RSC #2 @ · 6 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions A N OPENS YSTEMS PUBLICATION PC/104 Embedded...
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Transcript of RSC #2 @ · 6 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions A N OPENS YSTEMS PUBLICATION PC/104 Embedded...
Winter 2005Volume 9 Number 5
FEATURES
HARDWARE: Embedded motherboards 22 Mini-ITX offers a useful alternative to traditional
embedded boards By Roland Groeneveld, Logic Supply, Inc.
TECHNOLOGY: Sensors 30 Interpolating DACs offer high speeds, but are they
controllable? By Scott Hames, ICS
BUYER’S GUIDE: 36 2006 PC/104 Buyer’s Guide
EVENTSFebruary 14-16, 2006 April 3-7, 2006Embedded World Embedded Systems ConferenceNuremburg, Germany San Jose, CAwww.embedded-world-2006.de www.esconline.com
April 4-6, 2006RTS 2006Paris, Francewww.birp.com/rts2006/an/intro.htm
E-LETTER Winter: www.pc104online.com/eletter ■ SOM vs. SBC: Comparing differences in embedded
technology By Michele Lukowski, VersaLogic
■ Can this COTS-based system be saved?By Robert J. Leach, Howard University
WEB RESOURCES Subscribe to the magazine or E-letter at: www.opensystems-publishing.com/subscriptions
Industry news: Read: www.pc104online.com/news Submit: www.opensystems-publishing.com/news/submit
Submit new products at: www.opensystems-publishing.com/vendors/submissions/np
COLUMNS
8 PC/104 Embedded Consortium The need for technological refresh
By Tom Barnum, PC/104 Embedded Consortium
14 PC/104 Fundamentals 101 Sensor fundamentals 101 By Joel Huebner
18 European Perspective Company profile: DIGITAL-LOGIC AG
Constant innovation is the key to successBy Stefan Baginski
66 Editor’s Insight EPIC Express paves “bridge to the future” By Chris A. Ciufo
DEPARTMENTS
45 Editor’s Choice Products
On the cover: EEPD’s M1VE PCI-104 single board computer adds serious horsepower to embedded systems. Now available with a 1 GHz Intel Celeron, the module is essentially a tiny desktop motherboard that fits into PC/104-based systems. PCI-104 is a PCI-only version of PC/104 with the legacy ISA bus omitted.
Cover inset product:Photo courtesy of EEPD. www.EEPD.com
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A N O P E N S Y S T E M S P U B L I C A T I O N
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The Journalof SmallEmbeddedForm Factors
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PC/104, EPIC, and EBX, are ubiquitous in defense, medical, telecommunication, and industrial applications where long-term availability is mandated. Many of these applications go through a rigorous certification and approval process. The time required to move a project from con-ceptual development to testing, and subse-quently to full production, can approach 3-5+ years. When the testing is complete, the expectation is that embedded product used in the application will be available for an additional 5-10 years with some medi-cal and military applications lasting for25 years or more.
For their PC/104 and other small formfactor parts, manufacturers select high-quality components from multiple vendors, seek long-term commitments from silicon suppliers, offer last-time buy opportuni-ties, and maintain deep stocks of critical components to ensure long-term prod-uct availability. Many of those vendors offer life-cycle management programs to ostensibly save OEMs time and money by eliminating product redesigns. In addition, embedded manufacturers have improved their time to market for new platforms and new derivatives of existing product. In tandem, there are increasing promises from embedded manufacturers to shepherd product “from cradle to grave” and to back up newly introduced products with a lon-gevity guarantee.
Regrettably, the time associated with “from cradle to grave” appears to be contracting. There are considerable pressures in the abil-ity to sustain these products over the span of 10-15 years or more, due to:
■ Early component obsolescence■ The ever-present trend towards an
increasing number of components on a platform (and concomitant increase
in the probability that a component obsolescence could, in turn, cause the obsolescence of the embedded computer board)
■ Consolidations or mergers■ Changes in business conditions or
otherwise
Furthermore, the length of time required to design-in an embedded computer plat-form exacerbates the ability to support the product selected over the OEM’s targeted product life cycle.
To sustain a product over time requires embedded computer manufacturers to continue their efforts to identify long-lived components and ensure a long-term, stable product supply. These requirements reinforce the need for embedded manufac-turers to provide open specifications, sup-ported by multiple vendors, to ensure that a suitable option is available in case busi-ness conditions prompt early obsolescence
from a single board supplier. In today’s high-paced environment, the OEM would be wise to allocate resources and have a sustaining plan that includes the inevitable technological refresh to either upgrade or replace selected board-level product.
The nature of the problem: Long-term component availability vs. long development cyclesThere are multiple drivers impacting long-term embedded computer availability. As mentioned, early component obsolescence
due to changes in business con-ditions often forces a board-level manufacturer to either render a product obsolete earlier than originally scheduled or to move forward with a redesign. At present, there is the move towards Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances (RoHS)-compliant products and the changeover by many silicon vendors from a leaded to an RoHS-compliant manufacturing process. That affords the oppor-tunity for some firms to obsolete less-profitable leaded compo-nent lines. After all, why expend resources to change your manu-facturing process if volumes do not warrant? In addition, techno-logical advances will continue to affect the availability of today’s silicon. The physical size of inte-
grated circuits will continue to get smaller with improvements in chip-scale and wafer-scale packaging, and functionality previ-ously implemented on several chips will integrate into single-chip, multi-chip, or System-on-Chip module solutions. These improvements, in turn, will serve to con-tinue the trend of packing additional func-tions and features onto embedded computer manufacturers’ current and future products.
By Tom Barnum
The need for technological refresh
“In today’s high-
paced environment,
the OEM would be
wise to allocate
resources and have a
sustaining plan that
includes the inevitable
technological refresh
to either upgrade
or replace selected
board-level product.”
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With the increased number of components, there is an associated rise in the probability that the board may go obsolete or will need to be upgraded to address the obsolescence at the component level.
The OEM’s long development cycle exac-erbates the problem. For example, the FDA approval process for a Class II medi-cal device consists of multiple phases. A medical device manufacturer starts out with strategic regulatory, scientific, and safety planning in the preclinical phase. This process eventually moves into full-fledged “pivotal” clinical trials, then moves into intensive coordination of clinical and post-marketing safety data collection, pro-cessing, and reporting. The documentation associated with these phases is massive. Military device development is no less time consuming and resource intensive. Some military applications follow the docu-mentation protocol equivalent to the FDA certification process. Intensive HALT, HASS, extended temperature, and shock (hammer/drop/barge) testing often follows this protocol. The latter series of tests simu-lates conditions associated with torpedo or missile attacks against military armament that contains embedded computer devices.
It is a rare event for most industrial appli-cations to be quickly developed. Although not burdened by regulatory requirements, in most industrial applications there are multiple environmental conditions and development issues that must be taken into account before moving into produc-tion. Environmental issues include the temperature and humidity requirements of the system. Development concerns include packaging requirements, OS selection, application software development and testing, and the market development asso-ciated with the device.
As a result, we have board-level manufac-turers looking for long-lived components and a “guarantee” of long-term availabil-ity from IC suppliers. However, high-end embedded motherboards can take 12 or more months to develop, test, and deploy. Complicating matters, in most cases, board designers do not immediately ana-lyze newly released ICs and move forward RSC #10 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
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with a new design. Therefore, it could be quite far along the silicon vendor’s guaran-teed availability timeline before the board-level manufacturer has their embedded product available. Even with a five-year availability guarantee (from the date of new silicon introduction), by the time an embedded computer board manufacturer designs and deploys their product and the OEM goes through their development and certification process, there is a high prob-ability that the silicon originally selected will have reached the end of its targeted product life cycle.
As depicted in Figure 1, the IC Manufac-turer (ICM) introduces their new com-ponent at time(0) while the Embedded Board Manufacturer (EBM) selects that component at time(1). The EBM takes approximately one year to design-in the ICM’s component bringing us to time(2). The OEM selects the EBM’s embedded computer at time(3) and spends three years going through development and cer-tification bringing us to full production at time(6), just following the ICM’s expected End-Of-Life (EOL).
The nature of the solution: Open specifications, multiple vendors, and periodic/staged technological refreshes by OEMs and end usersWe can expect continued evolution of embedded systems during the next few years. There is the inevitable trend towards higher performance processors and advancements in memory and I/O bandwidth. FPGAs and switched fabrics, notably PCI-Express, will play an increas-
ingly important role in future development efforts. The RoHS initiative will influence component availability while simultane-ously introducing new components. As usual, the development and deployment of new technology will displace legacy and currently available integrated circuits.
OEMs will continue to select and develop around board-level products that may surpass the silicon supplier’s guarantee. Accordingly, OEMs deploying embedded computer products should have a formal product life-cycle strategy during their sustainment phase that includes planned, routine, and technological refresh stages. The technological refresh stage is an opportunity to cut in upgraded product to address component obsolescence issues at the board level. In addition, it is an oppor-tunity for the OEM to enhance additional functionality and/or features that may be available as a result of upgrades made to product stemming from the board-level manufacturer’s integration of a replace-ment component or migration path option to address obsolescence issues.
Embedded computer manufacturers must continue to do their part to sustain product over the targeted life cycle of their OEM customers. Migration options offering form/fit/function solutions are generally not drop-in replacements. For example, a new video chip will invariably require a new board layout, an updated driver, and perhaps a change in the connector scheme. An OEM may need to update their software, change their connector configuration, or even update packaging to accommodate a board vendor’s change. Board-level manufacturers need to better understand the impact that even minimal board-level changes have on specific OEM applications and should endeavor to sup-
ply true form, fit, and function upgrade paths that fit with the technological refresh requirements of end users.
In summary, as a first step towards ensur-ing long-term availability, we have open-standards-based architecture supported by multiple board-level manufacturers, which allows OEMs to select from multiple vendors. Additionally, these board-level suppliers need to continue their efforts in offering life-cycle management programs that mitigate product redesigns. Keep in mind that component obsolescence will occur, and the board-level supplier must do their part by offering either a revision to the original platform or an upgrade path to accommodate the OEM’s form, fit, and function requirements. OEMs will need to allocate significant resources to allow for the periodic technological refreshes that will invariably arise due to component and board-level obsolescence.
For further information, contact the Consortium:
PC/104 Embedded Consortium490 2nd Street, Suite 301 San Francisco, CA 94107
Tel: 415-243-2104Fax: 415-836-9094
E-mail: [email protected]: www.pc104.org
Figure 1
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By Joel Huebner
Sensor fundamentals 101
LVDT A Linear Variable Differential Trans-former (LVDT) is a type of displacement transducer. It measures the displacement of a mechanical moving object in actual applications ranging from jet engines to robotics. For example, hydraulics and mechanical assemblies utilize LVDTs.
Figure 1 depicts a transformer with a primary winding and two secondary windings con-nected in opposition with a movable core. The dots at each transformer winding indi-cate the polarity of the induced voltage. The movable core of an LVDT is part of a shaft that extends out of the LVDT and attaches to any movable object. As the object moves, causing the shaft or core to move within the LVDT, the LVDT accurately measures the displacement of the object.
The excitation provided to an LVDT is usu-ally a sine wave measuring several volts RMS and is typically between 1 kHz to 20 kHz.The output of an LVDT is based upon the relative displacement of the magnetic core. When the magnetic core is centered, with respect to the two secondary windings, the output summation of both second-ary windings is zero or null. As the core moves toward one of the secondary wind-ings, the net summation output increases in amplitude and produces a non-zero dif-
ferential AC voltage output. The phase of the summation signal will be in-phase with the primary or 180° out-of-phase with the primary, depending on which secondary winding the core moves toward.
Some of the advantages of an LVDT are:
■ They are readily available and very economical.
■ They are very reliable in terms of service life due to a magnetic-based sensor.
■ The core does not contact the transformer.
A variation of an LVDT is the Rotary Variable Differential Transformer (RVDT). The RVDT is based upon the same princi-ples and produces the same type of output as the LVDT. The magnetic core of an RVDT moves in a rotary motion with respect to the primary and each secondary. This is useful for 0º-360° rotational motion, as opposed to the linear motion of an LVDT. Table 1 lists a number of sensor applications.
AccelerometersAcceleration is the measure of how quickly speed changes, and an acceler-ometer is a sensor that measures accelera-tion. Accelerometers have made the most remarkable advancements in the last five to 10 years. They used to be very large, power-hungry, and expensive devices. Some of the newer accelerometer technol-ogy enables measuring the angle of tilt of the sensor itself.
The incorporation of accelerometers in embedded systems has been, and contin-ues to be, very diverse. Accelerometers can monitor acceleration, angle of tilt, col-lision, gravity, and rotation. Such diverse applications as automobile collision sen-sors, monitoring the pitch and roll of
No matter how much data processing speeds continue to advance, the fundamental embedded systems requirement is for sensors to measure and convert real-world data into a digitized format for PC/104 systems to process.
This PC/104 Embedded Solutions Fundamentals 101 column focuses on some of the more exciting and unique sensors that are readily available on the commercial market. It briefly presents some of the basic but important aspects of A/D converters and reviews some of the common pitfalls to avoid when selecting a PC/104 data acquisition board with onboard A/D converters for a particular PC/104 embedded system design.
Figure 1
unmanned aerial vehicles, and the thumb joystick found in many handheld elec-tronic devices utilize accelerometers.
Many of today’s accelerometers either incorporate a heated gas bubble located on the silicon or a spring-suspended capaci-tive-based system. Thermal sensors sur-round the gas bubble system and detect the movement of the gas bubble in much the same way that the bubble in a carpenter’s level works. The suspended, capacitive-based accelerometer includes a spring-suspended plate above the silicon surface. A differential capacitor created by the sus-pended plate and a fixed plate located on the silicon surface measures deflections in the plate due to external acceleration.
Hall effect sensorThe Hall effect sensor is simply a mag-netic field sensor. It is especially useful if the targeted component incorporates or can incorporate a magnetic field. Hall effect sensors operate in applications such as anti-lock brake systems, gear rotation monitoring, and solid-state switch applica-tions. Hall effect sensors are advantageous because they have no moving parts, are solid state, are available in a broad tem-perature range, and are very reliable.
Semiconductor current flow is not orthog-onal. When a constant DC current is pres-ent in a semiconductor in one direction, no voltage (potential) is created in a per-pendicular direction. But when a magnetic field is placed at a right angle to the semi-conductor material, the current passing
through the semiconductor is disturbed. As a result, a DC voltage will be present. The DC voltage measured is proportional to the strength of the magnetic field. This principle is the Hall effect (see Figure 2).
More than 125 years ago, Dr. Edwin Hall discovered the Hall effect while using con-ductors. However, no one applied the Hall effect to actual applications until semi-conducting materials were invented in the 1950s. In addition, no one utilized the Hall effect sensors in the electronics indus-try until the last several decades when the advancement of semiconducting materials made the availability of the sensors more common.
In fact, a vast array of sensors available on the market today ranging from tempera-ture sensors, pressure sensors, and position sensors incorporate a Hall effect sensor. These sensors internally include a magnet and Hall effect sensor, which enable the desired physical element (temperature, pressure, or position) to alter the physical distance of the magnetic element to the Hall effect sensor.
A/D convertersThe most fundamental requirement for any type of analog-based sensor is to convert the analog signal to a digital format for pro-cessing by a CPU, DSP, or FPGA located within the PC/104 stack. The A/D converter is the IC that performs this process. The two main parameters that determine how accurately it converts the analog input to a digital signal are the bit resolution of the
Table 1
ConstantCurrent
ConstantCurrent
OV Measured
Magnetic field
DC Voltage MeasuredSemiconductor Semiconductor
Figure 2
Sensor applications
LVDT Used to measure the displacement of mechanical moving objects
Accelerometers Used to measure acceleration, angle of tilt, collision, gravity, and rotation
Hall effect sensor Used to measure changes in a magnetic field
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A/D converter and how fast the A/D con-verter samples the input analog signal.
Analog sensor output will have a fixed voltage range that it uses to represent the total range of the signal that it is measur-ing. For example, a pressure sensor may be able to measure a range of 0-100 psi and outputs an analog signal range of 0-5 VDC, which proportionally represents the pressure it is measuring at any given point in time. Alternatively, an LVDT sen-sor may have an analog AC output range of ±10 VAC.
The analog input range that the A/D con-verter can accept should match with the output voltage range of the sensor. A vari-ety of A/D converters are available with many different input ranges and are typi-cally dependent upon the supply voltages used to power the A/D converter itself.
Analog sensor output typically has to be scaled through analog circuitry to match the input range of the A/D converter.
The A/D converter takes discrete samples of the incoming analog signal and converts each sample to a digital number. This digi-tal number is proportional to the full-scale input analog range that the A/D converter can accept as an analog input. An 8-bit A/D converter can digitally represent 28 steps. The higher the bit resolution of the A/D converter, the more steps that can be represented. The bit resolution, in con-junction with the analog input range of the A/D converter, determines the overall resolution of the digital output. A 10-bit A/D converter with a 0-5 V analog input range can digitally represent the analog input signal in 4.9 mV increments or steps. (10-bit = 1,024 binary numbers, 5 V/1,024 = 4.9 mV). The bit resolution, in addition to how fast the A/D converter can perform the conversion process, determines the digital accuracy of the measured analog signal. Nyquist Theorem dictates that the sample frequency needs to be at least twice the highest frequency found in the input analog signal to the A/D converter. If an LVDT sensor has a 10 kHz output, the A/D converter needs to have a sample rate of at RSC #16 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
A/D selectionCareful selection of the resolution of the A/D is very important. Utilize a bit resolution that produces an accuracy that is satisfactory to the accuracy required by the embedded system design. The system sensor’s data sheet will determine the maximum bit resolution that is practical to use based upon the minimum accuracy the output of the sensor itself can provide.
For example, suppose a data sheet of a sensor lists a minimum accuracy output of 2.5 mV per something (gauss, PSI, temperature) and has an output range of 0-10 VDC. An A/D converter with a 12-bit resolution and input analog range 0-10 VDC would be able to accurately measure the maximum accuracy of the sensor (12-bit = 4,096 binary numbers, 10 V/4,096 = 2.4m V).
It is also more important to determine if it is necessary to have that level of resolution. If the end application of the PC/104 system dictates only an accuracy required by the sensor that is a value greater than the resolu-tion capabilities of the sensor itself, then utilize an A/D with a lower bit resolution that meets the system requirements of the embedded design. The PC/104 embedded system design requirements should dictate the accuracy level of the required A/D converter.
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 17
least 20 kHz or take a sample every 0.1 ms or smaller to avoid anti-aliasing.
The technology of A/D converters con-tinues to advance along with the entire electronics industry. Many of today’s A/D converters have integrated mux systems, self-calibrating circuitry, integrated error compensation, and additional features that have advanced the accuracy, reliabil-ity, and capability of A/D converters as a whole. The important thing is to select a PC/104 data acquisition board that has an A/D converter that possesses the func-tional parameters and capabilities that meet the needs of the external sensors and the requirements of the PC/104 embedded system design itself.
PC/104 meets the physical worldThe true advancement of PC/104 systems is not necessary at the silicon level with smaller and faster processors and memory, but rather at the real-world interface level. When the embedded engineer identifies new ways of utilizing existing sensors to gather data from the physical world in new and creative ways, that is when the embedded engineer pushes the envelope of PC/104 technology and embedded sys-tems as a whole.
Additional information, references, and Web links about sensors and A/D converters are available at www.jacyltechnology.com.
Web links on LVDT/RVDT, accelerometers,the Hall effect sensor, and A/D converters are available at www.pc104online.com/departments/fundamentals/2005/winter/.
Joel Huebner is president of Jacyl Technology, Inc. He holds two degrees with honors from Purdue University in electrical engineering and computer engineering. Joel has more than 15 years’ experience as an electrical design engi-neer in the military aerospace industry and in the custom electronic design R&D industry.
For further information, contact Joel at:
Jacyl Technology, Inc.PO Box 350Leo, IN 46765Tel: 800-590-6067E-mail: [email protected]: www.jacyltechnology.com
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DIGITAL-LOGIC is a mid-size company specializing in supplying its customers with PC/104 and other small-form-factor embedded computers. Their modules are small, provide relatively high performance for their size, and usually offer an excel-lent compromise between power con-sumption and performance. Furthermore, the company offers a range of small and fanless computers called MICROSPACE computer systems.
DIGITAL-LOGIC is located in the north-western part of Switz-erland and supplies customers in the areas of industry, govern-ment (including mili-
tary and space), and applied sciences.Below is a recap of my recent conversation with the company’s CEO, Felix Kunz.
S.B. What is your market position, and where do you see DIGITAL-LOGIC now?
F.K. We are in the embedded market and have the smallest size product of its class on the market. I do not know of any other company that offers the same performance in the same- or smaller-size product for-mat. This achievement is not easy. We have to keep to the standard interfaces, of which there are quite a few, and reducing module sizes is not easy and often even impossi-ble. In addition, we have to follow thermal restrictions of all sorts.
We are not only a design and layout company, but we have to make sure that every DIGITAL-LOGIC-designed board has solved the thermal dissipation prob-lem. CPU performance generates heat, and its dissipation or optimized distribu-tion is one of our main objectives. One of the ways we do this is to use a copper ring acting as a power dissipation radia-tor. One example of this implementation is our smartModule board, measuring66 mm x 85 mm x 14 mm (2.6" x 3.3"x 0.6"), that has a Pentium processor working at 2 GHz (see Figure 1). I have not yet seen a smaller module from our competition with an equivalent or better processor.
The MICROSPACE PC systems are fully equipped with hard disk, DVD, and pas-sive cooling system. You will find no fan, and everything is rock solid in this clever patented cooling concept. Other features of our products include scalability, designs that are built for rugged environments, and a long life-cycle availability guarantee.
S.B. And now you are facing the RoHS challenge. What does that entail?
F.K. In Europe, use of leaded products will be restricted beginning in summer 2006. But we already have lead-free computer boards. As soon as we can get all associated components such as hard drives in RoHS-compliant versions, our products will be lead-free from the begin-ning of 2006. But beyond components, the lead-free production process is also more expensive. Our process must be free of tin whiskers.
Some customers, such as the military, are likely to remain using leaded products because of their experience with quality. They are prepared to pay for the 10-year guarantee that coincides with their typical life cycle.
S.B. How is the market changing for you?
F.K. We had our revenues growing even at times of a slower growth in the mar-ket. During 2002-2004, we experienced about 15 percent growth per year, and we expect our growth to rise to 20 percent or more in the next few years. We are growing organically, from the financial point of view, and we are a conserva-tive company. We keep ourselves more and more debt-free, and that’s what our shareholders like. Thus, we are not plan-ning an IPO, as we plan to stay stable. In our business, the customer loses
By Stefan BaginskiCompany profile: DIGITAL-LOGIC Constant innovation is the key to success
The PC/104 market is composed of a variety of companies that often manufacture more than just PC/104 modules. The Swiss company DIGITAL-LOGIC is no exception. A supplier of PC/104 and other small form factors, the company is indicative of the market’s many innovators. DIGITAL-LOGIC was among the first to deploy Pentium processors on PC/104 by designing a unique heat sink, and they continue to offer insight on how small-form-factor vendors are meeting the challenges of market demands concerning more performance, reducing costs, and meeting European Restriction of the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) requirements.
OpenSystems Publishing European bureau chief Stefan Baginski recently caught up with DIGITAL-LOGIC’s CEO, Felix Kunz.
Figure 1
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confidence if he observes too much movement around the supplier. Over the years, we have kept the same sales peo-ple to service our customers and changed only the products to meet their needs.
In 1998 and 2000, we had a couple of rounds of refinancing and invested in new technologies. Since then, we’ve been operating in a high-cost marketplace, with high salaries, and we must therefore push the automation rate as high as possible to make ourselves competitive with the Far East production competitors. We do not expect to outsource our production to off-shore countries. Our biggest challenge is here, in continuing innovation, increasing yields, and investing in people.
Note that 90 percent of our shipments are exported, outside of Switzerland, and about 50 percent end up in Europe. We always concentrate on top performance. With our own production, we are capable of assem-bling approximately 100,000 units per year, so we have to concentrate on niche markets.
For large quantity projects, we cooperate with subcontractors for assembly.
On the technology side, we started very early with RoHS, and the other challenge is to stay close to Intel. The technology changes rapidly, and DIGITAL-LOGIC is focused on Intel because of product sta-bility and the 10-year long life program. As a positive example, we have 386 chips in stock, which is a device that has been running now for more than 20 years. We take care to supply our customers with products for up to 10 years. Only product stability, product quality, and continued new developments guarantee our leading position in the embedded market.
S.B. What technology or services are to be expected in the future?
F.K. DIGITAL-LOGIC will integrate Intel’s high-performance CPUs as dual core Pentiums with low power consump-tion. For medium performance and lower priced applications, we will come up with products featuring the AMD Geode800. At the computer show SPS 2005, in Nuremberg, we are going to introduce our
new generation of products featuring the GX 800LX processor.
S.B. Where are you staying on the value chain?
F.K. We are staying with our core compe-tence. Our SM855 and SM915 are amaz-ing modules. As I said, we consider them to be the world’s smallest Pentium Mcomputer modules, which are based on the Intel 915GM chipset (533 MHz front-side bus) and use the Pentium M processor at speeds from 0.6 to 2.0 GHz. Performance is our goal, and with 2 MB of L2 cache, the Pentium M clocked at1.8 GHz reaches a performance level compatible to that of a 3.4 GHz Pentium 4processor. Our module consumes only6 W to 20 W. The SM915 uses the Extreme Graphics video controller and supports DirectX 9 with up to 256 MB.
We also use a sophisticated cooling con-cept in which a cover is made out of a high-strength, milled aluminum block with a fixed bearing system around the circuit board, and it has a special cop-per core mounted on the CPU, which is pressed tightly against the enclosure wall or against the heat sink. The unit works in the standard temperature range of -0 °C to +60 °C, screened under the E48 mod-ules. With lower CPU clock rates such as600 MHz, the module has also been approved for an extended temperature range of -40 °C and +85 °C. As you see, we try to always move upwards in the value chain, thus our products are easier to use and they provide cost-effective solutions to the end user.
S.B. Finally, how much software is involved in your product development?
F.K. We provide all board support pack-ages and drivers and support all major operating systems such as VxWorks, Linux, Microsoft’s offerings, QNX, and several others.
For more information, contact Felix at:DIGITAL-LOGIC AG
Nordstrasse 11/FCH-4542 LuterbachTel: +41-0-32-681-5800Fax: +41-0-32-681-5801E-mail: [email protected]: www.digitallogic.comRSC #20 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
22 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
VIA originally launched Mini-ITX as a ref-erence design to showcase their core prod-ucts, chipsets, and processors. The enthusi-astic response to these boards spurred VIA to begin commercial production. They formally launched the VIA EPIA line of Mini-ITX motherboards (see Figure 1) in 2002. Shortly thereafter, Logic Supply, Inc., a Mini-ITX distributor and solutions provider, started offering this new form factor and related components.
The appeal of the boards is derived, in large part, from their usability. Mini-ITX boards offer all the features of a standard PC motherboard in a smaller package. The form factor measures 17 cm x 17 cm (6.7" x 6.7") and frequently contains an integrated processor. The EPIA line was especially popular among computer hobbyists eager for a smaller alterna-tive to their large desktop towers. VIA’s
marketing took note, and to this day, the company focuses especially on consumer products utilizing the EPIA line of main boards.
This pedigree of PC similarity as well as consumer attractiveness are perhaps why hard-core embedded designers have, in the past, looked suspiciously at Mini-ITX. But with the possible exception of the mil-itary market, we are seeing the form fac-tor used more frequently in “embedded” areas. Industrial board manufacturers such as Kontron, DFI-ACP, and Commell have taken notice and are now offering a range of solutions in 17 cm x 17 cm, many capa-ble of carrying ultra low-voltage Celeron, Pentium M, and P4 processors.
There are both technical and business advantages fueling the market’s demand.
Technical advantagesMini-ITX boards are defined by their size, layout, degree of integration, and com-patibility. As well, VIA offers a unique feature known as the VIA Padlock Security Suite.
At 17 cm x 17 cm, the Mini-ITX form fac-tor is hardly the smallest of the standard embedded form factors. It is, however,
significantly smaller than a traditional ATX PC board and suitable for many applications where smaller, but not micro, sizing is desired.
As compared to smaller form factors, the extra real estate on the Mini-ITX board creates ample space for integrated I/O. The layout of the mounting holes, back panel I/O shield, and PCI slot is simi-lar to ATX-style PC boards. In fact, this standardized layout has encouraged the rapid development of Mini-ITX specific chassis. Moreover, most Mini-ITX moth-erboards work with standard ATX power supplies and a 20-pin ATX power con-nector. With “backward” compatibility, a Mini-ITX board is even useful in an ATX enclosure.
Morex and Casetronic are manufacturers who specialize in Mini-ITX cases. They offer very small (mobile) cases, expand-able cases with PCI slots, and rackmount cases. Serener has created a relatively new solution – a range of fanless Mini-ITX cases. Using heat pipe technology, they make VIA C3 and Pentium M-based systems completely fanless by bringing the heat to the side of the finned chassis (refer to Figure 2).
The VIA Eden and C3 processors used on many Mini-ITX motherboards are power-
Hardware Embedded motherboards
Mini-ITX offers a useful alternative to traditional embedded boardsBy Roland Groeneveld
Embedded systems engineers face the same question at the beginning of every project – “Which embedded system board is best suited to my application?” While custom design is technically feasible, it’s not always fiscally realistic. Among the off-the-shelf open standards such as PC/104, EBX, EPIC, and the de facto 5.25" and 3.5" form factors, the Mini-ITX form factor stands out as a relative newcomer to the embedded scene. System engineers are discovering the advantages of Mini-ITX. While this form factor isn’t the answer in all situations, the Mini-ITX main board is emerging as a powerful alternative in the embedded arena.
Figure 1
Figure 2
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 23RSC #23 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
24 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
Hardware Embedded motherboards
efficient and fully x86 compatible. These processors are ideal for embedded appli-cations where those considerations are key. For applications requiring more pro-cessing power, Intel-based motherboards are also available.
With full PC compatibility and mature hardware, developing software applica-tions is straightforward and fast. Available support for almost all x86-based operat-ing systems includes:
■ Windows 2000 and Windows XP■ Windows XP Embedded and
CE .NET■ Linux, BSD■ Embedded Linux and RT-Linux
Just like a regular PC, Mini-ITX boards have a range of I/O ports available: Serial, parallel, USB, FireWire, keyboard/mouse, audio, VGA, TV and S-Video out, 10/100 Ethernet LAN, floppy, and IDE ports are standard. The more advanced boards fea-
ture onboard CompactFlash and PCMCIA slots, DVI, LVDS, RGB, Gigabit LAN, Serial ATA, and programmable digital I/Oports.
All Mini-ITX motherboards come with a PCI or PCI-Express slot, and some also include mini-PCI, enabling additional add-ons like video capture cards, extra network, or wireless interfaces. With the use of dual PCI riser cards, it’s possible to add two PCI cards. Most main boards use standard DDR266 or DDR400 memory or the newer and faster DDR2 memory. The high-end Mini-ITX boards offer a watch-dog timer and standard system monitor-ing interfaces, not unlike many embedded computer boards such as VME.
VIA EPIA Mini-ITX motherboards with the latest VIA C3, Eden, and Eden N pro-cessors offer the VIA Padlock Security Suite. This consists of an on-die hard-ware number generator and Advanced Cryptography Engine. The hardware number generator harvests oscillations across the die for an extremely high degree of randomness. These oscillations can be used for the creation of virtual pri-vate networks and digital certificates. The integrated cryptography engine offers on-the-fly data encryption and decryp-tion and encoding of locally stored data. The VIA Padlock Security Suite offers almost transparent encryption with mini-mal impact on system performance. For an overview of popular Mini-ITX moth-erboards, see Table 1.
Bottom line business advantages At some point during an engineer’s analy-sis of technical options, business consid-erations enter the picture. Here, the VIA pioneered solution is most compelling since the Mini-ITX form factor speeds development time, is widely available, and is in general quite economical. By using standard, off-the-shelf PC compo-nents, the development and operational cost of Mini-ITX solutions is consider-ably lower than most other embedded form factors. With a range of compatible accessories such as enclosures, power supplies, CF adapters, riser cards, and IDE adapters, it’s possible to quickly set up a working prototype without designing a custom enclosure.RSC #24 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 25
Mod
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1 x
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1 x
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head
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head
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x Pa
ralle
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I Slo
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I1
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I1
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I1
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I2
x PC
I1
x PC
I1
x PC
I1
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I Exp
ress
1 x
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xpre
ss
1 x
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i-PCI
(b
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lot
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mpa
ctFl
ash
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mpa
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ash
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1 x
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pact
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h–
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CIA
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MCI
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––
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wer
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pply
ATX
styl
eAT
X st
yle
ATX
styl
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X st
yle
ATX
styl
eAT
X st
yle
ATX
styl
eAT
X st
yle
with
P4
pow
er c
onne
ctor
ATX
styl
e w
ith P
4 po
wer
con
nect
orOn
boar
d 12
V 4-
pin
pow
er c
onne
ctor
Table 1
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 27
Tens of thousands of VIA boards are sold each month in Asia, Europe, and the United States. The popularity of the board among consumers and engineers has resulted in a range of different main boards from which to choose. The broad appeal of the product ensures availability and shortens lead times.
Retail prices for VIA Mini-ITX boards range from $129-225. Prices for Pentium Mand P4-compatible boards are higher, but few break $400. While there are certainly other form factors that offer comparable per unit costs, most require upfront devel-opment costs that Mini-ITX minimizes.
Applications and examplesAs a solution provider specializing in the Mini-ITX form factor, Logic Supply regularly works with engineers to develop and refine Mini-ITX-based systems. Customers are using Mini-ITX systems as the engine to capture video security data, power home automation appliances, run kiosk and point-of-sale systems, and serve as robots’ “brains.” We are certainly seeing them used as digital entertainment devices, set-top boxes, personal PCs and servers, and thin clients. However, an analysis of our customer base revealed that these consumer-oriented and PC-like applications are actually less pervasive than one might suppose.
The following are examples of our cus-tomer base using Mini-ITX in tradition-ally embedded arenas:
■ Date logging – A Florida engineering firm uses Mini-ITX systems inside a NEMA enclosure to measure and monitor the structural integrity of Department of Transportation-run state bridges.
■ Industrial control – A Maine paper mill utilizes a Mini-ITX fanless sys-tem in its pulp room, where dust and chemicals will, in the words of the mill’s IT director, “break down a Dell in three months.”
■ Kiosk – A PC-based ATM manu-facturer uses embedded VIA boards inside their cash machines. A gaming kiosk manufacturer is using enclosed Mini-ITX systems, enabling them
to “hot swap” units if they need to update the software.
■ Communications – A broadcast telephony company employs a Mini-ITX board as the basis for one of its codecs, and a wireless networking company uses a Mini-ITX system as its mesh network box.
■ Digital signage – A satellite-based digital signage company uses a Mini-ITX product as the plasma display engine, powering static and multimedia content.
■ Dedicated appliance – A software company specializing in license plate recognition offers its customers a complete (software plus hardware) solution, including an appliance based around the Mini-ITX form factor.
■ Mobile computing – A security com-pany uses Mini-ITX systems to create a mobile video recording and trans-mitting unit for law enforcement.
Mini-ITX-based systems can be tougher than one might suppose. Processor fans, enclosure fans, and hard drives are typi-cal points of failure. Fanless solutions are best suited to harsh environments, and a fanless, solid state system (utiliz-ing flash memory) is ideal. Fortunately, both fanless and solid state systems are easy to create in this form factor. The low-power, low-heat characteristic of Mini-ITX enabled the development of several lines of fanless cases. These enclosures make it possible to create an extremely rugged and reliable solu-tion for harsh environments and other embedded solutions.
The future of Mini-ITXVIA is planning a range of new Mini-ITX motherboards with their highly efficient, low-power C7 processor. These mother-boards will include the latest technology such as SATA, DDR2 400/533 memory, Gigabit Ethernet, DVI, and mini-PCI slots. Also planned is the new High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), which offers eight-channel digital audio, high definition video, and data (including I2C data). HDMI is backwards-compat-ible with DVI, but it uses a much smaller connector, which is always good news for the embedded market.
Hardware
RSC #27 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
28 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded SolutionsRSC #28 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 29
Hardware
Other manufacturers like Kontron, DFI-ACP, iBASE, and Commell are focusing their Mini-ITX efforts mainly around Intel processors. ULV, Celeron M, and Pentium M processors allow for more powerful solutions while maintaining low power usage and heat dissipation. Pentium 4 solutions are also available, but generally the power and cooling require-ments are difficult to combine with small size requirements.
VIA’s long-awaited Nano-ITX mother-board will finally become available at the end of this year. Measuring 12 cm x 12 cm (4.7" x 4.7"), this motherboard is even smaller than the Mini-ITX, while maintaining full PC compatibility. The Nano-ITX is designed around the VIA Luke CoreFusion processor, which has an integrated Northbridge. With integrated audio, video, LAN, SATA, and much more, it is poised to be the smallest mul-timedia-capable single board computer available on the market. For a comparison of ATX, Mini-ITX, and nano-ITX main boards see Figure 3.
Embedded engineers will continue to weigh the pros and cons of their system board choices. There are certain appli-cations where the PC/104, EBX, EPIC, and other boards shine: Think extreme
temperature swings, high vibration situ-ations, and deployments lasting more than five years. However, Mini-ITX lends itself easily and reliably to many applica-tions traditionally viewed as core to the embedded market. For less extreme uses, Mini-ITX offers a useful alternative to often-employed solutions.
LinksVIA Embedded – www.viaembedded.comMini-ITX information – www.epiapenter.comLogic Supply – www.logicsupply.comHDMI – www.hdmi.org
Roland Groeneveld is founder and president of Logic Supply, Inc., a Mini-ITX distributor and solutions provider. His background is in global IT consultancy with LogicaCMG in Europe and IT management at Tiscali, a large European ISP. He has degrees in electrical engineering and computer science.
To learn more, contact Roland at:
Logic Supply, Inc.35 CrossroadWaterbury, VT 05676Tel: 802-244-8302Fax: 802-244-7938E-mail: [email protected]: www.logicsupply.com
RSC #29 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
Nano
Mini
Figure 3
30 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
Experimenting with digital upconverter DACsPhased array radar is a prime example of a phase-sensitive application that requires exact synchronization of mul-tiple DAC outputs across multiple trigger events. In the past, it was commonplace to use “standard” DACs – simple but fast devices that enabled clock and data input control. However, the problem was ensur-ing clock and data stream synchroniza-tion. As DAC conversion rates increased beyond about 300 MHz, keeping the clock and data rates down to manageable levels drove experimentation with what could be called interpolating or digitalupconverter DACs – devices that accept data at the baseband rate, and then per-form Digital UpConversion (DUC) func-tions on the chip, before generating the analog output. Unfortunately, in most cases, the user is limited in precisely con-
trolling the internal DUC functions of these parts. This limitation eliminates the possibility of ensuring that the outputs are truly synchronous. In many applications, they do more harm than good.
At ICS, we have performed an extended evaluation of a particular 200 MHz inter-polating DAC – but have had to abandon the effort. The DAC in question includes all the features previously listed, includ-ing an on-chip clock multiplier, DDS NCO, interpolating filters, and mixers. Although it has been very successful in some applications, it has been a total failure in phase-sensitive situations. One target application was generating a radar system FM chirp pulse. It was critical that the phase and timing of the output be the same (sub-nanosecond consistency) from one trigger to the next, and across multi-ple channels. Also, the ability to set phase
arbitrarily across channels for transmit beam forming was highly desirable, if possible.
The need for user controlBecause the DAC in question was operat-ing as a quadrature upconverter, it relied on an internal DDS NCO. This operation produced the intermediate frequency for modulation by the incoming data. The phase of any signal generated at the DAC output would depend on the phase of the baseband data and the phase of the DDS NCO. Unfortunately, even if the onboard logic perfectly controlled the input data timing, the NCO was free running after chip release from the reset condition. The user could not reset the phase of the NCO to zero, or any other known point, on demand. Ideally, the requirement was to use the variable Pulse Repetition Interval (PRI) trigger input to restart the NCO, so that every pulse was identical. Two nec-essary features that simply did not exist were:
■■ A register in the chip that would allow specification of the starting phase of the DDS NCO
■■ An NCO_SYNC pin on the device that would clear the phase accumula-tor and allow arbitrary synchroniza-tion based on an external event
Difficulties with synchronizationOn-chip clock multipliers are another feature that adds risk to phase-sensitive multichannel designs. Many high-speed DACs accept a low-speed clock and mul-tiply it up to a much higher speed inter-nal clock. This process is risky because in multichannel systems, each chip usu-ally generates its own high-speed inter-
Technology Sensors
Interpolating DACs offer high speeds, but are they controllable?By Scott Hames
Current state-of-the-art software defined radio transmit techniques typically involve synthesis of signals at the Intermediate Frequency (IF) or, even in some cases, such as High Frequency (HF) and Very High Frequency (VHF), at the Radio Frequency (RF). Such synthesis demands data streaming to the Digital Analog Converter (DAC) input at very high rates, approaching 1 GHz in some cases. Supplying data at these rates is a serious challenge, even between components on the same board. To alleviate the problems of moving data at high speed and simplifying system design, DAC manufacturers are offering parts that include on-chip clock multipliers, Direct Digital Synthesis Numerically Controlled Oscillators (DDS/NCOs), interpolating filters, and mixers. The theory is that by digitally performing the final upconversion on the DAC chip, the user need only supply data at the baseband rate. Furthermore, the programmable NCO can bring substantial flexibility to the hardware, enabling software control for spread spectrum techniques such as frequency hopping. While these features provide obvious benefits, there are subtle caveats that should be noted when specifying DACs for phase-sensitive applications.
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 31RSC #31 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
nal clock using a Phased Lock Loop (PLL). Since each PLL will lock up at a slightly different time after the clock is applied, changed, or the chips are reset, the DAC clocks will always be different. Furthermore, after the high-speed clock is generated, it is often contained within the chip, so that no other equipment, such as other DACs, can be synchronized with it. If there is to be a clock multiplier on chip, it is imperative that it has the ability to deliver the full-speed conversion clock to the outside world, not a low-speed deriva-tive of it.
Other parts of the processing chain that will affect the phase of the signal are, for example, interpolation counters and Finite Impulse Response/Infinite Impulse Response/Cascaded Integrator Comb (FIR/IIR/CIC) filter pipelines. The state of the interpolation counter determines when new data is accepted into the pipe-line. Unless the counter state can be controlled based on external conditions, phase uncertainty exists. In addition, if old, invalid data is not flushed from filter pipelines, it could corrupt the new input. Designers of phase-sensitive systems will
want to ensure that they have access to all of these controls.
Solution built around GrayChip productsA solution that has worked was a separate DDC ASIC from GrayChip (now owned by Texas Instruments) that converted the baseband input data to the final inter-mediate frequency before feeding it to a standard DAC. The GrayChip 4116 and 5016 in particular were outstanding prod-ucts, with an excellent implementation of all the features previously mentioned (DDS NCOs, interpolating filters, mixers) and more. A multilevel synchronization scheme enables internal or external syn-chronization of virtually every parameter in the signal processing chain. Although this scheme puts responsibility for proper control of the device squarely on the sys-tem designer or application programmer, and the learning curve is substantial, it is extremely powerful in the hands of an experienced user.
In summary, the high speeds offered by many of today’s interpolating DACs are superficially attractive, but implementa-tion in real-world applications requires a deep understanding of how they work and their limitations if the systems designer is to be able to take advantage of them.
Scott Hames is Director of Product Management, Interactive Circuits and Systems, Ltd., Ottawa, Canada. ICS is a member of Radstone Embedded Computing. Scott’s 11 years at ICS have included positions in hardware, test, and field applications engineering. As well as qualifications in electronics, Scott holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.
For more information, contact ICS directly:
ICS 5430 Canotek RoadOttawa, Ontario K1J9G2CanadaTel: 800-267-9794E-mail: [email protected]: www.ics-ltd.com
“...the high
speeds offered by
many of today’s
interpolating
DACs are
superficially
attractive, but
implementation
in real-world
applications
requires a deep
understanding
of how they
work and their
limitations. . .”
Technology
RSC #33 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
TA
BLE
OF C
ON
TE
NTS BOARD LEVEL
Bridge: PC/104 to DeviceNet
Bridge: PC/104 to ISA
Bridge: PC/104 to PC/104
Bridge: PCI-to-ISA
Bridge: Other bridges
Chips & Cores: Bus interface
Chips & Cores: FPGA
Chips & Cores: Media SoC
Chips & Cores: Pentium
Chips & Cores: Other
Component-level modules
DSP algorithm
DSP Resource Boards: PC/104
DSP Resource Boards: PCI-104
DSP Resource Boards: TIM
DSP Resource Boards: PC/104-Plus
I/O: Analog
I/O: Digital
I/O: FPGA
I/O: Industrial
I/O: Multifunction
Memory: Flash
Memory: General purpose
Memory: Reflective
PCMCIA/CardBus
PCMCIA/PC card
Structured ASIC
System Boards
Other Module <100cm2
RSC #36 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
36 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
CARRIER BOARDS
ETX
IP
PC/104
PC/104-Plus
COMMUNICATIONS
Datacom: ARCNET
Datacom: Ethernet
Datacom: FDDI
Datacom: General
Datacom: GPIB/MXI
Datacom: LAN
Datacom: Security
Datacom: Serial controller
Datacom: USB controller
Datacom: WAN
Datacom: WLAN
Embedded Internet
Internet appliances
Modem/Fax modem
Optical
Remote access
Routers/Switches
Servers
Software: Middleware
Software defined radio
Telecom: T1/E1
Turnkey system
Voice: VoIP
Wireless
Wireless: GPS
Wireless: GSM/GPRS
FABRICS
Fabrics: Fibre channel
Fabrics: RapidIO
Fabrics: StarFabric
PACKAGING
Air Transport Rack (ATR)
Backplane
Backplane accessories
Backplane: Other
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 37
RSC #37 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
TA
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OF C
ON
TE
NTS
Battery
Board accessories
Card rack + card cage
Card rack accessories
Card rack/subrack
Connectors: Backplane
Connectors: Hard metric
Connectors: PC/104
Connectors: Other
Enclosure
Enclosure + card rack
Enclosure + card rack + power supply
ESD management
IEEE 1394 (FireWire)
Keypad/Keyboard interface
Power: General
Power supply
Power-fail module
Production tools
SCSI controller
SCSI peripheral
Shelf and mechanical components
System monitoring
Thermal management
PROCESSOR BOARDS
386SX
80C188EB
AMD SC520
C3
Celeron
Celeron M
Coldfire
Crusoe
Cyrix
Eden
ELAN
Ezra
Geode
Hitachi SH Family
MPC5200
Multiple MPU
Pentium
Pentium 4
Pentium II
Pentium III
Pentium M
Pentium MMX
PowerPC
PowerQUICC
RISC
SC520
Socket 370
Socket 7
STPC Consumer
STPC Elite
STPC Industrial
STPC-ATLAS
STPC-Client
x86
2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
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OF C
ON
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NTS
RSC #38 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
38 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
XScale
Other
RUGGEDIZED/MIL-SPEC
ARINC
Avionics
MIL-STD-1553
Telemetry
SOFTWARE & DEVELOPMENT
Bus analyzer
Development platform
Development tools
IDE
JTAG
Prototyping and debugging aids
Software: Application
Software: Board support packages
Software: Compilers
Software: Development tool
Software: Java
Software: Library
Software: Linux
Software: Modeling tool
Software: Networking
Software: Operating system
Software: Protocol stack
System integration services
TEST AND ANALYSIS
Counter/timer
Digital-to-synchro
Data acquisition
GPS/Precision time code
LVDT/RVDT stimulus and measurement
Signal conditioner
Synchro-to-Digital
Test systems
Waveform digitizers/Digital oscilloscopes
Waveform generator
RSC #39 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 39
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2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
40 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
BO
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Bridges Chips & Cores DSP Boards I/O Memory
CompanyName
PC/1
04 to
Dev
iceN
et
PC/1
04 to
ISA
PC/1
04 to
PC/
104
PCI-t
o-IS
A
Othe
r brid
ges
Bus
inte
rface
FPGA
Med
ia S
oC
Pent
ium
Othe
r chi
ps &
cor
es
PC/1
04
PC/1
04-P
lus
PCI-1
04
TIM
Anal
og
Digi
tal
FPGA
Indu
stria
l
Mul
tifun
ctio
n
Flas
h
Gene
ral p
urpo
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Refle
ctiv
e
ABIA Technology •ACCES I/O Products • • • • •Acromag •ACS-Tech 80 •ADLINK Technology • • •Advanced Digital LogicAdvantech • •Ampro Computers • •Andor DesignAprotek • •APS •Aquarela Systems •Arbor Technology • •Arcom Control Systems •AristaArius •ASRC •Axiomtek • • •BittWare •Blue Chip •CCII Systems •Centralp AutomatismesComark • • • •Commtech • •CyberResearch •Data Device •Data I/O •Datalight •Dataram •Derivation Systems •Diamond Systems • • •Douglas Electronics •DPAC Technologies •DSP Design • • •DSP SystemsEagle Technology •EEPD North America •EL TechnologyEMAC • • • • •Embedded Designs Plus • •Enseoesd •EuroTecHEvalue Technology •
BOARD LEVEL
Continued on page 42
BOARD LEVEL2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 41
BO
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Other
PCM
CIA/
Card
Bus
PCM
CIA/
PC c
ard
Stru
ctur
ed A
SIC
Syst
em B
oard
s
Othe
r mod
ule
<100
cm2
Com
pone
nt-le
vel m
odul
es
DSP
algo
rithm Website
• www.abiatech.comwww.accesio.com
www.acromag.comwww.acs-tech80.comwww.adlinktech.com
• www.digitallogic.com• • www.advantech.com
• www.ampro.com• www.andordesign.com
www.aprotek.comwww.associatedpro.com
www.aquarelasystems.com• www.arborsolution.com
www.arcomcontrols.com• • www.aristaipc.com
www.arius.comwww.akspace.com/home.htm
• www.axiomtek.comwww.bittware.com
www.bluechiptechnology.co.ukwww.ccii.co.za
• www.centralp.comwww.comarkcorp.com
www.commtech-fastcom.comwww.cyberresearch.com
www.ddc-web.comwww.dataio.com
www.datalight.com www.dataram.com
www.derivation.comwww.diamondsystems.com
www.douglas.com www.dense-pac.com
• www.dspdesign.com• www.dspsystems.com
www.eagle.co.za• • www.eepd.com
• www.eltechnology.com• www.emacinc.com
www.embedded-designs-plus.com• www.enseo.com
www.esd-electronics.com• www.eurotech.it
• www.evalue-tech.com
RSC #4101 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
RSC #4102 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
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42 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
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Bridges Chips & Cores DSP Boards I/O Memory
CompanyName
PC/1
04 to
Dev
iceN
et
PC/1
04 to
ISA
PC/1
04 to
PC/
104
PCI-t
o-IS
A
Othe
r brid
ges
Bus
inte
rface
FPGA
Med
ia S
oC
Pent
ium
Othe
r chi
ps &
cor
es
PC/1
04
PC/1
04-P
lus
PCI-1
04
TIM
Anal
og
Digi
tal
FPGA
Indu
stria
l
Mul
tifun
ctio
n
Flas
h
Gene
ral p
urpo
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Refle
ctiv
e
General Standards • • • •Grid Connect •HectronicICOP Technology • •Intel •Intelec TechnologiesJacyl • • •JS Automation •Kane Computing •Kaxillion •Kontron • •Lanner Electronics •Lattice Semiconductor Corporation •LAVA Computer Manufacturing •LSI LogicMango DSP • •Measurement Computing • •Mesa Electronics • • • • •Micro Industries •Micro Technic •Micro/sys • • •Microcomputer Systems • •MPLM-Systems • •Nallatech •Octagon Systems • • • •Parvus • •Phoenix Contact •PHYTEC America •Rapid Controls •Ricoh Electronics, Inc.Robotrol •Rochelle Communications •RPA •RTD • • • • •S&K Electronics •SBS Technologies •SCIDYNE • • •Sealevel Systems •Sensoray • •Sheldon Instruments • •Signalogic •SSV Software Systems • • •Sundance • • •
BOARD LEVEL
Continued on page 44
BOARD LEVEL2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 43
BO
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D L
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EL
Other
PCM
CIA/
Card
Bus
PCM
CIA/
PC c
ard
Stru
ctur
ed A
SIC
Syst
em B
oard
s
Othe
r mod
ule
<100
cm2
Com
pone
nt-le
vel m
odul
es
DSP
algo
rithm Website
www.generalstandards.comwww.synergetic.com
• www.hectronic.se• www.icop.com.tw
www.intel.com • www.intelec-tech.com
www.jacyltechnology.comwww.automation.com.tw
www.kanecomputing.comwww.kaxillion.com
• www.kontron.comwww.lannerinc.com
www.latticesemi.comwww.lavalink.com
• www.lsilogic.comwww.mangodsp.com
www.measurementcomputing.comwww.mesanet.com
www.microindustries.comwww.micro-technic.com
• www.embeddedsys.comwww.microcomputersystems.com
• www.mpl.chwww.m-sys.com
www.nallatech.comwww.octagonsystems.com
• www.parvus.comwww.phoenixcontact.com
www.phytec.comwww.rapidcontrols.com
• www.ricoh.comwww.robotrolcorp.com
www.rochelle.comwww.rpaelectronics.com
• www.rtdusa.comwww.skecorp.com
www.sbs.comwww.scidyne.com
www.sealevel.com www.sensoray.com
www.sheldoninst.comwww.signalogic.com
• www.ssv-embedded.de• www.sundance.com
RSC #4301 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
RSC #4302 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
44 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
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Bridges Chips & Cores DSP Boards I/O Memory
CompanyName
PC/1
04 to
Dev
iceN
et
PC/1
04 to
ISA
PC/1
04 to
PC/
104
PCI-t
o-IS
A
Othe
r brid
ges
Bus
inte
rface
FPGA
Med
ia S
oC
Pent
ium
Othe
r chi
ps &
cor
es
PC/1
04
PC/1
04-P
lus
PCI-1
04
TIM
Anal
og
Digi
tal
FPGA
Indu
stria
l
Mul
tifun
ctio
n
Flas
h
Gene
ral p
urpo
se
Refle
ctiv
e
Technoland •Technologic • • •Tri-M Systems • • • •VersaLogic • •Virtium Technology •Vista Electronics •VMETRO •Vox TechnologiesWarp Nine Engineering •WDL Systems • •White Electronic Designs •WIN Enterprises WinSystems • • • •Woodhead • • •Zendex •ZTEC •
BOARD LEVEL
RSC #44 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
BOARD LEVEL2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 45
BO
AR
D L
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EL
Other
PCM
CIA/
Card
Bus
PCM
CIA/
PC c
ard
Stru
ctur
ed A
SIC
Syst
em B
oard
s
Othe
r mod
ule
<100
cm2
Com
pone
nt-le
vel m
odul
es
DSP
algo
rithm Website
• www.technoland.comwww.embeddedARM.com
www.tri-m.com• www.versalogic.com
www.virtium.comwww.vistaelectronics.com
www.vmetro.com• www.voxtechnologies.com
www.fapo.comwww.wdlsystems.com
www.whiteedc.com• www.win-ent.com
• www.winsystems.com• www.woodhead.com
• www.zendex.comwww.ztec-inc.com
RSC #4501 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
RSC #4502 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
Room for everything: 8-Gbit NAND FlashIt’s in your cell phone, PDA, MP3 player, and TV remote. And increasingly, it’s designed into PC/104 and embedded boards and systems. What is it? It’s NAND Flash, of course.
It used to be that nonvolatile storage involved rotating disks, battery-backed SRAM, expensive E2PROM, or awkward-to-erase UV EPROMs. But high-density NAND Flash has changed all of that with its cost-effective and increasingly dense nonvolatile storage capacity. Industry leader Micron Technology is helping to drive the market for embedded, highest-density NAND Flash ICs. The company is now shipping 4-Gbit and 8-Gbit devices in 3.3 V flavors and industry-standard 48-pin TSOPs.
The 8-Gbit MT29F8G08FABWP is organized as a 1 Gbit x 8 device, while the4 Gbit (MT29F4G08BABWP and MT29F4G16BABWP) is available in either 512 Mbitx 8 or 256 Mbit x 16 versions.
Micron Technologywww.micron.comRSC #24361
Editor’s ChoiceProduct
COMMUNICATIONS 2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
46 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
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Datacom General
CompanyName
ARCN
ETEt
hern
etFD
DIGe
nera
lGP
IB/M
XILA
NSe
curit
ySe
rial c
ontro
ller
USB
cont
rolle
rW
ANW
LAN
Embe
dded
Inte
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Inte
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app
lianc
esM
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/Fax
mod
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acce
ssRo
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s/Sw
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iddl
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1/E1
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key
syst
emVo
ice:
VoI
PW
irele
ssW
irele
ss: G
PSW
irele
ss: G
SM/G
PRS
Website
3J Tech • www.3jtech.com
4DSP • www.4dsp.com
AAEON Electronics • • www.aaeon.com
ABIA Technology • www.abiatech.com
Accelent Systems • www.accelent.com
ACCES I/O Products • www.accesio.com
ADLINK Technology • www.adlinktech.com
Advanced Digital Logic • • • • • www.digitallogic.com
Advanced Micro Periph. • • www.ampltd.com
Advantech • • • www.advantech.com
AeroComm www.aerocomm.com
Ampro Computers • • www.ampro.com
Appliance-Lab • www.app-lab.com
Aprotek • • • www.aprotek.com
Arbor Technology • • www.arborsolution.com
Arista • • www.aristaipc.com
Avocent Corporation • www.avocent.com
Axiomtek • www.axiomtek.com
Bihl+Wiedemann • www.bihl-wiedemann.de
C2I2 Systems • • • • • www.ccii.co.za
Comark • • www.comarkcorp.com
Commtech • • www.commtech-fastcom.com
Connect Tech • www.connecttech.com
Contemporary Controls • www.ccontrols.com
Copeland Communications • • www.copelandcommunications.com
CyberResearch • • www.cyberresearch.com
Datalight • www.datalight.com
DataLink Technologies • www.dltech.net
Designtech Engineering • www.designtechengineering.com
Diamond Systems • • www.diamondsystems.com
DSP Design • • • www.dspdesign.com
DSS Networks • www.dssnetworks.com
Dynamic Engineering • www.dyneng.com
EEPD North America • www.eepd.com
EMAC • • • • • • • www.emacinc.com
Embedded Designs Plus • • www.embedded-designs-plus.com
emBoot • www.emboot.com
Emtrion • www.emtrion.com
EuroTecH • • • • • www.eurotech.it
Gallantry • ww.gallantry.com
General Standards • www.generalstandards.com
GoAhead Software • www.goahead.com
Hardent • www.hardent.com
Hectronic • www.hectronic.se
ICOP Technology • • www.icop.com.tw
COMMUNICATIONS2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 47
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INES • www.inesinc.com
Interface Masters • www.interfacemasters.com
Kinetic Computer • • www.isci3000.com/kin
Kontron • • www.kontron.com
Lanner Electronics • www.lannerinc.com
LiPPERT • www.lippert-at.com
Measurement Computing • www.measurementcomputing.com
Mesa Electronics • • • www.mesanet.com
Micro Industries • • • www.microindustries.com
Micro Technic • • www.micro-technic.com
Micro/sys • • • • www.embeddedsys.com
MicroBee Systems • • www.microbee-systems.com
MPL • • • • www.mpl.ch
Nematron • www.nematron.com
Neoware Systems • www.neoware.com
NextCom • www.nextcomputing.com
Nippon Pulse America Inc. • www.nipponpulse.com
Octagon Systems • • • www.octagonsystems.com
Parvus • • • • • www.parvus.com
Pentek • www.pentek.com
Premier Advance • www.PremierAdvance.com
Protech Systems • www.Protech.com.tw
Radicom Research • • www.radi.com
RTD • • • • www.rtdusa.com
Sealevel Systems • • www.sealevel.com
RSC #4702 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc RSC #4703 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
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Datacom General
CompanyName
ARCN
ETEt
hern
etFD
DIGe
nera
lGP
IB/M
XILA
NSe
curit
ySe
rial c
ontro
ller
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cont
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dded
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ss: G
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ss: G
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PRS
Website
RSC #4701 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
COMMUNICATIONS 2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
48 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
CO
MM
UN
ICA
TIO
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Datacom General
CompanyName
ARCN
ETEt
hern
etFD
DIGe
nera
lGP
IB/M
XILA
NSe
curit
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ontro
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Website
Sedlbauer • www.sedlbauer-ag.de
SMSC • www.smsc.com
SSV Software Systems • www.ssv-embedded.de
Stealth Computer Corp. • www.stealthcomputer.com
Steinhoff Automations • www.steinhoff.de
Sundance • www.sundance.com
Team Solutions • www.teampctechnology.com
Technoland • www.technoland.com
Technologic • • • www.embeddedARM.com
Tri-M Systems • • www.tri-m.com
Tyco Electronics • • www.tycoelectronics.com
VersaLogic • • www.versalogic.com
WDL Systems • • www.wdlsystems.com
Western DataCom • • • www.western-data.com
WinSystems • • • • • • www.winsystems.com
Xycom • www.xycom.com
Zendex • • • www.zendex.com
RSC #48 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 49
RSC #49 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
PACKAGING 2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
50 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
PA
CK
AG
ING
Backplane Card Rack Connectors Other
CompanyName
Back
plan
e
Back
plan
e ac
cess
orie
s
Back
plan
e: O
ther
Card
rack
+ c
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cage
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rack
acc
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man
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(ATR
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139
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inte
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Prod
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n to
ols
AAEON Electronics
Absopulse Electronics
Advanced Digital Logic • •
Advanced Industrial Computer •
Advantech
Amphenol •
Ampro Computers •
AMREL
apra-norm
APS
Arbor Technology
Arcom Control Systems
Astron •
Axiomtek • •
Bestan •
C I Systems •
C&D Technologies
CCII Systems •
Centralp Automatismes •
Comark
Comm Con Connectors •
Cooler Master •
Data Device
Diamond Systems • •
Douglas Electronics •
Dynamic Engineering •
EEPD North America
ELMA Electronic
EMAC
Embedded Designs Plus • • •
EnerSys •
Enseo •
EPT USA •
ERNI •
EuroTecH •
Hapco •
Continued on page 52
PACKAGING2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 51
PA
CK
AG
ING
Enclosures Power SCSI
Encl
osur
e
Encl
osur
e +
card
rack
Encl
osur
e +
card
rack
+ p
ower
sup
ply
Gene
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Pow
er s
uppl
y
Pow
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il m
odul
e
SCSI
con
trolle
r
SCSI
per
iphe
ral
Website
• www.aaeon.com
• • www.absopulse.com
• • www.digitallogic.com
www.aicipc.com
• www.advantech.com
www.amphenol.com
www.ampro.com
• www.amrel.com
• www.apra.de
• www.advpower.com
• • www.arborsolution.com
• www.arcomcontrols.com
www.astron-us.com
• www.axiomtek.com
www.bestan.com
www.ccii.co.za
• www.cd4power.com
www.ccii.co.za
www.centralp.com
• www.comarkcorp.com
www.commcon.com
www.coolermaster.com
• www.ddc-web.com
• • • www.diamondsystems.com
www.douglas.com
www.dyneng.com
• www.eepd.com
• www.elma.com
• www.emacinc.com
www.embedded-designs-plus.com
www.enersys.com
www.enseo.com
www.ept.de
www.erni.com
• www.eurotech.it
www.hapco.com
RSC #51 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
PACKAGING 2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
52 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
PA
CK
AG
ING
Backplane Card Rack Connectors Other
CompanyName
Back
plan
e
Back
plan
e ac
cess
orie
s
Back
plan
e: O
ther
Card
rack
+ c
ard
cage
Card
rack
acc
esso
ries
Card
rack
/sub
rack
Back
plan
e
Hard
met
ric
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04
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Shel
f and
mec
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cal c
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Ther
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man
agem
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rans
port
Rack
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Batte
ry
Boar
d ac
cess
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s
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man
agem
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IEEE
139
4 (F
ireW
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Keyp
ad/K
eybo
ard
inte
rface
Prod
uctio
n to
ols
Hardent
HARWIN •
Hirose Electric •
ICOP Technology •
Intelligent Instrumentation •
Keystone Electronic •
Kontron • • •
Lambda Electronics
LTS •
Micro Technic
Micro/sys • •
Mindready Solutions •
MMT Machrone •
MPL •
M-Systems
Parvus • • • • • • • •
Phihong
Polyonics •
Radian Heatsink • •
RAF Electronic Hardware •
RTD • •
Sabritec •
Samtec • •
Sealevel Systems •
Sensoray
Simon Industries •
SMA •
StacoSwitch •
Steinhoff Automations
Symmetrix
Technologic •
Teka Interconnection • • •
Tri-M Systems •
Tyco Electronics • •
VersaLogic •
Vesta Technology •
WinSystems •
Zendex •
PACKAGING2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 53
PA
CK
AG
ING
Enclosures Power SCSI
Encl
osur
e
Encl
osur
e +
card
rack
Encl
osur
e +
card
rack
+ p
ower
sup
ply
Gene
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Pow
er s
uppl
y
Pow
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il m
odul
e
SCSI
con
trolle
r
SCSI
per
iphe
ral
Website
www.hardent.com
www.harwin.com
www.hirose.com
• • www.icop.com.tw
www.instrument.com
www.keyelco.com
• • www.kontron.com
• www.lambdapower.com
www.ltsusa.com
• www.micro-technic.com
• www.embeddedsys.com
www.mindready.com
www.machrone.com
www.mpl.ch
• • www.m-sys.com
• • • • www.parvus.com
• www.phihong.com
www.polyonics.com
www.radianheatsinks.com
www.rafhdwe.com
• • • www.rtdusa.com
www.sabritec.com
www.samtec.com
www.sealevel.com
• www.sensoray.com
www.simonindustries.com
www.SMAcomputers.com
www.stacoswitch.com
• www.steinhoff.de
• www.symtx.com
• • • www.embeddedx86.com
www.tekais.com
• • • • www.tri-m.com
www.tycoelectronics.com
• • www.versalogic.com
www.vestatech.com
• • • • www.winsystems.com
www.zendex.com
RSC #53 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
PROCESSORS 2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
54 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
PR
OC
ES
SO
RS
CompanyName
80C1
88EB
386S
X
AMD
SC52
0
C3 Cele
ron
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Crus
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Pow
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ICC
AAEON Electronics • • • •ABIA Technology • • •Acrosser Technology • • •Actis •ADLINK Technology • • • •Advanced Digital Logic • • • • • •Advanced Industrial Computer •Advanced Micro Peripherals •Advantech • • • • • • • • •Amer.com USA • •American Predator •Ampro Computers • • • • •ANT Computer • •Appliance-LabApplied Data SystemsArbor Technology • • • • • •Arcom Control Systems • • • • • • •Arise • • •Arista • • • •Arraid •Asine • •Atio Systems, Inc. •Axiomtek • • •BagotronixBlue Chip • •BWI •Centralp AutomatismesComark • • •COMMELL •CompuLab •Concurrent Technologies •Cybernetic Micro SystemsCyberResearch •Densitron • • •Diamond Point •Diamond Systems • •Diversified Technology •DResearchDSLDSP Design • •EEPD North America • • • •EL Technology •ELTEC Electronik • •EMAC •Embedded Planet • •Emtrion • •EuroTecH • • •Evalue Technology • • • • • •Evoc TechnologyEyecross •EyringFastwel •
Continued on page 56
2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 55
PR
OC
ES
SO
RS
RISC
SC52
0
Sock
et 3
70
Sock
et 7
STPC
Con
sum
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STPC
Elit
e
STPC
Indu
stria
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STPC
-ATL
AS
STPC
-Clie
nt
x86
XSca
le
Othe
r
Website
• • • • • www.aaeon.com• www.abiatech.com
• • www.acrosser.comwww.actis-computer.com
www.adlinktech.com• www.digitallogic.com
www.aicipc.com• www.ampltd.com
• • • • • www.advantech.com www.amer.com
www.americanpredator.com• www.ampro.com• www.antcomputer.com• www.app-lab.com
• • www.applieddata.net• www.arborsolution.com• • www.arcomcontrols.com
• www.arisecomputer.com• www.aristaipc.com
www.arraid.comwww.asinegroup.com
• www.atiosys.com• • www.axiomtek.com
• www.bagotronix.com• www.bluechiptechnology.co.uk
www.bwi.com• • www.centralp.com
• www.comarkcorp.comwww.commell-sys.com
www.compulab-systems.comwww.gocct.com
• www.controlchips.com• www.cyberresearch.com• www.densitron.com
www.dpie.com• www.diamondsystems.com
www.dtims.com• www.dreseach.de
• www.dsl-ltd.co.uk• www.dspdesign.com
www.eepd.comwww.eltechnology.com
www.eltec.comwww.emacinc.com
www.embeddedplanet.com• www.emtrion.com
• www.eurotech.it• www.evalue-tech.com
• www.evoc.com• www.eyecross.com• www.eyring.com
www.fastwel.comRSC #55 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
PROCESSORS 2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
56 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
PR
OC
ES
SO
RS
CompanyName
80C1
88EB
386S
X
AMD
SC52
0
C3 Cele
ron
Cele
ron
M
Cold
fire
Crus
oe
Cyrix
Eden
ELAN
Ezra
Geod
e
Hita
chi S
H Fa
mily
MPC
5200
Mul
tiple
MPU
Pent
ium
Pent
ium
4
Pent
ium
II
Pent
ium
III
Pent
ium
M
Pent
ium
MM
X
Pow
erPC
Pow
erQU
ICC
Gallantry • •Gateworks GE Fanuc Automation •General Micro Systems • •GESPAC • • • •Global American • •Hectronic • • •iBase Technology •ICOP TechnologyIntelec TechnologiesIntelligent InstrumentationKontron • • • • • • • • • • • •Lanner Electronics • •LiPPERT Automationstechnik • • • •Matrix Dynamics LLCMegatel •MEN Micro • • • • •Mercury Computer Systems •Mesa ElectronicsMicro Computer SpecialistsMicro Digital •Micro IndustriesMicro/sys • •Microbus • •Microcomputer Systems • •MPL • • •Nagasaki IPC Technology • • • •Nagasaki USA •Nematron •NEXCOM International •Octagon Systems • • • • •Parvus • • •PFU Systems • •PHYTEC America Protech Systems • •RTD •SBS Technologies •SECO • • • •Sensoray •SMA •Sundance •Technoland • • • • •Technologic TernTME • • • • •Tri-M Systems •VersaLogic • • • • • • •WIN Enterprises • • • • •WinSystems • • • • •Xycom •ZendexZF Micro Solutions
PROCESSORS2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 57
PR
OC
ES
SO
RS
RISC
SC52
0
Sock
et 3
70
Sock
et 7
STPC
Con
sum
er
STPC
Elit
e
STPC
Indu
stria
l
STPC
-ATL
AS
STPC
-Clie
nt
x86
XSca
le
Othe
r
Website
• • www.gallantry.com• www.gateworks.com
www.gefanuc.com/embeddedwww.gms4vme.com
• • • • • www.gespac.chwww.globalamerican.com
www.hectronic.sewww.ibase-i.com.tw
• www.icop.com.tw• www.intelec-tech.com• www.instrument.com
• • • • www.kontron.com• www.lannerinc.com
www.lippert-at.com• www.matrixdynamics.com
www.megatel.cawww.menmicro.com
www.mc.com • www.mesanet.com• www.mcsi1.com
www.smxinfo.com • www.microindustries.com
• • • • www.embeddedsys.comwww.microbus.com
• www.microcomputersystems.com• • www.mpl.ch• www.nagasakiipc.com
www.nagasakiusa.comwww.nematron.com
www.nexcom.com• • • www.octagonsystems.com
• www.parvus.comwww.PFUsystems.com
• www.phytec.comwww.Protech.com.tw
• www.rtdusa.comwww.sbs.com
• www.seco.itwww.sensoray.com
www.SMAcomputers.com• www.sundance.com
• www.technoland.com• • www.embeddedARM.com
• www.tern.comwww.tme-inc.com
• • www.tri-m.com• www.versalogic.com
• • www.win-ent.com• • www.winsystems.com• www.xycom.com
• • www.zendex.com• www.zfmicro.com
RSC #57 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
OpenSystems Publishing
Advertising/Business offi ce:30233 Jefferson AvenueSt. Clair Shores, MI 48082Tel: 586-415-6500 ■ Fax: 586-415-4882
Vice President Marketing & SalesPatrick [email protected]
Senior Account ManagerDennis [email protected]
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European Bureau ChiefStefan [email protected]
Account Manager Doug [email protected]
Business ManagerKaren Layman
For reprints call the sales offi ce: 586-415-6500
58 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions RSC #58 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 59
CA
RR
IER
BO
AR
DS
RUGGEDIZED2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
Fabrics Ruggedized
CompanyName
Fibr
e ch
anne
l
Rapi
dIO
Star
Fabr
ic
ARIN
C
Avio
nics
MIL
-STD
-155
3
Tele
met
ry Website
AIM-USA • www.aim-online.com
Andor Design • • www.andordesign.com
Avalon • www.avalondefense.com
Advanced Digital Logic • www.digitallogic.com
Ballard Technology • • www.ballardtech.com
BMC Communications • • • www.bmccorp.com
C I Systems • • www.ccii.co.za
CCII Systems • www.ccii.co.za
Condor Engineering • • www.condoreng.com
Data Device • www.ddc-web.com
Dynamic Engineering • www.dyneng.com
EuroTecH • www.eurotech.it
Excalibur Systems • • • www.mil-1553.com
Focal Technologies Corp • www.focaltech.ns.ca
General Standards • www.generalstandards.com
Great River Technology • www.greatrivertech.com
Heim Data Systems • www.heimdata.com
Parvus • • www.parvus.com
SBS Technologies • • www.sbs.com
SCI Technology • www.sci.com
Silicon Turnkey Express • www.SiliconTKx.com
Tech S.A.T. • www.techsat.com
Western Avionics • www.western-av.com
RSC #5901 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc RSC #5902 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc RSC #5903 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
RU
GG
ED
IZE
D
SOFTWARE 2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
60 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
SO
FTW
AR
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Development Prototyping& Debugging Software
CompanyName
IDE
Plat
form
Syst
em in
tegr
atio
n se
rv.
Tool
s
Aids
Bus
anal
yzer
JTAG
Appl
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kage
s
Com
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ol
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Oper
atin
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Prot
ocol
sta
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Acmet Embedded Services • www.acmet.com
ACT/Technico • www.acttechnico.com
Advantech • www.advantech.com
Aisys • www.aisysinc.com
aJile Systems • www.ajile.com
Ampro Computers • www.ampro.com
Applied Data Systems • www.applieddata.net
Arcom Control Systems • • • www.arcomcontrols.com
Argon Technology • www.argontechnology.com
Artisan Software Tools • www.artisansw.com
Ballard Technology • www.ballardtech.com
Catalyst Systems • www.openmake.com
CMX Systems • www.cmx.com
Comark • www.comarkcorp.com
Concurrent Computer • www.ccur.com
Connect Tech • www.connecttech.com
Curtiss-Wright Embedded • • www.cwcembedded.com
Datalight • • www.datalight.com
Diamond Systems • www.diamondsystems.com
Douglas Electronics • www.douglas.com
DSP Design • www.dspdesign.com
Dynamic Engineering • www.dyneng.com
EBSnet, Inc. • www.ebsnetinc.com
Embedded Performance • www.episupport.com
Flash Vos • www.flashvos.com
FuturePlus Systems • www.futureplus.com
General Software • www.gensw.com
Green Hills Software • • • www.ghs.com
H.A. Technical Solutions • www.lakeviewtech.com
Hitex Development Tools • www.hitex.com
ICOP Technology • www.icop.com.tw
Ittia • www.ittia.com
Kontron • • www.kontron.com
LynuxWorks • • • • • www.lynuxworks.com
Macraigor www.macraigon.com
Metrowerks • • • • www.metrowerks.com
Micro Digital www.smxinfo.com
Micro/sys • • • www.embeddedsys.com
MontaVista • www.mvista.com
National Instruments • www.ni.com
ND Tech • www.nd-tech.com
Neoware Systems • www.neoware.com
Nova Engineering • • • www.nova-eng.com
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 61
RSC #6101 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
Development Prototyping& Debugging Software
CompanyName
IDE
Plat
form
Syst
em in
tegr
atio
n se
rv.
Tool
s
Aids
Bus
anal
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Appl
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Linu
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Netw
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Oper
atin
g sy
stem
Prot
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sta
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Octagon Systems • www.octagonsystems.com
OnCore Systems • www.OnCoreSystems.com
Opal-RT Technologies • www.opal-rt.com
Parvus • • • www.parvus.com
PLD Applications • www.plda.com
QNX Software Systems • www.qnx.com
RadiSys (Microware) • www.radisys.com
Real-Time Innovations • www.rti.com
REDSonic • www.redsonic.com
RTD • www.rtdusa.com
S&K Electronics • www.skecorp.com
SCIDYNE • www.scidyne.com
Sensoray • www.sensoray.com
Silicon Turnkey Express • www.SiliconTKx.com
SSV Software Systems • www.ssv-embedded.de
SynaptiCAD • www.syncad.com
Technologic • • www.embeddedx86.com
TenAsys Corporation • www.tenasys.com
Tri-M Systems • • www.tri-m.com
VersaLogic • • • www.versalogic.com
Vibren • www.vibren.com
WDL Systems • www.wdlsystems.com
WIN Enterprises • www.win-ent.com
WinSystems • • • www.winsystems.com
Xecom, Inc. • www.xecom.com
CompanyName
ETX
IP PC/1
04
PC/1
04-P
lus
Website
Aprotek • www.aprotek.com
Axiomtek • www.axiomtek.com
Dynamic Engineering • www.dyneng.com
EEPD North America • www.eepd.com
Embedded Designs Plus • www.embedded-designs-plus.com
Evalue Technology • www.evalue-tech.com
Precision Communications, Inc. • www.precisioncomm.com
Tri-M Systems • www.tri-m.com
SO
FTW
AR
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AR
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R B
OA
RD
S
SOFTWARE2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
CARRIER BOARDS
TEST AND ANALYSIS 2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
62 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
TE
ST A
ND
AN
ALY
SIS
CompanyName
Coun
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Data
acq
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Digi
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4DSP • • www.4dsp.comACCES I/O Products • www.accesio.comAdapters.com • www.adapters.comADLINK Technology • www.adlinktech.comADPI • www.adpi.comAdvantech • www.advantech.com Analog Devices • www.analog.comApex Embedded Systems • www.apexembedded.netAxiomtek • www.axiomtek.comBrandywine Communications • www.brandywinecomm.comChase Scientific • www.chase2000.comComark • • www.comarkcorp.comComputer Conversions • • www.computerconversions.comCorelis • www.corelis.com CyberResearch • • www.cyberresearch.comData Device • • www.ddc-web.com Dataforth Corporation • www.dataforth.comDiamond Systems • www.diamondsystems.comEagle Technology • www.eagle.co.zaEMAC • • www.emacinc.comEmbedded Designs Plus • www.embedded-designs-plus.comEmulation Technology • www.emulation.comEuroTecH • • www.eurotech.itExcalibur Systems • www.mil-1553.comGage Applied Technologies • • www.gage-applied.comGeneral Standards • www.generalstandards.comHardent • www.hardent.comICOP Technology • www.icop.com.twInstant Instrument • www.instantinstrument.com
RSC #6201 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc RSC #6202 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
TEST AND ANALYSIS2006 PC/104 BUYER’S GUIDE
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 63
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ND
AN
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SIS
RSC #63 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
CompanyName
Coun
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Data
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International Test Technologies • www.intertesttech.comMeasurement Computing • • www.measurementcomputing.comMicro Technic • www.micro-technic.comMicro/sys • www.embeddedsys.comMicrocomputer Systems • www.microcomputersystems.comNorth Atlantic Industries • • • www.naii.com Octagon Systems • www.octagonsystems.comOPTEK Technology • www.optekinc.comParvus • www.parvus.comQuanser Consulting • www.quanser.comRTD • • www.rtdusa.comSundance • www.sundance.comSymmetric Research • www.symres.comSymmetricom Inc. • www.symmetricom.comTri-M Systems • www.tri-m.comVersaLogic • www.versalogic.com WinSystems • • www.winsystems.comZTEC • • www.ztec-inc.com
64 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded SolutionsRSC #64 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
PC/104 Embedded Solutions Winter 2005 / 65RSC #65 @ www.pc104online.com/rsc
Insight
EPIC Express paves“bridge to the future”
66 / Winter 2005 PC/104 Embedded Solutions
Where has the year gone? As 2005 winds to a close, the embedded board market continues to evolve with new technol-ogy and products, and PC/104 Embedded Solutions continues to evolve with it (more on that later). Of note: The demand for standardized modules has never been hotter as designers search for ways to get to market quicker while avoiding the drudgery and expense of designing an entire system from scratch. Standardized embedded form factors such as PC/104, PC/104-Plus, PCI-104, and EBX are among the most common types designed into low- to medium-volume systems where small size, desktop PC compatibil-ity, and a robust vendor ecosystem are the primary design criteria.
At huge volumes, systems like automo-bile telematics, cell phones, PDAs, or iPods use proprietary, custom hardware designs. And at the low end, onesy-twosy prototype systems often just use PCs. The PC/104 family fits perfectly in the middle with its PC functionality, “rich” software portfolio (to use Microsoft’s terminol-ogy), and inherent ruggedness that works beautifully in harsh and low-maintenance applications like military or industrial control.
But still the market needs more, so alternative form factors like the PC/104 Consortium’s EPIC standard have achieved success. At 115 mm x 165 mm (4.528" x 6.496"), EPIC is slightly larger than PC/104’s size of 95.89 mm x 90.17 mm(3.775" x 3.550"). EPIC is intentionally designed with space for higher-power pro-cessors that can be conductively cooled and have additional I/O connections and the ability to stack legacy PC/104 I/O or processor modules on top.
Vendors including Ampro, VersaLogic, Octagon, WinSystems, Micro/sys, and others all make COTS box-level systems
based upon EPIC that are intended to make designers’ jobs even easier. EPIC accommodates all standard PC/104 I/O modules, so existing custom interface hardware that drives LCDs, interfaces to ball screw assemblies, or controls thermal ovens can plug right into an EPIC-based system.
But the PC desktop market is moving be-yond PC/104, first by replacing ISA with PCI, and now by moving to PCI Express, a serial fabric that offers orders of mag-nitude more data movement potentialthan the PCIbus. This same “gang of five” that created EPIC recently extended the spec to EPIC Express, bringing – you guessed it – PCI Express capability to EPIC. Not since the PC/104 spec was first ratified in 1992 has so much potential been included in a single proposed board standard.
EPIC Express retains the stackability of PC/104 by replacing PCI with high-speed PCI Express connectors ready for a four-card stack and x1 or x4 lanes. A 2.5 Gbps x1 lane is about 4x the speed of current PC/104 boards, while a x4 lane is about 16x. At these speeds, high-end graphics controllers can be mounted on “PC/104 Express” modules (for now called an EPIC Express Module in the specification at www.epic-express.org), along with other high-end data capture, signal processing, or A/D and D/A con-verters. In short: The EPIC Express CPU basecard and “PC/104 Express” modules perfectly meet the needs of high-perfor-mance, contemporary small- to medium-volume applications. And because they’re so small, inherently rugged, and flexible, EPIC Express systems have a real poten-tial to steal market share from other stan-dards like 6U VME or 3U CompactPCI.
The EPIC Express creators – Ampro, Micro/sys, Octagon, WinSystems, and
VersaLogic – will undoubtedly offer their 0.8 revision spec to the PC/104 Consortium in time for the annual stra-tegic planning session in Q12006. The Consortium would look closely at how EPIC Express addresses the past and the future, as well as how it relates to the exist-ing EPIC specification. Since PC/104 has been successful for so long partly because of its stability, the EPIC Express gang of five even built in support for legacy ISA-based PC/104 boards.
This means that if the Consortium were to endorse EPIC Express, the existing vendor community’s literally thousands of PC/104 modules could be carried for-ward, protecting the legacy investments of vendors and customers alike. And looking to the future, besides the obvious support for PCI Express, there is no mechanical reason at all that an EPIC Express module couldn’t be modified to include the popu-lar PMC (PCIbus) or XMC (serial fab-ric) mezzanine modules used with VME and CompactPCI. In this case, not only would EPIC Express use its own “PC/104 Express” mezzanine modules, it could use those from other markets and standards as well. What a concept.
I believe the existing EPIC specification and the newer EPIC Express specifica-tion represent the future of the PC/104 Consortium – without breaking the fun-damental heritage of PC/104. These specs are a bridge to the future that’s increas-ingly based upon small form factors like PC/104 and others. At PC/104 Embedded Solutions, we’ve watched this small form factor trend evolve for several years now. Accordingly, we’re changing our name in 2006 to PC/104 and Small Form Factors to expand our coverage and bring you timely technical information about new small form factor products and standards. As always, PC/104 remains our core mis-sion and technology.
By Chris A. [email protected]
