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PC/104 expansion modules add standard interfaces

Edited by the Electronicstalk editorial team Jun 13, 2003

Three new MiniModule PC/104-Plus expansion boards bring high-speed industry standard I/O capabilities to the PC/104 market for the very first time.

Ampro Computers has three new MiniModule PC/104-Plus expansion boards which bring high-speed industry standard I/O capability to the PC/104 market for the very first time.

These new modules provide high-speed USB 2.0 capability and IEEE1394 Firewire interfaces.

The third module provides PC Card support for PC/104-Plus systems.

Together these three products enable system OEMs who require PCIbus-level performance, 5- to 10-year product life, extended temperature support and/or conformal coating for their rugged application to incorporate the latest high-speed I/O interfaces into their PC/104-Plus systems.

"Once again, Ampro asserts itself as the CPU and I/O leader in the non-backplane embedded PC market with new modules that round out the feature set of modern embedded systems", said Paul Rosenfeld, CTO, Ampro Computers.

"Whether linking to a Firewire camera, supporting removable mass storage for field-upgradable applications, or providing wireless remote operation using the IEEE802.11 WiFi standard, new military, medical, and industrial OEM products often need the performance offered by USB 2.0 or IEEE1394 interfaces.

These are best implemented using the PCIbus that is the basis for the PC/104-Plus standard.

Since higher levels of processor integration have made it possible for the processor, memory, and all of the fundamental I/O in a Pentium-based system to reside on a small 3.6 x 3.8in PC/104 form factor SBC, Ampro has created I/O add-on modules to incorporate these new, high speed I/O standards into those systems".

"For 20 years, Ampro has pioneered in bringing new PC technology to the embedded marketplace using standards-based approaches", said Eric Gulliksen, Market Analyst at Venture Development Corporation.

"With this introduction, Ampro makes it very easy for system OEMs to incorporate new, high speed PC I/O standards such as Firewire, WiFi, and USB 2.0 into a system based on a PC/104-Plus or EBX form factor SBC without changing the underlying CPU technology".

The MiniModule PCC III brings the PCI-based PC/104-Plus bus to a 32bit PC CardBus (PCMCIA) controller, which interfaces to off-the-shelf PC Cards and PCMCIA Cards and is fully compatible with standard device drivers.

Commercially available PC Cards that the system OEM can install include IEEE802.11 wireless cards, modems and Flash memory.

The MiniModule USB2 module connects the PCI/104-Plus bus to a high-speed Universal Serial Bus (USB) controller, which allows the OEM or end user to easily install and remove plug-and-play devices ranging from hard disk drives to CompactFlash drives to USB cameras.

This module stacks with a CPU board with a PC/104-Plus interface.

The MiniModule 1394 connects the PC/104-Plus bus to a high-speed IEEE1394 (commonly known as Firewire) controller, which allows the OEM or end user to easily install and remove plug-and-play devices such as Firewire-compatible cameras.

This module is easy to add to a CPU board with a PC/104-Plus interface.

Each MiniModule board plugs into any CPU module or SBC, which has a standard PC/104-Plus interface, such as Ampro's CoreModule P5e and new Little Board 700 SBCs.

The MiniModule products start at under $150 in single quantities, are less than $100 each in moderate volumes, and are available today for evaluation and qualification, with production volumes available in 60 days.