Retail, industrial, transportation, medical, and gaming are just a few of the industry segments that now deploy remote terminals, systems, and signage to speed information delivery, enhance user interaction, automate data exchange, and simplify purchases. For example, as travelers enter a typical airport environment they may find a touch-screen information display with on screen maps, transportation schedules, nationwide weather conditions, and local tourist information. Next, the traveler proc...Read More

Over the last five years, the COM Express* has become a popular standard for modular system design.  Now the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG*) has released the second revision of the standard to support new graphics and displays technologies, eliminate older interfaces, and better match the features of today’s processors.  The new standard, officially known as PICMG COM.0 R2.0 , also introduces a new 95 x 95 mm COM Express compact form factor.   Before l...Read More

If you’re an embedded geek like me, this year’s Intel Developer Forum (IDF) was a great place to be.  I saw a ton of cool products and demos that got me excited about the future of embedded.  The launch of the new Intel® Atom™ processor E6xx series was at the top of my list.  I think this new processor—which is the first Intel® architecture chip designed specifically for embedded—will enable for a whole new generation of highly connected, h...Read More

Last week I surveyed PC/104 standards and reviewed the pros and cons of the various standards.  This week I’ll look at how PC/104 compares against another small form factor standard, COM Express*.   To get things started, let’s review a few basics about PC/104 and COM Express .  Both standards enable designers to build systems using commercial, off-the-shelf ( COTS ) boards and modules.  The key benefit of the COTS approach is that it reduces hardware des...Read More

Rugged systems have been using the PC/104* form factor for two decades.  The form factor has remained relevant thanks to updates that have added modern features to the standard.  These updates have given developers many variants to choose from, and keeping all the options straight can be a challenge.  This blog reviews the many PC/104 variants and related form factors, including EPIC, EBX, and SUMIT.   Here’s a table summarizing all the form factors:   Form Factor...Read More

Embedded design teams looking to develop a platform or system with long life yet that can still be upgraded with the latest in Intel® Architecture (IA) technologies should consider COM (computer-on-module) Express. We recently discussed how COM Express could allow teams to offer a base platform with different processor options . Design teams working on communication, medical, military, and specialized-portable applications can also turn to COM Express to extend the life of a base design w...Read More

In my last blog , I looked at DSP benchmarks for Intel® Architecture processors.  While these benchmarks are good place to start, they only tell part of the story.   DSP board vendor Curtiss Wright recently surveyed its customers and found that memory performance and inter-processor bandwidth were even more important than raw FLOPs ratings.  In this blog we’ll look at some benchmarks that show how both types of bandwidth have seen major improvements in the late...Read More

After 3-4 years of modest success, the MicroTCA * (µTCA*) market looks to be set for significant growth . In addition to establishing itself as an important technology for telecom, MicroTCA is receiving growing attention for other applications including military and industrial applications. With this context in mind, I thought it was a good time to look at some of the latest MicroTCA products.   Let’s start with the Kontron OM6060 (Figure 1). This entry-level system illustra...Read More