Car PC with UPS now ships with Pentium power

Kontron has equipped its Car-PC CV-Server with the Intel Pentium M processor, part of the Intel Mobile Centrino technology.

Kontron equips their Car-PC CV-Server with the Intel Pentium M processor, part of the Intel Mobile Centrino technology.

The "drivable" computer, which serves as a basis for commercial applications in road and rail vehicles, now comes with the Intel Pentium M 1.4 GHz, or the Pentium III in 400 MHz and 700 MHz versions.

Because the CPUs are mounted on interchangeable modules, they will be easy to replace later on with new, higher-performance processors.

The performance of the 1.4 GHz Pentium M processor matches that of its 2.4 GHz cousin in the Pentium 4 class - while consuming considerably less energy.

The CV server meets the highest quality standards for use in vehicles.

It has e1 approval and, in system tests in accordance with the military Highway Truck Standard, has demonstrated that its electromagnetic compatibility, as well as its shock and vibration resistance, meets all requirements.

The integrated wide range DC power supply enables direct connection to a 12V car or 24V truck battery (range 11V to 32V).

During over-voltage (load dump) and under-voltage (starting process), the system automatically separates itself from the input voltage in order to protect the PC's electronics.

The integrated uninterruptible power supply (UPS) supplies the entire PC and all connected USB devices.

Optionally, the CV-Server can also supply an external device, such as a wireless modem or display, via a voltage output, which is also UPS buffered.

Every CV-Server version is designed so that the total component ensemble, mechanics and firmware, operate under the most extreme conditions.

A 2.5" automotive hard disk, currently with 20 GByte and specified for an expanded temperature range of -20 to +70C, serves as an integrated bulk storage medium for the operating system, application software and data.

An even broader temperature range of -40deg C to +85C is covered by the optional EIDE Flash Disk.

Additional components, such as oscillators, coils, capacitors, and the baseboard with its own heating, are also designed for safe operation of the overall system in a temperature range of -20C to +60C.

Components with high failure rates, such as fans, are not used in the CV-Server.

Despite the high-performance Intel Pentium M CPU, the CV-Server is thus a fanless system; its processor is directly mounted on a highly temperature-conducting aluminium housing.

The large surface aluminium housing thus offers two functions at the same time: the optimal distribution of waste heat and dust protection in accordance with IP50.

The CV-Server communicates via four serial ports, six USB ports and one LAN interface.

In order to make the interfaces suitable for automobiles, the CV-Server bundles them on just a few plugs.

These, in turn, snap into place, are EMC-shielded, form-coded to avoid errors, and can be mounted without any tools.

An analog CRT output is ready for the display; another can be added to connect a second screen.

Kontron offers a matching monitor as an option: the CV-Display is a 7-inch touch screen with 800 x 480 pixel resolution.

It converts data to images through the integrated Intel 855 graphic controller and 32 MByte shared video memory.

The RAM is a 256 MByte, 512 MByte or 1 GByte DDR-SDRAM module.

The use of PC-based Car PCs is recommended whenever complex programs or multiple applications are to be implemented on one computer platform.

Moreover, PCs offer the advantage of standardized and widely used architecture; hardware, software, and peripheral competence is available on the market at any time, at reasonable prices; Linux, Windows 2000 and Windows XP offer attractive operating system options.

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