to focus on the cost and earnings side'.

'Kontron AG enjoys very favourable perspectives for 2007 and the years beyond'.

Embedded specialist goes Platinum for fourth time

2007-10-10T03:50:00.000-07:00

Embedded systems specialist has been named as a 'Platinum Vendor' for the fourth consecutive year for coming in the top 5% for service-related criteria in a survey of customers

VersaLogic has been named as a 'Platinum Vendor' for the fourth consecutive year by Venture Development Corporation (VDC). VersaLogic is the only embedded vendor to receive the platinum rating in every study period since the inception of the award in 2002. The platinum vendor status is awarded to companies who scored in the top 5% for service-related criteria in customer surveys by VDC researchers.
Among the criteria used for evaluating vendors are product longevity, availability, reliability and customer service.

'It shows that we're doing the kind of things that our OEM customers believe are essential when selecting a board vendor', notes VersaLogic Vice President of Sales, Tom Barnum.

'Robust technical support, outstanding service, high-quality product, and long-term availability'.

'We are very proud of this accomplishment'.

The awards are given as part of VDC's annual 'Global Market Analysis of Merchant Computer Boards for Embedded/Real-time Applications', a research report that focuses on core embedded markets.

The report contains detailed information of interest for companies seeking to invest in the embedded marketplace or selecting product vendors

Top performance comes to 5.25in form factor

2007-10-04T05:16:00.000-07:00

5.25in-form-factor SBC brings Intel's latest Core 2 Duo technology to the embedded and industrial market

The Gemini, Arcom's new 5.25in-form-factor SBC, brings Intel's latest Core 2 Duo technology to the embedded and industrial market. The Gemini offers the highest ever performance from Arcom, coupled with the guaranteed longevity of supply the market demands. The Gemini has all the requirements for enterprise and residential network applications as well as the processing power to handle today's demanding software, such as graphics-intensive applications or serious number-crunching programs.
In addition to the Core 2 Duo processor options, the Gemini is packed full of advanced features such as four 1Gbit/s LAN interfaces, up to 3Gbyte of DDR2 RAM, dual video output, six USB 2.0 ports and simple 8-24V DC power input requirements, making the Gemini the perfect solution for almost any high-end embedded processing application.

The Gemini's characteristics provide unparalleled performance/power ratio, enabling very high bandwidth, low power consumption systems to be created.

Dynamic fan control ensures operation over a wide temperature range while keeping acoustic noise to an absolute minimum.

A ready-to-go 1U rack-mount PC based on the Gemini is also available.

Motherboard brings more to automotive computing

2007-10-04T05:15:00.000-07:00

Tiny motherboards power fully functional network servers yet fit in the palm of the hand

New from Gumstix, the verdex motherboard features a Marvell PXA270 CPU offering USB host, CCD camera input, improved power management along with the twice as much memory and 50% more processor speed. These tiny motherboards power fully functional network servers yet fit in the palm of the
Gumstix' fastest verdex motherboard, the verdex XL6P, comes with a 600MHz PXA270 processor, 128Mbyte RAM, 32Mbyte Flash and three onboard connectors for expansionboard connectivity: a 60-pin connector familiar to existing customers, and new 24-pin flex and 120-pin board-to-board connectors.

Also available is onboard Bluetooth with u.fl antenna connector.

These new motherboards are compatible with existing 60-pin boards; however, to access the new functions (such as USB Host) the company will be announcing new expansion boards in the near future.

'We build commercial vehicle security solutions for the trucking and heavy equipment industries', says Mark Ochitwa, VP, Operations and Product Development of Magtec Products.

'With the evolution of computing in the automotive and transportation industry, a compact and resilient design is required to make a product that will meet the industries needs'.

'The verdex motherboard has addressed these requirements by offering a powerful, feature rich processor in a small package'.

'The four hole mounting design for component boards makes it versatile and configurable yet rugged enough for most commercial grade applications'.

'Our customers build network appliances, commercial metering products, fleet management devices and security applications', says W Gordon Kruberg, CEO and President of Gumstix.

'Some of these features, particularly the USB Host function, fulfill long-standing requests from our customers'.

Every verdex motherboard comes preinstalled with the latest Linux 2.6 operating system and the open source u-boot boot-loader.

The verdex motherboards are available via the Gumstix website, with single-unit pricing beginning at US $129 and OEM pricing available below US $60 for orders of 1000 units with reduced processor speed, memory or options.

Extension expands COM Express definition

2007-10-04T05:12:00.000-07:00

COM Express Extension offers optimised pinouts for graphics and other core features for COM Express designs based on the PICMG COM.0 COM Express specification

Advantech and Kontron, the founders of the ETX Industrial Group, have unveiled the 'COM Express Extension', a document that offers optimised pinouts for graphics and other core features for COM Express designs based on the PICMG COM.0 COM Express specification. In parallel with the launch of the COM Express Extension, the ETX Industrial Group (ETX-IG) has been renamed to become the COM Industrial Group (COM-IG), in order to extend the groups focus on the needs of all computer-on-module solutions including ETX and COM Express.

This proactive move by the founders of new COM-IG is an effort to ensure that all COM Express solutions continue to be interchangeable no matter which vendor provides them.

The joint efforts of Kontron and Advantech are outside of the official PICMG committee, but the proposed 'extension' pinouts are intended to be brought before PICMG for future adoption into a revised COM Express specification.

Kontron and Advantech feel the 'extension' is essential in order to consistently use the latest graphics capabilities from chipset vendors including those from Intel, AMD/ATI and VIA.

'We have never seen such intense discussions between competing vendors of computer-on-module technology, all aimed at solving the genuine problem posed by predicted graphics incompatibility of COM Express computer-on-module designs'.

'This is why we engaged in the new graphic pin definition with Kontron to develop a detailed new graphics pinout for COM Express based COMs', says Jeff Chen, Chief Technology Officer of Advantech, who supported this launch from the start.

We believe that the upgrade of the graphics pin-out definition is a vital step towards our ultimate goal: a revision of the current PICMG COM Express specification to be revision COM.1'.

'The Extension ensures the graphics compatibility of COMs based on all the upcoming embedded CPU chipsets from all the different vendors', says Dirk Finstel, CTO Embedded Modules Division, Kontron.

He adds that this launch is not intended to be and should not be considered to be an affront to PICMG and its member working committees: 'It is just the step we feel is needed in the face of dramatically increasing demand'.

The COM Express Extension delivers an optimised graphics pinout for COM Express based COMs that fits the needs of all the chipsets that will appear in the next few years.

It is our intension that it will become part of the PICMG COM.x specification.

COM Express Extensions are a tested and reliable way to provide high-performance support for all the different graphics signals while also assuring 100% pin compatibility and scalability for all COM Express based computers-on-modules.

In addition to the graphics pinouts the COM Express Extension also specifies pin-outs for important extended features like onboard thermal control and also BIOS implementations with smart battery support and new graphic interface standards.

The COM Express Extension is accompanied by a design guide that gives a round-up of all trusted design roles for COM Express baseboards, and streamlines potential baseboard designs to just the most reliable and future proven circuits, validated by the world's leading vendors of COM technology: Advantech and Kontron.

Use of the design guide is essential when developing 100% optimised baseboard designs for free scalability of COM Express based computers-on-modules.

The goal of the COM Industrial Group is to promote COM specifications that assure compatibility and to support designers with value-adding IP and design standards to ensure the most appropriate and reliable baseboard designs based on COMs like ETX and COM Express.

The COM Industrial Group also ensures the long-term availability of all the published standards, as all the leading vendors are members.

ETX is one of these standards: it is currently available in version ETX 3.0 and has been available since 2000.

Therefore, all the members of the ETX Industrial Group will also become members of the COM Industrial Group.

COM Express Extension is the second initiative from the COM Industrial Group members to keep next generation computers-on-modules closer to the market needs.

Module manufacturers support latest ETX standard

2007-09-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

Two more companies - Aaeon and Seco - have signed on to support the new 3.0 specification of the world's leading computer-on-module standard, ETX

Two more companies - Aaeon and Seco - have signed on to support the new 3.0 specification of the world's leading computer-on-module standard ETX, which was initiated by Kontron, and is supported by MSC, Evalue and Adlink. Other providers of ETX modules also plan to support ETX 3.0. 'According to studies from the market research firm VDC, the ETX standard developed by Kontron is the clear leader in the computer-on-modules market and has demonstrably beaten all competing form factors up to now'.

This position is strengthened by the launch of the new 3.0 specification'.

'It also gives users confidence that new ETX modules will remain the state-of-the art for many years to come', comments Dirk Finstel, CTO of Kontron Embedded Modules, on the significance of the new specification.

By the middle of Q3 2006, Aaeon will announce its first ETX 3.0 CPU module adopting the AMD LX/CS5536.

Seco is planning to jump from the ETX 2.8 to the new ETX 3.0 Standard with product available in the near term future.

ETX 3.0 introduces 2x Serial ATA without changing any of the ETX pins, making new modules 100% pin-to-pin compatible with previous versions and ensuring long-term support for the vast number of embedded application solutions based on these already highly integrated COMs, in applications from automation, medical, gaming and entertainment, to military and aerospace.

ETX 3.0 modules, such as Kontron's ETX-LX, integrate 2x Serial ATA via two slimline connectors that are designed onto the top-side of the CPU module itself, thereby avoiding the need to modify the ETX-connectors of the module and carrier board so that existing solutions can take advantage of faster Serial ATA hard drives.

ETX 3.0 also includes USB 2.0 to be used via the existing ETX connectors.

Kontron and other members of the ETX Industrial Group have adopted ETX 3.0 with the intention of keeping the standard viable until at least 2010.

Additional modules built around dual-core processors and others from Intel, AMD and VIA are planned for release over the course of this year, with more to follow in future.

Embedded CPU has six appeal for serial ports

2007-09-21T05:45:00.000-07:00

The days of CPUs lacking enough serial ports are now behind us with the introduction of Sensoray Model 303, a CPU that comes standard with six

Two are full-featured RS-232s and the remaining four are three-wire ports. Rapid communication is available from two USB 2.0 channels and one 1000Base-T Ethernet port. The 303's low power Elan SC520 runs at 133MHz and is x86 code compatible. It comes supplied with 32Mbyte of soldered-on Flash memory, a socket for a CompactFlash memory card and a socket for 128Mbyte of SDRAM.

Programmed into the onboard flash is the system BIOS which enables portable applications and operating system via the CompactFlash module.

Hard drive storage is also available through the IDE port.

The 303's bus driver ICs enable addition of up to five PC/104 boards to the same stack.

A built-in watchdog timer can reset the CPU and external circuitry.

The single piece price is $674 and the 100-unit price is $471

Module masters complex DSP challenges

2007-09-20T04:14:00.000-07:00

The Heron-FPGA14 module is the latest in a range of Heron modules with a Xilinx Virtex-4 FPGA

Hunt Engineering has released the Heron-FPGA14 module which is the latest in a range of Heron modules with a Xilinx Virtex-4 FPGA. The Heron-FPGA14 offers a choice of either a Virtex-4 LX or Virtex-4 SX both with 180 user programmable digital I/Os and 128Mbyte of off-chip DDR memory. The LX platform of the Virtex-4 is the highest logic and I/O to feature ratio FPGA, whereas the SX platform has the highest DSP and memory to feature ratio.

Heron-FPGA14 is ideal for hardware signal processing or for flexible digital I/O Together with the recently released Heron-FPGA12 which has a Virtex-4 FX with embedded PowerPC, Heron modules now offer each of the Virtex-4 platforms.

Developers can configure a system highly optimised to the demands of their applications.

Modules with Virtex-4 offer the opportunity to use FPGA technology for many complex high performance DSP challenges and a wide range of I/O standards.

As with all Heron-FPGA modules, Hunt includes VHDL IP for many commonly used functions for the Virtex-4 range to speed the development process.

The Heron modular system allows the developer to combine any of these Virtex-4 modules or to combine them with any other Heron I/O or DSP modules to build a powerful system with endless possibilities.

Hunt Engineering's Heart communications system enables data-passing in real time between the modules at up to 400Mbyte/s in each direction.

Equally, any Heron module can be used stand alone.

Heron systems can be used embedded, mounted in a host machine or connected to a PC via USB.

Mini-ITX board has host of interfaces

2007-09-20T04:13:00.000-07:00

The Intel Pentium based Kino 6612LVDS has a tiny 170 x 170mm form factor and is compatible with a host of industry standard connectivity, multimedia and storage options

Now available in the UK from Wordsworth is IEI's RoHS-compatible mini-ITX board, the Intel Pentium based Kino 6612LVDS. With a tiny 170 x 170mm form factor the board is compatible with a host of industry standard connectivity, multimedia and storage options. Applications include: digital signage, low cost servers, control applications, kiosks as well as the gaming industry.

Featuring either an Intel Pentium M/Celeron processor FSB 533/400MHz or an embedded ULV Celeron-M 800MHz zero cache CPU, the board offers LVDS and SATA with a TV out function, as well as audio and dual display support via a built in high end graphics processor.

The Kino 6612 is designed to deliver high performance for budget conscious applications.

Kino 6612 supports an array of storage solutions such as 40- and 44-pin IDE and has dual SATA ports with RAID 0, 1 function support.

In addition the board has dual RAM sockets and can accept up to 2Gbyte of 184-pin DDR400/333 RAM, plus it has built in Ethernet and IrDA.

Kino also has six USB 2.0 ports, two ATA-100 channels, an LPT port, five RS232s and an RS232/422/485 interface.

Embedded Computing and Control you what's going on

2007-09-20T04:12:00.000-07:00

The latest 386-SX module from Icop Technology incorporates LED status indicators for net activity, net link and power in addition to many other features

The latest 386-SX module from Icop Technology UK incorporates LED status indicators for Net activity, NET link and Power in addition to many other features. The SoC 40MHz processor on the 6015H provides 8MB of onboard EDO RAM and the board offers an enhanced IDE, FDD, RS232, RS232/485, parallel and two USB ports.

The 6015H uses an ASIX Fast Ethernet controller with transfer rates of 10/100 Mbps on 386 structuring via the board's Ethernet port.

Measuring 7.24 x 4.80 inches, the 6015H has connectors for LCD, printer, mouse, keyboard and VGA and a watchdog timer which is programmable from 30.5us to 512 seconds.

Powered by a 5V supply, the operating temperature of the 6015H is -20 to +60 degC.

Embedded board promises long availability

2007-09-18T03:31:00.000-07:00

The EBC-855-G is an EBX-compatible, Intel 1GHz ultra-low-power, Celeron (Dothan core) single board computer

WinSystems has announced its EBC-855-G, an EBX-compatible, Intel 1GHz ultra-low-power, Celeron (Dothan core) single board computer (SBC). It operates over an industrial temperature range of -40 to +70C. Target applications include MIL/COTS, industrial automation, medical/diagnostic equipment, communications, security, test and measurement, and outdoor transaction terminals.

The board has been designed with parts designated for long-term availability in the embedded market and is priced at only $595 (one-off).

The EBC-855-G is a full-featured SBC with a variety of onboard peripherals which eliminate the need for additional standard I/O peripheral cards.

It is based on the Intel's popular 855GME chipset with the ICH4 communications controller and integrated Extreme Graphics 2 video 3D controller.

The EBC-855-G features an Intel 1GHz Celeron-M.

Both CPU and system controller are supplied from Intel's Embedded Architecture Division for long-term availability.

It supports a maximum of 1Gbyte of industry-standard PC2700 SDRAM, up to 8Gbyte of CompactFlash plus support for hard and floppy disk drives.

The EBC-855-G offers a full set of I/O interfaces including a 10/100BaseT Ethernet port (with remote boot capability); VGA and dual channel LVDS flat panel video, a MiniPCI connector that supports an optional 802.11 wireless networking module, four USB 2.0 ports, four serial COM ports, AC97 audio (5.1 codec), LPT and a PS/2 port for keyboard and mouse.

A software programmable 48-line digital I/O controller is onboard that provides input, output or output with readback for each I/O line.

The board also is populated with both PC/104 and PC/104-Plus interface connectors for support of additional off-the-shelf or user-designed specialty I/O modules.

As the EBC-855-G architecture is PC compatible, it supports Windows CE and XP embedded, Linux, and a vast software development tool set including device drivers and libraries.

It also supports other real time operating systems such as QNX and VxWorks.

The EBC-855-G uses the Phoenix Trusted core BIOS.

It supports advanced features such as custom splash screen, APM 1.2 and ACPI 1.0b power management modes, PXE boot and multiple-language support.

The BIOS also supports legacy operation of a USB keyboard and mouse, as well as booting from a USB floppy disk, USB keys, and other USB-connected mass storage devices.

The EBC-855-G measures 146 x 203mm and is an EBX-compatible platform.

The EBC-855-G requires only +5V and typically draws 2.1A with 1Gbyte of DDR SDRAM installed.

The board is RoHS compliant.

Turnkey system adopts Mini-ITX form factor

2007-09-18T03:29:00.000-07:00

Ampro Computers has introduced the new MightySystem computer based on the MightyBoard family of embedded single board computers

The new MightySystem is a turnkey computer system in a Mini-ITX form factor that allows OEMs and solution providers to build systems that greatly improves graphics and data processing performance in a small footprint. MightySystem enables high resolution displays up to 2048 x 1526 75Hz CRT and 24bit LVDS resolution up to 1600 x 1200.

Additionally, MightySystem products complement Ampro's ReadySystem industrial computers adding Mini-ITX enclosures and offering support for Intel processors up to 2.0GHz with PCI Express graphics and I/O, Gigabit Ethernet, Serial ATA (SATA) storage, USB 2.0, up to 2Gbyte DDR2 RAM, and ACPI power management.

'With Ampro's new MightySystem we continue expanding our system offerings providing our customers high value leading-edge technologies', said Joanne Mumola Williams, President and CEO of Ampro.

'Out MightySystem uses the world's smallest PCI express motherboard and brings a new level of performance to embedded computers allowing our customers to quickly deploy new technologies in digital media applications such as media information terminals, gaming and digital advertising'.

This system allows for extraordinary flexibility in building a computing solution without performance constraints.

It is an ideal solution for a media PC or an A/V centre environment.

Optical storage is available with a slim line DVD-ROM/CD-RW for media centric applications.

The small form factor system allows OEMs and system integrators to build high performance while making it very easy to work inside the enclosure.

Media playback, Direct3D gaming and multimedia authoring are among the targeted applications for MightySystem computers as well as a host of other custom PC solutions.

For media applications quality is an important issue and Ampro's MightySystem has the performance to eliminate scintillation ('jaggies') block noise, double imaging and tearing that reduce the image quality with other systems.

Supporting both CRT and LVDS video interfaces, MightySystems are well-suited for digital media, gaming and other graphics-intensive applications.

A MightySystem based on the MightyBoard 800 offers up to 1.4GHz Pentium M and includes Intel Extreme Graphics 2 controller for both CRT and LVDS video display output.

Additionally it includes AC97 audio, four USB ports, one Gigabit and one 10/100 Ethernet port and up to 1Gbyte DDR memory.

A MightyBoard 821 based system offers a choice of 2.0GHz Pentium M 760 or 1.5GHz Celeron M 370 processor, along with the Intel 915GM chipset and up to 2Gbyte DDR2 533 RAM using two DIMM slots.

A rich set of I/O includes six USB 2.0 ports, both EIDE and Serial ATA interfaces, two Intel 82573 PCI Express gigabit Ethernet ports, a x16 PCI Express slot for high-end graphics as well as integrated chipset graphics.

Ampro's MightySystem computer products are available with Windows XP, Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE, and a full Linux 2.6 distribution to help customers, OEMs, and system integrators rapidly deploy Ampro products into their small form factor application environments.

The MightySystem is available now with the MightyBoard 800 and will be available within 90 days with the MightyBoard 821.

VIA-based board provides power efficiency

2007-09-18T03:24:00.000-07:00

Mini-ITX board is based on VIA C7 1.5GHz processor, built on the advanced VIA CoolStream architecture with the VIA PadLock Security Engine and VIA CN700 Enhanced digital media chipset

New from Commell, the LV-669 Mini-ITX board is based on the highly efficient VIA C7 1.5GHz processor, built on the advanced VIA CoolStream architecture with the VIA PadLock Security Engine and VIA CN700 Enhanced digital media chipset. The board features a robust shared memory architecture and support for high bandwidth DDR400 memory, combined with a VIA VT8237R+ South Bridge, including native Serial ATA and V-RAID, with support for RAID 0, RAID 1 and RAID 0+1.

Commell's LV-669 Mini-ITX module supports for up to two 10/100/1000 Base-TX Ethernet channels, is fully compliant with Microsoft NDIS5 (IP,TCP,UDP) checksum and segmentation task-offload features, and supports IEEE802.1Q virtual bridged local area networks (VLAN).

Peripherals also include a Mini-PCI slot designed to accommodate the most power-hungry expansion cards.

The LV-669 offers a comprehensive rang of storage, multimedia and connectivity options, including UltraDMA IDE, six USB 2.0 ports, four COMs (three straight RS232 and one switchable RS232/RS422/RS485), and an IEEE1394 interface.

The board also has support for AC97 audio, VIA UniChrome VGA and LVDS or DVI interfaces.

Additionally, the LV-669 is also equipped with a CompactFlash slot for solid state disks.

High-tech helps solve mystery of ancient calculator

2007-09-13T04:54:00.000-07:00

Results of a high-tech research project being released this week promise finally to unravel much of the remaining mystery of a 2,000-year-old astronomical calculator.

Since its discovery in 1902, the Antikythera Mechanism - with its intricate and baffling system of about 30 geared wheels has been an enigma. Knowledge of its functions has increased as computer-based imaging, analysis and X-ray technologies have evolved. During the last 50 years, researchers have identified various astronomical and calendar functions, including gears that mimic the movement of the sun and moon. But it has taken some of the most advanced technology of the 21st century to decipher the most advanced technology of the first century B.C.

No other artifact this complex has been recovered from the ancient world, though there are numerous written references by Greek, and later by Arab, writers, to different types of geared mechanisms. The level of mechanical sophistication found in the Antikytnera Mechanism would not be seen again until the rise of European clock-making during the Middle Ages.

An international team of researchers will reveal this week the results of the most recent research, carried out over the last year with help from HP Laboratories and X-Tek Systems, a manufacturer of high-resolution, X-ray inspection equipment based in Tring, England. The Antikythera Mechanism Research Project (www.nwdocfinder.com/6258), a joint effort by researchers in Greece and the United Kingdom, hosts a two-day conference starting Nov 30 in Athens.

Team members wouldn't comment on the details, but they are confident they've unraveled many of the remaining puzzles.

"We believe we've found the functions with regard to the sun and moon movements, and to its calendrical function," says Michael Edmunds, a professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Cardiff University in Wales, and a specialist in the chemical composition of galaxies. The mechanism caught his interest when he was working in 2000 with a student who chose the device as a research project.

"We believe we [now] understand what the gear trains did," Edmunds says. Other advances include definitive tooth counts, and new details of gears and their assemblies.

In addition, the team more than doubled the number of letters previously found on the device, to more than 2,000, and translated these, says John Seiradakis, a professor with the Department of Physics at Aristolean University in Thessaloniki, Greece.

The mechanism is named after the Greek island of Antikythera, where in 1900 a sponge diver taking shelter from a storm found an ancient shipwreck 200 feet below the Mediterranean's surface. Archeologists removed an array of artifacts, but it wasn't until mid1902 that one of them noticed that embedded in what was thought to be a lump of broken, calcified bronze statuary was a gearwheel.

The lump turned out to be an encrusted, partially destroyed set of bronze gear wheels, dials and plates. About 13 inches high, 7 inches wide and just less than 4 inches deep, the mechanism was held in place by the remains of its original, well-made wooden case, which dried out and crumbled away after being excavated. Greek letters and some inscriptions were visible on the metal plates.

Even then, the complexity of the mechanism was so obvious that some observers speculated that it actually was created during the 1400s, had been lost overboard and landed on the much more ancient wreck. Today, there is no question the mechanism dates from around 65 B.C.

In 1974, a paper by science historian Derek de Solla Price and Greek nuclear physicist Charalampos Karakalos presented new details of the device, based on gamma-ray and X-ray analysis. Price described the mechanism as a calendar computer and famously identified the presence of a differential gear - a set of gears that can move two axles at different speeds.

In the late '90s, another research effort, including 700 X-ray plates digitized for computer-aided analysis, was carried out by Michael Wright, a specialist in the history of mechanicism at the Imperial Museum in London, and the late Alien Bromley of the University of Sydney.

In a paper presented a year ago, "Understanding the Antikythera Mechanism,"Wright faulted some of Price's conclusions. Wright speculated that the mechanism could be an elaborate planetarium, designed to show the movements of the five then-known planets, in addition to the sun and moon, and to predict eclipses.

He also suggested that the mechanism actually was a marriage of at least two separate devices, one being added to the device already in the wooden case. He demonstrated that Price's differential gear was instead an epicyclical gear, in which a central wheel meshes with one or more peripheral gears, which rotate around the center.

Carrier Card integrates PMC boards into cPCI racks

2007-09-13T04:52:00.000-07:00

Model cPCIBPMC6U-ET has 2 PMC card slots mounted to universal voltage 6U 4 HP cPCI card. Bridge allows for isolation and for differing clock rates on cPCI backplane and PMC, which can operate at speeds above, same, or below the cPCI clock rate. Bridge has built in features for local address spaces, using PMC clock in monarch mode for secondary side, and operating in transparent or non-transparent modes. Operating temperature range is -40 to + 85[degrees]C.

Integrate PMC boards into cPCI Racks with the CPCIBPMC6U-ET

o Extended Temperature

o Cost Effective

o Ease of Use

The cCIBPMC6U-ET combines features you need with simplicity and speed!

Our customer's applications frequently require rapid solutions. PMC based solutions can be integrated quickly with cPCIBPMC6U-ET. The cPCIBPMC6U-ET provides plug and play solutions for most applications. Dynamic Engineering PMC[acute accent]s as well as third party cards can be used. The cPCIBPMC6U-ET design implements a new bridge to meet higher

temperature and timing requirements, bringing new features and the ability to operate the PMC side at a higher clock rate than the cPCI side. The new bridge has built in features for local address spaces, using the PMC clock in monarch mode for the secondary side, and operating in transparent or non-transparent modes. Suitable for 32/64 with 33/ 66 MHz bus operation, cPCIBPMC6UET is easy to use with a plug & play interface to the PMC site. The cPCIBPMC6UET represents a cost effective solution to putting extended temperature PMCs into cPCI environments. Quantity discounts are available.

The cPCIBPMC6U-ET is cPCI and PMC compliant (All Dynamic Engineering PMC Modules are compatible with this carrier). The cPCI bus can operate at 66 or 33 Mhz. The PMC bus can also operate at 33 or 66 MHz. (PMC must be 66 MHz capable for 66 MHz operation to work properly). The bridge provides rate matching allowing different clock speeds

on the two buses. The PMC clock rate can be higher than the cPCI clock rate. No software set-up is required by the cPCIBPMC. PMC register definitions are defined by the installed hardware. The cPCIBPMC6U-ET has signal conditioning, interrupts, supports DMA, and is a low power design for optimal PMC performance. The bridge allows for isolation and for differing clock rates on the cPCI backplane and the PMC. The PMC can operate at speeds above, the same or below the cPCI clock rate. The local oscillator can be selected when the PMC is to be operated at a rate higher than the cPCI bus rate. The PMC can also operate at a different bus width with the bridge doing the clock and rate matching. The "ET" operational range is -40 to +85C. The Front Bezel PMC IO is supported at the cPCI bracket. Partial Jn4 "user IO" supported [Ethernet and I2C] with interconnection to J2. CPCIBPMC6U-ET's power is: +5, +3.3, +12, -12V, and VIO supplied to PMC. VIO is user selectable to be 3.3 or 5V.

Crestron Introduces Isys i/O TPMC-10 WiFi Touchpanel; Personal, Portable and WiFi Compatible, the New TPMC-10 Combines Wireless Touchpanel Control wit

2007-09-13T04:46:00.000-07:00

The new 10.4" Isys i/O TPMC-10 is the most portable member of the Isys i/O family and fuses wireless touchpanel control with mobile computing in an alluring and ergonomic design that goes effortlessly from tabletop to laptop.

This personal, portable device is the result of a strong technology partnership between Crestron and ViewSonic. By adding the Windows operating system to the ViewSonic display, Crestron has embedded PC applications that allow the user to access the Web using Internet Explorer, utilize and view streaming media through Windows Media(R) Player, manage e-mail using MS Inbox, and view popular file formats including MS Word(R), Excel(R), PowerPoint(R), and Adobe(R) Acrobat(R) - all while providing easy control of every system in the home, from audio and video distribution to lighting and temperature to security.

The embedded Windows operating system inside the stylish and ergonomic TPMC-10 offers is totally locked-down, eliminating the chance of downloading viruses or mistakenly writing over files - all while providing WPA-ready WiFi compatibility for reliable 2-way high-speed communications through any 802.11b or g wireless network.

Far more than a mere tablet PC, the TPMC-10 is ingeniously designed to provide a powerful IP-based mobile control solution in a compact package that's easy to hold and intuitive to use. The ergonomic shape shifts effortlessly from tabletop to laptop use, featuring a sleek contoured base that rests comfortably across one leg.

Its smart design achieves an optimal viewing angle under any use, with four programmable hard buttons and an integrated thumbpad to provide tactile control of audio volume, channel selection, OSM navigation (DVD, DSS, etc.), or even pan/tilt cameras.

To complement its incredible video and computer capabilities, the TPMC-10 delivers great sounding audio from its built-in high-powered tuned-port speaker system, microphone, and stereo headphone output to support mobile entertainment, or even wireless intercom.

Placing the TPMC-10 into its optional docking station provides a convenient charging solution with simplified connectivity to any wired USB mouse and keyboard.

Distributor boosts Sensoray's European presence

2007-09-10T04:19:00.000-07:00

Enciris Technologies has recently become a distributor for Sensoray in Europe, and will provide full technical and application support for its products

'By providing a timely technical support for the European customers, and by being based in Europe, we feel that we can expand Sensoray's position within the global market', comments Phillip Weissfloch, President of Enciris Technologies and former Engineering Manager for Sensoray.

PC/104 board tackles demanding applications

2007-09-10T04:18:00.000-07:00

The new Vega86-6247 is designed to handle the most demanding of industrial applications and interfaces with a wide choice of displays

Providing 533MHz of processing power from the Via Mark CoreFusion CPU, the new Vega86-6247 from Icop Technology is designed to handle the most demanding of industrial applications and interfaces with a wide choice of displays. The PC/104 standard board has 256Mbyte of SDRAM system memory with 16Mbyte and above of Flash disk support.

The L1 and L2 caches are both 64Kbyte and the computer supports VGA, SVGA, XGA, SXGA and DSTN/TFT flat panel interfaces with an integrated 2D/3D AGP4X graphics with an MPEG2 accelerator.

Shared system memory is 8, 16 or 32Mbyte.

LAN is catered for by a Realtek 8100B 10/100Mbit/s Ethernet controller with half/full duplex capability and audio is fully compliant with AC97 V2.0.

The board has a range of I/O interfaces including enhanced IDE, FDD, five RS232 ports, RS485, parallel, USB and Ethernet.

All of these major features are contained in a 102 x 144mm package, powered by a 5V supply and will operate in temperatures between -20 and +60C.

Promotion for Grabow

2007-09-10T04:15:00.000-07:00

CPU board speeds FlexRay development

2007-09-07T05:09:00.000-07:00

CPU board is based on Fujitsu's MB91F465XA with an integrated FlexRay communication controller

TTAutomotive has released a new CPU board based on Fujitsu's MB91F465XA with an integrated FlexRay communication controller for its modular TTX-Powerlink product family. The combination of Fujitsu's latest FlexRay microcontroller unit and TTX-Powerlink's modular concept provides a flexible and effective solution for FlexRay applications in the automotive industry.

The CPU board provides access to the FlexRay network and is equipped with Fujitsu's MB91F465XA, a 32bit microcontroller that features an embedded FlexRay communication controller.

This controller is a single-chip solution that makes it possible to benefit fully from the advantages of the FlexRay protocol, such as precise synchronisation throughout the system and reliable, deterministic data transport at high bandwidth.

The MB91F465XA features Fujitsu's RISC core running at a maximum speed of 100MHz.

The integrated FlexRay communication controller, based on the E-Ray IP from Bosch, supports the FlexRay protocol specification 2.1 and handles two channels at a maximum transmission rate of 10Mbit/s.

Based on Fujitsu's MB91F465XA with an integrated FlexRay communication controller, TTAutomotive's new CPU board is part of the modular TTX-Powerlink hardware solution for the development of FlexRay-based systems.

It is fully stackable to allow the combination of the CPU board with different main boards, transceivers or specific interface solutions.

TTAutomotive plans to extend this product line by releasing a board specifically designed for physical layer and FlexRay network tests, which allows the configuration of board parameters such as termination resistors, split grounding values, capacitive load and ESD protection.

Furthermore, the TTX-Powerlink product range will include electronic control units for prototyping, FlexRay-CAN gateways and an active star for FlexRay.

'Through this co-operation we are looking forward to providing a very flexible first-class solution for FlexRay applications based on Fujitsu's microcontrollers', comments Wolfgang Wiewesiek, Manager of the Automotive Business Unit at Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe.

'By combining the modular concept of TTX-Powerlink with Fujitsu's MB91F465XA, the solution has the potential to contribute to major FlexRay projects in Europe and Japan'.

Both companies are members of the FlexRay Consortium and are actively involved in creating a comprehensive portfolio of FlexRay solutions.

It is TTAutomotive's mission to advance the use of time-triggered technology based on the FlexRay standard.

Fujitsu's 'FlexRay Made Easy' program delivers complete system support for FlexRay-based applications.

The company offers development packages including all necessary hardware and software, as well as the development tools and support required for launching FlexRay projects.

FPGAs stack up processing power on PC-104

2007-09-07T05:07:00.000-07:00

Multiple-card PCI-104 stacks deliver optimal price/performance for demanding real-time embedded applications

Three additions to the highly successful PCI-104 portfolio from Nallatech offer system level flexibility through a range of multiple-card PCI-104 stacks designed to deliver optimal price/performance for demanding real-time embedded applications. The new product range strengthens the company's position as the dominant supplier of COTS PCI-104 FPGA embedded products for the defence and security markets.

The Nallatech series of PCI-104 FPGA products provide customers with a choice of five powerful platforms for the development and deployment of complex embedded systems across a variety of application areas including signals intelligence, avionics, software defined radio and autonomous vehicles.

Each product in the series is capable of supporting a variety of sensor interfaces and memory types, and can be scaled from a two-card stack supporting a single Xilinx Virtex-4 FX FPGA, up to a five-card stack supporting seven Virtex-4 FPGAs.

Individual PCI-104 stacks can be physically scaled up or down using Nallatech's Variable Height Software (VHS) accessory tool.

Using the VHS tool, customers developing applications with a Nallatech PCI-104 stack can add or remove FPGA cards in order to meet the size, weight and power (SWAP) constraints of their specific application environment.

This unprecedented level of flexibility allows customers to tailor standard COTS products to meet the specific processing, memory and I/O requirements of their target system without incurring any NRE costs.

'The Nallatech PCI-104 series of COTS products coupled with the VHS tool offer our customers new levels of performance and flexibility that meet the SWAP requirements of their demanding embedded applications', said Stephen Lynas, VP Marketing of Nallatech.

'Our comprehensive product range, tool flow and professional support services offer an unrivalled package of solutions that demonstrate our technology leadership and ability to deliver innovation to meet the specific application needs of our customers'.

'Nallatech's PCI-104 products gave us the ability to quickly and easily verify our image processing algorithms on the FPGA hardware from within the Matlab environment; something which was key to completing our project on time, to spec and budget', said Eddie Power, Chief FPGA Engineer of Selex Sensors and Airborne Systems (S and AS), Edinburgh.

This powerful hardware and tool flow combination enabled a step change in productivity and capability that promoted cross functional awareness and teamwork between the systems, software and hardware engineers'.

Nallatech is the Industry's only supplier of multiple-card COTS PCI-104 products featuring Xilinx Virtex-4 FX FPGAs.

Embedded module uses power-saving notebook ICs

2007-09-07T05:03:00.000-07:00

ETXexpress module is ideal for embedded applications that are temperature and power sensitive

Built around the Intel Core 2 Duo processor (up to 2.2GHz) and Intel's latest 965GM Express chipset that is part of the fourth generation of Intel's Centrino notebook platform, the new Kontron ETXexpress-MC is optimised for graphics applications and is billed as the most robust and power-efficient COM Express solution.

The Kontron ETXexpress-MC will feature up to 800MHz FSB for outstanding performance.

The clock speed can be dynamically reduced, as required by the operating workload.

Thus, this module offers an improved fit for a multitude of embedded applications including those that are temperature and power sensitive.

Additionally, the Kontron ETXexpress-MC design allows the processor to go into a deeper sleep state for even enhanced power efficiency.

The chipset logic recognises whether data is stored on the processor's on-chip cache memory or in RAM.

Consequently, the chipset does not have to wake up the processor to check the on-chip cache memory and unnecessarily draw on battery power.

The inclusion of onboard TPM 1.2 ensures that the Kontron ETXexpress-MC will be a superior fit for applications that call for enhanced security options.

Along with these eco-friendly features, the Kontron ETXexpress-MC will offer support for GEN4 graphics to meet the requirements of embedded applications that require advanced video capabilities.

It contains Intel's Direct-X9 compliant Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) X3100 for piping video data through the pixel shaders.

The integrated DPST 3.0 display power saving technology saves up to 400mW of additional power by switching between progressive and interlaced display modes.

Planned for initial launch later this summer, the Kontron ETXexpress-MC will be one of the first COM Express pin-out type 2 compliant modules supporting fast dual-channel memory up to 4Gbyte via two 533MHz or 667MHZ DDR2 SO-DIMM sockets positioned on the top side of the module.

This latest COM Express solution has five PCI Express x1 lanes, three SerialATA ports, and eight USB 2.0 ports along with gigabit Ethernet to round out the list of standard features.

All Kontron ETXexpress COMs provide PCI Express, PCI 32, USB 2.0 and SerialATA that remain in the same physical positions on each module, guaranteeing scalability within the product family.

An Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) for optimised power management is standard on all Kontron ETXexpress modules.

Kontron's ETXexpress family of COM Express Computer-On-Modules are fully compliant with the industry standard controlled by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturer's Group.

The ETXexpress format represents a more cost-effective replacement versus time and resource-hungry full custom designs.

Time to market is dramatically reduced and future upgrades are as simple as choosing a new ETXexpress CPU module.

Therefore, the total cost of ownership of the end design is improved as well.

Samples of the Kontron ETXexpress-MC supporting Windows XP, 2000, XPe, CE and Linux will be available from Q3 2007.

Embedded modules suit portable gaming

2007-09-06T23:58:00.000-07:00

The COM 840 provides the enormous bandwidth of the PCI Express x16 interface to the baseboard
Ampro Computers supported Intel's 'Santa Rosa' embedded launch with a pair of high-performance Core 2 Duo embedded PC modules. Ampro's rugged COM 840 product offers dual-core processors with the Intel 965 chipset in the Type 2 pinout of the official PICMG COM.0 COM Express form factor up to Core 2 Duo L7500 CPU at 1.6 GHz, along with 4Mbyte of on-chip L2 cache, 800MHz front side bus (FSB), and two SODIMM sockets for up to 4Gbyte of RAM.

The COM 840 provides the enormous bandwidth of the PCI Express x16 interface to the baseboard.

The XTX 840 is an industrial grade module with the same chipset, processors, and a single RAM socket for up to 2Gbyte of RAM for easy upgrades to existing ETX and XTX baseboards.

XTX provides PCI Express x1 lanes, additional USB ports, LPC bus, and Serial ATA (SATA) to the baseboard so that new system designers can locate peripherals and connectors where they prefer.

Together, these two advanced technology pluggable modules enable a brand new class of embedded systems with ACPI power management for next-generation portable computing, imaging, gaming, signage, and streaming media applications.

'Ampro collaborated closely with Intel on these designs in order to support the initial launch of the Santa Rosa platform for the embedded market', said Joanne Mumola Williams, President and CEO of Ampro.

'Ampro is also pleased to support PICMG's efforts to promote the official COM.0 specification as well as the complementary COM Express Plug-and-Play Initiative to ensure true interchangeability of modules for the benefit of system OEMs and integrators.' At 95 x 125mm, the rugged COM 840 contains all of the PC-compatible subsystems short of I/O connectors themselves.

The I/O and bus signals are passed through high-density surface-mount connectors to a custom carrier board, according to the official COM.0 Type 2 pinout.

I/O includes two Serial ATA (SATA) ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, one legacy IDE channel, and AC'97 audio.

Southbridge PCI Express x1 ('by one') lanes and the Northbridge x16 lane are brought to the baseboard for additional I/O and external graphics controller expansion, respectively.

In addition, the x16 lanes can be configured as two SDVO channels for dual displays.

High-performance DDR2 667 RAM is supported with two SODIMM sockets, providing up to 4Gbyte total RAM.

Ampro uses AMI BIOS with ACPI 2.0 support, including S3 suspend-to-RAM for fastest resume time with long battery life.

The XTX 840 is a mechanically- and electrically-compatible upgrade for hundreds of thousands of ETX baseboards in production, without having to redesign power supply circuits from +5V to +12V and change connectors and baseboard signal routing.

For new designs, XTX offers a lower-cost approach with legacy peripherals such as serial ports for customers who do not need PCI Express x16 lanes on the baseboard.

Both products are fully RoHS compliant.

QuickStart Kits for these products include a reference design COM Express baseboard with baseboard schematics and bill of materials, a heatspreader and 1Gbyte DDR RAM installed, plus device drivers and Board Support Packages (BSPs) for Windows XP, Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE, and a full Linux 2.6 distribution

Embedded board promises low-power performance

2007-09-06T23:57:00.000-07:00

3.5in single board computer with AMD Geode LX processors is ideal for applications such as digital signage, thin clients, mobile Internet and industrial automation
Addressing the growing need for versatile power and performance for embedded solutions, IBase offers the IB530 3.5in single board computer integrated with AMD Geode LX processors. The IB530 is claimed to be exceptional for applications such as digital signage, thin clients, mobile Internet and industrial automation and for designs demanding an extended temperature range of -20 to +70C.

The AMD Geode LX processor on IB530 delivers premium performance with very low total system power.

These processors operate at a maximum power of 5.1W (LX900@1.5W), 3.6W (LX800@0.9W) and 3.1W (LX 700@0.8W).

It comes coupled with the AMD Geode CS5536 companion device, the combined chipset offering a complete set of features for full computing functionality.

Two highly integrated Realtek RTL8100C 10/100 Ethernet controllers feature remote wake-up to increase cost-efficiency in network maintenance and management.

The IB530 has a DDR SODIMM socket for up to 1Gbyte memory.

The built-in 2D graphics controller supports both CRT and TFT LCD displays.

Functional interfaces and connectivity are provided for four serial ports, four USB ports, IDE, FDD, and a printer port.

Other standard features include a watchdog timer, digital I/O and a PCI to ISA bridge.

Dimensions are 102 x 145mm.

Video board embeds four into one

2007-07-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

Low power PC/104 board combines up to four NTSC/Pal video inputs with blended text and graphics overlay into a single composite video output
The VMIX104 is single low power PC/104 board that combines up to four NTSC/Pal video inputs with blended text and graphics overlay into a single composite video output. This high quality Pal/NTSC output signal is suitable for displaying up to four live video windows on a wide range of display devices.

The VMIX104 can process up to four concurrent inputs from up to eight cameras, VCRs or other video sources.

The board can resise, crop, reposition or overlay these inputs, as well as alpha-blending them with computer generated text and graphics.

The VMIX104 features a high degree of video overlay flexibility, with side-by-side, quadrant display, picture-in-picture and other viewing modes.

Titles and borders can be configured for each of the four windows, and True-Type fonts are supported.

Other effects include pan, zoom and scaling, also vertical and horizontal mirroring on each channel.

The VMIX104 relieves the system CPU of computer-intensive video processing, allowing hosting by a low end computer over a standard 8/16bit PC/104 bus.

This together with the board's own low power demand greatly eases the design of compact, low power fanless systems that deliver high performance video processing.

The four concurrent input channels accept Pal/NTSC or RS170 video and use digital line-lock technology to ensure reliable locking to any video source.

The inputs can be adjusted for contrast, saturation and brightness.

The output is Pal/NTSC Composite Video or S-Video, or RS170 Video.

The VMIX104 operates on a single +5V power supply, drawing less than 800mA.

An Extended Temperature version of the board with an operating range from -40 to +85C is available.

Both versions are on a standard PC/104 (3.6 x 3.8in) form factor.

The board is supported by a suite of drivers for Windows NT/2000/XP and Linux.

A sample video overlay application written in C/C++ source code is also provided.

Quad-core board embeds maximum performance

2007-07-10T23:06:00.000-07:00

Mini-ITX motherboard supports Intel's leading-edge quad-core processors, putting the hardware ahead of the curve in processor-intensive applications
Available now from BVM, the LV-676 is billed as the world's first Mini-ITX motherboard to support Intel's leading-edge quad-core processors, putting the hardware ahead of the curve in processor-intensive applications such as high definition video and graphics based gaming. Based on the Intel Q965 Express chipset, the board also supports the Intel Core 2 Duo processor with Intel Virtualisation Technology, Intel Pentium D 900 sequence and Pentium 4 processors in the LGA775 socket.

Overall system performance is optimised through Intel's Fast Memory Access technology, which optimises available bandwidth and reduces memory access latency.

The feature rich board includes wider internal databuses that support dual-channel DDR2 memory technology at 800MHz for greater platform performance and memory flexibility.

The onboard graphics controller is based on the Intel GMA 3000 architecture, which delivers richer visual colour and picture clarity without the need for an additional card.

The comprehensive portfolio of onboard capabilities includes a PCI expansion slot and a mini-PCI socket, enabling a direct interface for both standard and specialist I/O cards; and a watchdog timer provides system reset capability in the vent of software lockup.

Other features include: onboard HD audio capability; two onboard gigabit Ethernet controllers; a floppy drive interface; PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports; two IEEE-1394a, one RS232C and one RS232/422/485 ports.

Top performance comes to 5.25in form factor

2007-07-04T06:11:00.000-07:00

5.25in-form-factor SBC brings Intel's latest Core 2 Duo technology to the embedded and industrial market
The Gemini, Arcom's new 5.25in-form-factor SBC, brings Intel's latest Core 2 Duo technology to the embedded and industrial market. The Gemini offers the highest ever performance from Arcom, coupled with the guaranteed longevity of supply the market demands. The Gemini has all the requirements for enterprise and residential network applications as well as the processing power to handle today's demanding software, such as graphics-intensive applications or serious number-crunching programs.

In addition to the Core 2 Duo processor options, the Gemini is packed full of advanced features such as four 1Gbit/s LAN interfaces, up to 3Gbyte of DDR2 RAM, dual video output, six USB 2.0 ports and simple 8-24V DC power input requirements, making the Gemini the perfect solution for almost any high-end embedded processing application.

The Gemini's characteristics provide unparalleled performance/power ratio, enabling very high bandwidth, low power consumption systems to be created.

Dynamic fan control ensures operation over a wide temperature range while keeping acoustic noise to an absolute minimum.

A ready-to-go 1U rack-mount PC based on the Gemini is also available.

Extension expands COM Express definition

2007-07-04T06:10:00.000-07:00

COM Express Extension offers optimised pinouts for graphics and other core features for COM Express designs based on the PICMG COM.0 COM Express specification
Advantech and Kontron, the founders of the ETX Industrial Group, have unveiled the 'COM Express Extension', a document that offers optimised pinouts for graphics and other core features for COM Express designs based on the PICMG COM.0 COM Express specification. In parallel with the launch of the COM Express Extension, the ETX Industrial Group (ETX-IG) has been renamed to become the COM Industrial Group (COM-IG), in order to extend the groups focus on the needs of all computer-on-module solutions including ETX and COM Express.

This proactive move by the founders of new COM-IG is an effort to ensure that all COM Express solutions continue to be interchangeable no matter which vendor provides them.

The joint efforts of Kontron and Advantech are outside of the official PICMG committee, but the proposed 'extension' pinouts are intended to be brought before PICMG for future adoption into a revised COM Express specification.

Kontron and Advantech feel the 'extension' is essential in order to consistently use the latest graphics capabilities from chipset vendors including those from Intel, AMD/ATI and VIA.

'We have never seen such intense discussions between competing vendors of computer-on-module technology, all aimed at solving the genuine problem posed by predicted graphics incompatibility of COM Express computer-on-module designs'.

'This is why we engaged in the new graphic pin definition with Kontron to develop a detailed new graphics pinout for COM Express based COMs', says Jeff Chen, Chief Technology Officer of Advantech, who supported this launch from the start.

'We believe that the upgrade of the graphics pin-out definition is a vital step towards our ultimate goal: a revision of the current PICMG COM Express specification to be revision COM.1'.

'The Extension ensures the graphics compatibility of COMs based on all the upcoming embedded CPU chipsets from all the different vendors', says Dirk Finstel, CTO Embedded Modules Division, Kontron.

He adds that this launch is not intended to be and should not be considered to be an affront to PICMG and its member working committees: 'It is just the step we feel is needed in the face of dramatically increasing demand'.

The COM Express Extension delivers an optimised graphics pinout for COM Express based COMs that fits the needs of all the chipsets that will appear in the next few years.

It is our intension that it will become part of the PICMG COM.x specification.

COM Express Extensions are a tested and reliable way to provide high-performance support for all the different graphics signals while also assuring 100% pin compatibility and scalability for all COM Express based computers-on-modules.

In addition to the graphics pinouts the COM Express Extension also specifies pin-outs for important extended features like onboard thermal control and also BIOS implementations with smart battery support and new graphic interface standards.

The COM Express Extension is accompanied by a design guide that gives a round-up of all trusted design roles for COM Express baseboards, and streamlines potential baseboard designs to just the most reliable and future proven circuits, validated by the world's leading vendors of COM technology: Advantech and Kontron.

Use of the design guide is essential when developing 100% optimised baseboard designs for free scalability of COM Express based computers-on-modules.

The goal of the COM Industrial Group is to promote COM specifications that assure compatibility and to support designers with value-adding IP and design standards to ensure the most appropriate and reliable baseboard designs based on COMs like ETX and COM Express.

The COM Industrial Group also ensures the long-term availability of all the published standards, as all the leading vendors are members.

ETX is one of these standards: it is currently available in version ETX 3.0 and has been available since 2000.

Therefore, all the members of the ETX Industrial Group will also become members of the COM Industrial Group.

COM Express Extension is the second initiative from the COM Industrial Group members to keep next generation computers-on-modules closer to the market needs.

Motherboard brings more to automotive computing

2007-06-18T23:16:00.000-07:00

Tiny motherboards power fully functional network servers yet fit in the palm of the hand

New from Gumstix, the verdex motherboard features a Marvell PXA270 CPU offering USB host, CCD camera input, improved power management along with the twice as much memory and 50% more processor speed. These tiny motherboards power fully functional network servers yet fit in the palm of the hand.
Gumstix' fastest verdex motherboard, the verdex XL6P, comes with a 600MHz PXA270 processor, 128Mbyte RAM, 32Mbyte Flash and three onboard connectors for expansionboard connectivity: a 60-pin connector familiar to existing customers, and new 24-pin flex and 120-pin board-to-board connectors.

Also available is onboard Bluetooth with u.fl antenna connector.

These new motherboards are compatible with existing 60-pin boards; however, to access the new functions (such as USB Host) the company will be announcing new expansion boards in the near future.
'We build commercial vehicle security solutions for the trucking and heavy equipment industries', says Mark Ochitwa, VP, Operations and Product Development of Magtec Products.

'With the evolution of computing in the automotive and transportation industry, a compact and resilient design is required to make a product that will meet the industries needs'.

'The verdex motherboard has addressed these requirements by offering a powerful, feature rich processor in a small package'.

'The four hole mounting design for component boards makes it versatile and configurable yet rugged enough for most commercial grade applications'.

'Our customers build network appliances, commercial metering products, fleet management devices and security applications', says W Gordon Kruberg, CEO and President of Gumstix.

'Some of these features, particularly the USB Host function, fulfill long-standing requests from our customers'.

Every verdex motherboard comes preinstalled with the latest Linux 2.6 operating system and the open source u-boot boot-loader.

The verdex motherboards are available via the Gumstix website, with single-unit pricing beginning at US $129 and OEM pricing available below US $60 for orders of 1000 units with reduced processor speed, memory or options.