WIN Enterprises White Paper Computer-on-Module
WIN Enterprises is an Affiliate Member with the Intel Embedded Alliance, a community of communications and embedded developers and solution providers.
Cutom Embedded Solutions
[email protected] +1 (978) 688-2000 COMPUTER-ON-MODULE
COM Express Module on Custom Baseboard Picture show a medical application based on the COM Express concept. The COM Express module and its custom baseboard are labeled. In this implementation a specialized medical GBX connector is used. The connector plugs into a backplane which houses the communication ports.
Computer-on-module (COM) is an approach to x86 embedded computer design whose goal is reusability, and through reusability, fast time-to-market. This design approach features the use of a custom baseboard and plug-on / swappable computer card. Having a swappable computer card enables easy system upgrades and an easy way for OEMs to go to market with a full product line that can range from low-end to high-end by reusing the same baseboard. This results in a savings of time and money. Because COM boards are small they are often used in mobile applications, but they can also be used for POS systems, kiosks and rackmount applications.
Getting the full advantage of COM necessitates the use of standards and there are many computer-on-module standards: ETX, COM Express, XTX, SOM, and X-board. ETX preceded COM Express. COM Express is an open standard controlled by PICMG -- the PCI Industrial Computer Group. In embedded computing COM Express is the most important of the computer-on-module standards. The COM Express standard enables dense, feature-rich solutions. It provides support for:
• Up to 32 PCI Express lanes with 80-gigabit per second (Gbps) aggregate bandwidth • External x16 PCI Express graphics • Up to four Serial ATA-150 links with 600-megabyte per second (MBps) aggregate bandwidth • Up to three 1-Gbps Ethernet ports with provision for 10-Gbit Ethernet in the future • Up to eight USB 2.0 ports • Up to two channels of LVDS • Up to two channels of Serial DVO
COM Express cards have a full range of computing features:
The processor I/O hub Graphics and memory controller hub Flash LAN controller
And the card is small. The standard specifies two sizes: 95mmx125mm for regular implementations or 110x155mm for extended modules. The size of the baseboard is determined by the number of features and the space available in the chassis. The baseboard has the application’s unique features and the connectors. The ports, such as RJ-45’s for LAN capability are not necessarily on the baseboard. The baseboard can, in turn, connect to a backplane which features the actual ports.
A Game Changer
COM Express is agnostic to processor type and can employ single- and multi-core processors. Intel® Atom is a natural choice for COM Express due to its low power consumption and small size, which are the typical concerns of OEMs implementing COM Express.
Atom has been a definite home run for Intel; and Intel is committed to the processor as a design path. Single core versions were introduced with high performance, and dual- core processors are now available (the Intel® Atom™ processors D510,. D525, etc.)
These developments fit well with the COM Express concept. For one, Intel Atom is one of the few processors with end-user pull-through. Secondly, having a family of Intel Atom processors that range from medium to high performance enables trouble-free swapping of boards based on these CPUs.
Custom Evaluation and Base Boards OEMs who want to take a COM Express approach to the design of a new product have different ways to proceed. First they need to determine their market segment and the features required there by a competitive application. The required features determine the components included on the custom base board. The OEM can either design the baseboard themselves or outsource the work to an Original Design Manufacturer (ODM), such as WIN Enterprises.
Evaluation boards are offered which favor different applications. For instance, WIN Enterprises offers the MB-73140, which is meant for testing of digital signage applications, and the MB-73220, which is particularly rich in Ethernet and I/O capabilities. MB-73140 COM Express Evaluation Board COM Express ATX Evaluation Board with Digital Signage Features used with Computer-on-Modules MB- 73150 and IP-60690
The appropriate COM Express modules can be purchased for testing with the evaluation board. This approach provides the OEM with a way to proceed to the final design of the custom base board and the selection of computer modules with which to go to market. The testing phase will help indicate any design changes required in the production phase of the project. WIN Enterprises COM Express is one of the form factors WIN is committed to supporting. We offer a range of COM Express evaluation baseboards and modules that feature single and dual- core processors. WIN Enterprises also designs custom baseboards for it customers.
Summary
The COM Express idea is to tailor a baseboard around features that are required by the particular application and to use a standardized plug-on computing module that can swapped out easily. For OEMs contemplating a full product line or foreseeing a need for several upgrades, the approach makes sense. For instance, using a common baseboard with low- to high-end computing modules enables the OEM to leverage a design investment in the baseboard, as well as the availability of standardized modules. This saves time and money.
In addition to providing scalability COM Express affords flexibility as to when design variations can be brought to market—i.e., this can be done all at once or rolled out over time. There is also an element of future-proofing. As new processors become available the more popular ones will be incorporated into new COM Express modules that can be plugged into an existing baseboard for easy upgrades.
Custom Embedded Solutions [email protected] +1 (978) 688-2000
WIN Enterprises is an Affiliate Member with the Intel Embedded Alliance, a community of communications and embedded developers and solution providers.