PC104.2008.09.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
For Single Print Only For Single Print Only www.smallformfactors.com www.pc104online.com Volume 12 • Number 4 COLUMNS FEATURES 8 Small Form Factor SIG SPECIAL: The lowdown on low power Modules, mapping, and more By Colin McCracken 16 The art of just enough By Don Dingee 10 PC/104 Consortium Expressing the standard 17 10 low-power processors worth watching By Dr. Paul Haris By Don Dingee 12 Focus on Form Factors: Catalyst Module 18 Roundup: Intel Atom-based boards, systems, and tools Maximum performance using minimal power By Don Dingee By Haritha Bandla 14 European Technology 20 The ‘next big thing’ is small: Industrial PCs tackle dusty environments Expanding Atom’s PCI Express lanes By Hermann Strass By Steve Moore, PLX Technology 50 Editor’s Insight 28 Tide of malware threats turning against the network Mini-notebooks are certain to drive NextGen of devices SFF technologies By Adrian Turner, Mocana By Chris A. Ciufo APPLICATION: Not so routine instrumentation DEPARTMENTS 32 Small systems help curb risky driving For Single By Peter Ellegaard,Print DriveCam Only 40-43 Editor’s Choice Products By Don Dingee 34 Innovation and technology bring performance to 44-49 New Products instrumentation in small packages By Robin DiPerna By Brett Burger, National Instruments 38 PC/104 controls photon beams, acquires data for critical research EVENTS By David Fastenau, Diamond Systems ESC Boston October 26-30 • Boston, MA www.cmp-egevents.com/web/escb E-LETTER Fall: www.smallformfactors.com/eletter Evolving the next generation of PC/104 technology ON THE COVER: By Jim Blazer and Matthias Huber, PC/104 Consortium A little sunshine goes a long way with the Solio (www.solio.com) low-power universal hybrid charger, which uses solar energy to Technical Committee power portable gadgets such as cell phones, MP3 players, digital Pico-sized platform ushers in new era for I/O cameras, and GPS devices. By Colin McCracken, SFF-SIG, and John Lin, VIA Technologies Inset photo: Eurotech’s Catalyst Module runs the Intel Atom processor at 3 W. For more technical details on this small form factor module, see page 12. WEB RESOURCES Subscribe to the magazine or E-letter at: Published by: OpenSystems www.opensystems-publishing.com/subscriptions Publishing™ Industry news: © 2008 OpenSystems Media/OpenSystems Publishing © 2008 PC/104 and Small Form Factors Read: www.smallformfactors.com/news All registered brands and trademarks in PC/104 and Small Form Factors are property of their respective owners. Submit: www.opensystems-publishing.com/news/submit Submit new products at: 4 / Fall 2008 PC/104 and Small Form Factors www.opensystems-publishing.com/np For Single Print Only OpenSystems Media/OpenSystems Publishing Advertising/Business Office Regional Sales Managers 30233 Jefferson Avenue Ernest Godsey St. Clair Shores, MI 48082 Central and Mountain States n Tel: 586-415-6500 Fax: 586-415-4882 [email protected] A N OPEN S Y S TEM S PUBLIC A TI O N Vice President Marketing & Sales Barbara Quinlan Patrick Hopper Midwest/Southwest Military & Aerospace Group [email protected] [email protected] Business Manager Denis Seger n DSP-FPGA.com/E-letter Karen Layman Southern California n DSP-FPGA.com Resource Guide [email protected] n Military Embedded Systems/E-letter n Sales Group Sydele Starr Military Embedded Systems Resource Guide n PC/104 and Small Form Factors/E-letter Dennis Doyle Northern California [email protected] n PC/104 and Small Form Factors Resource Guide Senior Account Manager n VME and Critical Systems/E-letter [email protected] Ron Taylor n VME and Critical Systems Resource Guide Tom Varcie East Coast/Mid Atlantic Senior Account Manager [email protected] Group Editorial Director Chris Ciufo [email protected] [email protected] Contributing Editor Don Dingee Doug Cordier International Sales [email protected] Account Manager Dan Aronovic [email protected] Account Manager – Israel Senior Associate Editor Jennifer Hesse [email protected] Andrea Stabile [email protected] Senior Editor (columns) Terri Thorson Advertising/Marketing Coordinator Sam Fan [email protected] [email protected] Account Manager – Asia Associate Editor Sharon Schnakenburg Christine Long [email protected] Assistant Editor Robin DiPerna E-marketing Manager New Products Editor Cliff Witte [email protected] European Representative Hermann Strass [email protected] Reprints and PDFs Senior Web Developer Konrad Witte Nan Lamade: 800-259-0470 • [email protected] Web Content Specialist Matt Avella Creative Director Steph Sweet ADVERTISER INFORMATION Art Director David Diomede Circulation/Office Manager Phyllis Thompson Page Advertiser/Ad Title [email protected] 37 ACCES I/O Products, Inc. – Boldly go where no system has gone n yst m 47 Advantech Corporation – Reliability is built-in OpenSystemsi h ng™ Media/OpenSystems Publishing 43 Aprotek, Inc. – PC/104 modems Editorial/Production office: 36 Axiomtek – Innovations for the embedded world 16872 E. Ave. of the Fountains, Ste 203, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 18 congatec – Highscore for COM Express For SingleTel: 480-967-5581 Print n Fax: 480-837-6466 Only 22 Connect Tech Inc. – Whatever you need, we have the solution Website: www.opensystems-publishing.com 2 Diamond Systems Corporation – 4 things you’ll love Publishers John Black, Michael Hopper, Wayne Kristoff 41 DIGITAL-LOGIC AG – New standard for stackable PCI Express bus Vice President Editorial Rosemary Kristoff 23 EMAC, Inc. – System on Module 9 Eurotech Inc. – Eurotech ISIS Communications Group 31 Excalibur Systems, Inc. – Ready for the unexpected 35 Fastwel Co. Ltd. – PC/104-Plus Editorial Director Joe Pavlat 3 Intel – Join our community of bright people Managing Editor Anne Fisher 7 Jacyl Technology Inc. – The Mission Workstation Senior Editor (columns) Terri Thorson 25 Kontron – Engineering beyond low power Technology Editor Curt Schwaderer 45 LiPPERT Embedded Computers – Resilient and powerful European Representative Hermann Strass Senior Designer Joann Toth 39 Logic Supply – Compact, fanless, solid 5 Micro/sys, Inc. – Dreaming of embedded super powers 30 MPL AG – MAGBES Embedded and Test & Analysis Group 40 Radicom Research, Inc. – PC/104 modem Editorial Director Jerry Gipper 17 RAF Electronic Hardware – Your electronic hardware source Editorial Director Don Dingee 26-27 RTD Embedded Technologies, Inc. – HighRel PC/104 ISA, PCI & PCIe Senior Associate Editor Jennifer Hesse 51 RTD Embedded Technologies, Inc. – Rugged, reliable, mission-ready European Representative Hermann Strass 43 SCIDYNE – PC/104 peripherals 21 Sensoray Co., Inc. – 4 channels of uncompressed video ISSN Print 1096-9764, ISSN Online 1550-0373. Publication Agreement Number: 40048627 48 servo Halbeck GmbH – POSYS motion controllers PC/104 and Small Form Factors is published five times a year by OpenSystems Media/OpenSystems Publishing LLC, 30233 Jefferson Ave., St. Clair Shores, MI 48082. Subscriptions are free upon request to 42 StackableUSB.org – Stretching to make your embedded USB persons interested in PC/104 and other small form factor single board computer technology. For others 49 Technologic Systems – 7" touch panel computer inside the US and Canada, subscriptions are $35/year. For 1st class delivery outside the US and Canada, subscriptions are $50/year (advance payment in US funds required). Canada return address: WDS, 15 Toronto MicroElectronics, Inc. – PC/104-P3 Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 615 29 Toronto MicroElectronics, Inc. – Peripherals POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PC104 and Small Form Factors 33 Toronto MicroElectronics, Inc. – DVR301 16872 E. Ave. of the Fountains, Ste 203, Fountain Hills, AZ 85268 19 Tri-M Systems Inc. – PC/104 FlexTainer 46 Tri-M Systems Inc. – Intel Pentium M 745 24 VersaLogic Corp. – All the features you need 13 VIA Technologies, Inc. – Pico-ITXe 11 WDL Systems – The power inside tomorrow’s technology 52 WinSystems, Inc. – -40°C to +85°C operation 6 / Fall 2008 PC/104 and Small Form Factors For Single Print Only Modules, mapping, and more With the latest low-power chipsets on Besides COM form factors, SFF-SIG legacy interfaces. SFF-SIG is develop- the market now, the Small Form Factor members are starting to address rugged ing legacy-friendly specifications with Special Interest Group (SFF-SIG) has a peripherals. Some OEMs need small, a mixture of high-speed and easy inter- spate of new form factor standards under removable probes, sensors, and storage face buses on expansion connectors. It’s development to take full advantage of the devices. In harsh and industrial environ- not realistic to expect the ISA bus to be I/O and bus interfaces. Because many ments, these peripherals should have around forever, but the near-term future aspects are involved in designing modular retaining clips, as consumer-grade USB looks bright based on off-the-shelf bridge architectures, consideration must be given dongles are inadequate. End users – equip- chips and FPGA cores. After that, a com- regarding how to offer expansion while ment operators and maintenance tech- bination of Serial Peripheral Interface keeping control over cost and power. nicians – need to remove and exchange (SPI) and I2C will cover most of the low- these peripherals in the communications,