Product category:
Embedded Computing and Control
News Release from: Ampro Computers | Subject: CoreModule 600
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 17 September 2003
SBC runs cooler with latest Celeron
processor
The CoreModule 600 is a single-board computer designed to drive the next generation of rugged embedded applications, operating from -40 to +85C without a fan.
The CoreModule 600 is a single-board computer designed to drive the next generation of rugged embedded applications, operating from -40 to +85C without a fan The PC/104-Plus CoreModule 600 is a full-featured embedded computer using Intel's ultralow voltage (ULV) Celeron processor with 256Kbyte internal L2 cache
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 21 May 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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System OEMs who require 5- to 10-year product availability, extended temperature, and/or conformal coating for their rugged application now have a migration path from their earlier 486 and Pentium PC/104 modules without having to sacrifice reliability by adding a fan to their system.
"Ampro invented the PC/104 standard and cofounded the PC/104 Consortium to provide PC technology to the embedded systems market.
By doing so OEMs reaped the benefits of long-term availability, low power dissipation, compact size, and high reliability under rugged conditions, which our military, medical, and industrial customers absolutely depend on", said Joanne Williams, President and CEO of Ampro Computers.
Further reading
PC/104 expansion modules add standard interfaces
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.
SBC brings new life to legacy 486 designs
The CoreModule 410 is a PC/104 CPU module designed to extend the life of headless 486 systems through 2010.
More I/O for embedded board series
Ampro Computers has added further I/O expansion capabilities for its Little Board and CoreModule single board computers and CPU modules.
"This time we have outdone ourselves in bringing Celeron processors to this market without sacrificing size, power consumption, or compatibility with industry standards".
Ampro's CTO Paul Rosenfeld added: "Our engineering, quality, operations, and test departments have worked extremely closely together to design a very dense board which is manufacturable and testable in high volumes, and has the same high level of quality and reliability our customers have come to expect from Ampro over the past 20 years.
The benefactors of their hard work are embedded systems OEMs who can now migrate up to Pentium III-class performance without having to worry about how to get the heat from a 20W processor out of their enclosures.
This is a very significant milestone in the history of the PC/104 market".
Intel's ULV Celeron processors, based on the Tualatin core, offer embedded systems OEMs reduced power dissipation, twice the internal cache (256Kbyte), and faster front-side bus speed compared with the previous-generation Socket 370 processors based on the Coppermine core.
With Intel's power rating of only 4.2W, which is 80% less than the 21.7W rating of the Socket 370 Celeron at 366MHz, the Tualatin-based ULV Celeron processor at 400MHz is ideal for the next-generation of high-performance PC/104-based embedded systems, where the degree of difficulty of the thermal design alone can make or break a project.
This processor has much higher performance and lower power dissipation than the 266MHz Pentium MMX processor, so the CoreModule 600 is an ideal migration solution for OEMs with I/O-rich systems based on the older MMX processor.
Each CoreModule 600 features the low-power 400MHz ULV Celeron processor, plus all the component subsystems expected in a state-of-the-art embedded PC board such as advanced networking and high performance graphics.
The CoreModule 600 supports up to 256Mbyte of SDRAM, and up to 1Gbyte or more Flash memory by way of a Type II CompactFlash socket which is accessed as an IDE hard disk drive.
Onboard peripherals include 10/100BaseT Ethernet controller and an advanced AGP 4X video controller with flat panel support for TFT and STN LCD flat panels and up to 32Mbyte of Unified Memory Architecture (UMA) video memory.
Other onboard controllers provide AC97 sound, two USB ports, two RS232 serial ports, and all standard PC architecture elements.
A PC/104-Plus bus provides full PCI and ISA expansion capability using Ampro's high-speed I/O MiniModule cards such as PC Card (for WiFi 802.11 wireless etc), IEEE1394 FireWire, or USB 2.0.
The CoreModule 600 will be priced at under $500 in single quantities, and under $400 each in moderate volumes.
The CoreModule 600 will be available in October for evaluation and qualification.
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