SBC promises high-performance video

A new single board computer from Zendex Corporation is specifically designed for high performance video applications.

A new single board computer from Zendex Corporation is specifically designed for high performance video applications.

The board includes multiple VGA outputs, AC97 amplified stereo audio outputs and a number of other features designed to satisfy high-end audio-video needs.

The highly adaptable VGA video ports drive two 1600 x 1200 resolution displays.

Behind the video outputs are dual VGA outputs with up to 64Mbyte of shared memory.

For graphically intensive and memory-hungry applications, the board can accommodate up to 1Gbyte of DDR DRAM.

Most computer systems provide only signal-level audio outputs that must be amplified before they can be applied to a speaker.

The ZXE-856 provides an AC97 amplified stereo audio output, which can be directly connected to speakers, saving the cost and complexity of external amplification.

The ZXE-856 supports a wide array of mass storage devices.

It features two UDMA 100 ATA channels supporting up to four ATA devices (such as four hard drives) or four CompactFlash memory type I headers on the ATA bus.

The ATA bus can also support an ATAPI CD ROM drive, disk on module (DoM) or MultiMediaCard (MMC).

There are also DIP sockets for EPROM or other socketed nonvolatile memory devices.

The board can be configured to optimise speed, power consumption or cost.

The low power Intel Celeron 4 processor option with Intel 855 chipset can be run at 600MHz for lower power consumption, lower temperature rise and higher reliability.

Typical power consumption at 600MHz is less than 25W.

Alternatively, the Intel P4 processor option will run at 2GHz for greater performance.

Other options are available to minimise system cost.

Cooling fans are generally considered undesirable.

They are more failure-prone than nonmechanical devices and produce audible noise.

Zendex designed the ZXE-856 for convection cooling (no fan) with the 600MHz Celeron M option.

The ZXE-856 mates to a passive backplane, the ZXE-856BP.

The backplane allows quick insertion and removal of the main board and provides I/O connectors that allows the system to interface printers, video cameras, mass storage devices and thousands of standard PC peripherals and monitors.

The backplane is configured with numerous I/O ports including six USB 2.0 ports, one 10/100 Ethernet port, five RS232 serial ports, two RS422 serial ports and one TTL serial port.

In addition, the ZXE-856 main board includes 40 general-purpose inputs and outputs.

The user has many operating system choices, including Microsoft Windows XP, 2000, XP Embedded and Linux.

Zendex can modify the proprietary BIOS software to suit the user's needs or to include additional security features.

An extra feature is an onboard thermal monitor.

While the board itself is designed to run 24/7 without fan cooling, the system configuration might include other heat-generating devices that might necessitate a fan.

The onboard thermal sensor provides a digital temperature output which can be accessed over the Intranet via the 10/100Mbit/s Ethernet connector for remote monitoring.

The ZXE-856 is designed to operate from a single +12V or +15V supply.

Power consumption is nominally under 25W, and varies by configuration.

The ZXE-856 measures 12 x 9.25 x 2in.

The low profile is especially useful in desktop games, where cabinet size is limited.

Commenting on the new board, Howard Czapla, Zendex CEO, said: "We designed this board to surpass the performance of virtually every other SBC on the market in its class".

"We used over 25 years of experience to include features that high end video applications will appreciate".

"We anticipate that companies using the ZXE-856 will have a significant advantage over their competitors".

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