PC/104 and Small Form Factors Fall 2013 by OpenSystems Media

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Volume 17 • Number 3

ON THE COVER: The trend towards smaller, lighter, and faster military and avionics systems has moved “off-the-shelf” with the adoption of a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) to defense spending and acquisition. The fall issue of PC/104 factors conducts a sector sweep on industry standard COTS form factors, and how these mighty mouse specifications are getting rugged and reducing SWaP for the modern military. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres/Released)

Features Columns

IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD Small Form Factors for Aerospace & Defense PCIe/104 extends legacy of service in mil/aero

Small Matters

A bus called “Bob”

VITA Small Form Factors By Jerry Gipper, VITA Standards Organization (VSO)

THE BIG YET SMALL PICTURE Product Migration PC/104 product migration strategies By Jeff Milde, PC/104 Consortium

PC/104 Consortium

Editor’s Choice Products

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Tackling thermal design challenges of smaller, lighter, and more efficient avionics By Mentor Graphics Corporation www.mil-embedded.com/articles/id/?6030

Fall 2013

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

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PC/104 and its long history in military applications

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small MATTERS By Brandon Lewis

Social shock and big acquisitions The impetus for this issue came when I posted “COM Express: Flexibility and scalability for UAS sensor processing” to the PC/104 and Small Form Factors LinkedIn group (www.linkedin.com/ groups/PC104-Small-Form-Factors-PC-1854269). The article was originally published under the xTCA & CompactPCI Systems title, and being a PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG)-centric magazine, it, admittedly, did not fully consider Small Form Factor (SFF) alternatives beyond COM Express. And, as I’m sure you can imagine, I heard about it. The post sparked a healthy debate, garnering several comments from developers of Computers-on-Module (COMs) and PC/104 boards defending their respective architectures. The conversation boiled down to rectifying some “mistruths” mentioned in the article, as well as a discussion of “bias versus passion,” but overall left me with the realization that this type of banter is to be expected in an industry so fragmented. So, although it is difficult to include everyone’s perspective in a single, coherent piece, the issue sought to offer everyone a fair shake by incorporating contributions from each of the major standards organizations that govern SFF specifications: the PC/104 Consortium, PICMG, and the VITA Standards Organization (VSO). After deciding on this three-pronged approach, the intention was to have members from each consortium focus on the one SFF specification that best represents the organization in military and avionics systems, which is the application focus of the issue. However, I quickly realized that identifying one distinct specification was next to impossible because, even within the various consortia, small form factor standards do not exist completely on their own; there are different sizes, shapes, and layouts within specifications, not to mention the fact that requirements for compatibility with legacy systems complicates differentiation because electronics typically exist in a state of flux, without definitive beginning and end points. Therefore, what is offered is insight into individual specifications in the context of their specification family, including coverage of PCIe/104, COM Express Type 6 and Type 10, and the new VITA 73, 74, and 75 SFFs currently under development. An article on migration strategies by Jeff Milde of the PC/104 Consortium accompanies these pieces in this fall’s “Big (Yet Small) Picture” section. Big bucks for small form factors In other news, Salt Lake City-based Parvus Corporation was purchased by Curtiss-Wright Controls in Charlotte, NC, who acquired a 100 percent stake in the SFF vendor from

… compatibility with legacy systems complicates differentiation because electronics typically exist in a state of flux, without definitive beginning and end points. Eurotech S.p.A. for a net USD $38 million. In an October 1 press release, Curtiss-Wright Controls President Tom Quinly said that his company will utilize Parvus’ “Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS)-based small form factor processors and networking subsystem solutions” to fill “two gaps in our product portfolio to help drive continued growth in our core aerospace, defense, and homeland security markets.” For the time being, Parvus will retain its own identity but operate under the Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions business unit. PC/104-based offerings make up a substantial portion of the current Parvus portfolio, although it is unclear whether Curtiss-Wright’s long-term intentions are to use Parvus IP for PC/104 products or to bolster other small form factor offerings. In an interview with PC/104 and Small Form Factors, Mike Southworth, Vice President of Marketing, Parvus Corporation, asserts that the acquisition will “extend and complement Curtiss-Wright’s existing range of higher performance COTS solutions. “The acquisition of Parvus significantly expands Curtiss-Wright’s ability to meet the growing demand from global aerospace, defense, and industrial customers who require increased miniaturization and Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP)-optimized solutions,” he says. More from Parvus on PC/104 technology can be found in “PCIe/104 extends legacy of service in mil/aero” on page 10. Brandon Lewis Associate Editor

blewis@opensystemsmedia.com PC/104 and Small Form Factors

Fall 2013

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Small Form Factor

www.sff-sig.org

SIG

By Alexander Lochinger, SFF-SIG President

A bus called “Bob” The latest news in stackable architectures is actually what’s “old.” The ISA bus is still the volume leader in custom and standard stackable cards, and for small form factor military and avionics applications, many stackable products have been introduced over the last several years with the PC/104 ISA bus, providing seamless upgrades during a time of reduced Pentagon budgets. In this space, if you can’t lick ‘em, join ‘em. Stackable SBC technologies evolve more slowly than any other type. This is because CPU design teams are either small companies or small teams within very large companies. Same goes for I/O design teams. Truly this niche market operates like an unusual First-In, Last-Out (FILO) buffer. So, why is there a groundswell movement to force the migration of ISA-based CPUs and I/O cards to PCI and PCI Express (PCIe)? A number of arguments have been made over the years in the off-the-shelf board community about why ISA needs to go. For one, it is no longer included (“free”) in the latest x86 SoCs and chipsets. But bus bridges can be added. Another point is that such bridges support serialized interrupts but do not support Direct Memory Access (DMA) transfers. This was a big deal back in the sound card days, but few current I/O cards need DMA. The strongest argument seems to be that there is only enough space and proper connector registration for two expansion bus connectors, and those need to be PCIe and parallel PCI because those buses are newer and included on many processing platforms. One hole in that argument is that parallel PCI is going away in favor of PCIe, which is software compatible with PCI. Another is that PCIe-to-PCI bus bridges are more expensive than LPC-to-ISA bridges for the Low Pin Count (LPC) bus; so ISA is, in fact, easier to keep around as PCI goes away. A new name for an old bus As an industry, how do we get past the negative stigma that the ISA bus has of being old? In mil/aero and defense circles, we really like to use well-established, proven technologies. We also like the vast ecosystem of proven PC/104 I/O cards that use the ISA bus, including MIL-STD-1553 bus cards. Certainly, our purchasing dollars carry weight with I/O suppliers who continue to fill orders since their boards do not have End Of Life (EOL) component problems. They do not need to redesign what already works. Why re-engineer and re-validate hardware and software for a newer bus that does not change the specs of the actual I/O in the first place? Rather than churn all the hardware and software, we should just ask the marketing folks for a new name for the ISA bus

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Figure 1 | VersaLogic’s Ocelot SBC brings the stacking ISA bus into the “Atomic” age.

and leave it in production. How about the name “Bob?” With apologies of course to Ms. Melinda Gates, the former product manager for an application software package bearing the same name that never took off, so the name is available. A bus bridge for the “Atomic” age Intel’s new Atom family of processors are attractive for military applications due to low power (below 10 Watts), extended temperature operation (-40 °C to ~ +85 °C) for certain models, and enough performance to upgrade legacy military systems. In this case, the “Atomic” age means that Atom processors are positioned for legacy I/O with the LPC bus. The LPC bus allows easy attachment of low-cost ISA bus bridges and low-cost UART chips to it. Some SBC manufacturers have even implemented ISA core logic within an FPGA so that the ISA bus can avoid EOL forever. An example of an SBC that supports ISA with extended temperature for mil/aero applications is shown in Figure 1. Many new SBCs allow the continued use of the ISA bus directly off the SBC for technology refreshes to legacy systems in an era of tight defense budgets. With a new name like “Bob,” the ISA bus could shake the stigma of being an ancient bus that threatens its longevity in the market. Regardless, some of the ISA-friendly SBCs and I/O cards from SFF-SIG members can be found at www.sff-sig.org. Small Form Factor Special Interest Group (408) 480-7900 info@sff-sig.org

www.pc104.org

PC/104

Consortium

By Dr. Paul Haris, PC/104 Consortium Board Director

PC/104 and its long history in military applications In the early days of modern electronics, the U.S. military was a major driving force of advanced electronic research and development. With the nuclear arms race, space exploration and exploitation, global awareness, and advanced armament development happening throughout the world, the need to push the frontiers of science and technology was a major requirement. The military’s unique working environments led to many military standards (MIL-SPECS) to ensure quality and uniformity so that the technology utilized did not fail. Though necessary at the time, these standards became lengthy, restrictive, and extremely costly to implement. While all of this was happening, a common event seen throughout human history took shape: pressure from the civilian sector for rapid commercialization of these new advances. As uses for mainframe computers and PCs increased in the 1980s and 1990s, substantial, sustaining money began to flow to commercial entities. Industry quickly realized that more R&D funding could be found through commercial sales than government contracts, and with fewer restrictions on development and use. Global commercial competition became the driving force for high-speed innovation, and the usability and versatility of the modern PC rocketed. To allow economies of scale, interchangeability, and interoperability throughout industry, well-defined commercial standards for computer boards, slot cards, and motherboards sprang up in an effort to fuel the accelerating growth in a logical and orderly way. Technological advances in chip design, capabilities and manufacturing, bus signaling, PCB construction, and software flourished. Competition forced increases in quality and reliability. And militaries took notice. In the early 1990s, the U.S. military committed to moving away from MIL-SPECs wherever possible. They realized that they no longer needed to, or were able to, drive the bulk of the electronics future, and that many of their endeavors could be achieved with Commercial Off-TheShelf (COTS) products at a much lower cost than before. With its release in 1992, the PC/104 architecture provided an innovative, embedded commercial standard that allowed the military to move computational capabilities out of computer rooms to where they were needed most. The PC/104 architecture took the concept of the backplane on rackmount card cages and embedded it directly on the processor and peripheral modules. The result was the creation of the compact, modular stacking standard. It expanded the properties of the mezzanine concept by adding self-contained I/O connectivity and

Figure 1 | PC/104 combines backward and forward compatibility, interoperability, and a rugged small form factor that make it well suited for mission-critical applications and acquisition budgets.

removed the weight, size, and vibrational susceptibilities of the rackmount concept. The secure stacking of PC/104 modules through inter-board bus connectors and standoffs provided an architecture with built-in baseline ruggedness. By promoting an evolutionary electrical bus (ISA, PCI, and PCI Express) and mechanical design philosophy, backward and forward compatibility were achieved. Predefined bus pin-outs, connector placements, and form factors allowed for interchangeability and interoperability across manufacturers to increase maintainability and upgradability of systems (Figure 1). All of this provided an avenue for total project lifetime cost reductions – a quality very important to military acquisition. Since its beginning, militaries have continued to leverage the benefits of the PC/104 architecture to increase their capabilities both directly (being able to put embedded computational power where it was needed, thereby breaking the umbilical cord) and indirectly (freeing up space for other technologies with the removal of large card cages when they were not needed). PC/104’s rugged, modular, embedded architectures continue to be standards of choice for many military designers. For the last 20 years, PC/104 products have found themselves in all sorts of military applications, from benign environments to the worst of conditions, including guidance and navigation systems, munitions, rockets, tanks, UAVs, atmospheric monitoring, and space assets to name a few. And, as new technologies develop, PC/104 continues to rise to the occasion. For more information visit the PC/104 Consortium website at www.pc104.org. PC/104 and Small Form Factors

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IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD

Small Form Factors for Aerospace & Defense

PCIe/104 extends legacy of service in mil/aero By Brandon Lewis

Interoperability, mechanical ruggedness, and limited Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) are precursors of every new military/avionics system design, but an evolving military landscape also requires improved bus speeds for applications like HD video transmission. In response, a recent revision to the PCIe/104 specification added support for PCI Express Gen 2 and Gen 3, improving data rates and providing support for new processor solutions. However, the true strengths of PCIe/104 in defense applications are those inherited from the proven legacy of the stack. Defense systems have a new look, and they are smaller, faster, and cheaper than ever before. On the one hand, the need for a more network-centric defense force has driven down the size of defense electronics, which are still required to provide as much, if not more, horsepower than their larger predecessors. On the other hand, fiscal uncertainty resulted in the Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) to defense spending and acquisition to reduce costs and ensure component availability for military/avionics platforms. Together they have created a battleground where

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Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technology and Small Form Factor (SFF) hardware intersect. Due to the tight spaces they will occupy in vetronics, unmanned aircraft, or even man-wearable systems, SFF designs must limit SWaP and provide a high level of mechanical rigidity in an architecture that can accommodate the special requirements of defense applications. Further, they are also required to provide an upgrade path for legacy systems while keeping pace with the latest advances in processor and interconnect

technology. To meet these demands, a new revision to the PCIe/104 specification added PCI Express Gen 2 and Gen 3 support in a package that maintains compatibility with previous variants of the PC/104 family. COTS vendors are gearing up to take advantage of this enhanced performance, coupling it with the proven features of the “stack” to solidify PC/104’s place in the modern military. “Since its rollout in 1991, PC/104 technology has been used for a wide range of land, sea, and air applications. Its small

size, flexibility, scalability, long life, and rugged design make it well suited for military environments,” says Bob Burckle, Vice President, WinSystems, Inc. (www. winsystems.com). “A PC/104 card measures 90 mm x 96 mm. This platform size began with the original boards and is maintained with the latest high-performance [PCIe/104] implementation.”

Figure 1 | Mechanically, the DuraCOR 80-40 has the same physical robustness and ruggedization levels as earlier Parvus PC/104derivative systems, but is based on the PCIe/104 architecture to deliver improved databus speed.

“One of the beauties of the PC/104 form factor is that it has maintained the same dimensions throughout its evolution, from the original PC/104 to today’s latest PCIe/104 architecture (Figure 1),” says Mike Southworth, Vice President of Marketing, Parvus Corporation (www.parvus.com). “The compatibility maintained between PC/104 derivatives helps to increase interoperability. For example, a PC/104-Plus card, which has both ISA and PCI interfaces, can potentially mate with a PCI-104 card by aligning the modules’ PCI bus connectors. In similar fashion, a PCI/104-Express card can potentially mate with a PCIe/104 card. This approach fosters and eases mix-and-match between contemporary and legacy PC/104 module variants, providing the architecture with its well-known “Legolike” expansion as a result of its pin and header stacking orientation. (Editor’s note: See PC/104 product migration strategies on page 26). “SBCs based on the PCIe/104 architecture can support the traditional complement of I/O found on desktop PCs, so they typically provide one or two Ethernet interfaces, RS-232/422/485 serial ports, USB ports, some sort of a storage device interface (typically SATA, though a few older cards will support IDE parallel buses), and other interfaces such as a PS/2 port,” Southworth continues. “In addition, these modules will provide some general purpose I/O, as well as video and audio interfaces. To expand their system, the customer may want to stack additional peripheral cards, which are generally tailored to meet application requirements that go beyond those found on a typical PC. For example, to meet the needs of military vehicle or aircraft applications, which often involve a MIL-STD-1553 or ARINC 429 data bus, a couple of channels of 1553 or 429

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

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IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD

can easily be added to the system by adding an appropriate I/O card to the stack, or through the use of other types of adapter modules. “The stacking approach of PC/104 increases ruggedization because every board interfaces to the next board through a very rigid, robust pin-andsocket connection. This connection serves not only as the databus interface, but also as a mechanical interface that keeps the modules connected,” Southworth adds.

Keeping a rugged connection With shock and vibration being the norm in military systems, a secure PC/104 stack is mission-critical. To achieve mechanical rigidity, PCIe/104 modules retain the PC/104 mounting hole configuration to prevent twisting and flexing of PCBs, while also incorporating robust, locking connectors that ensure signal integrity in harsh environments. Although the PCIe/104 specification does not call for shock and vibe certification, these systems are routinely qualified to MIL-STD-810G, MIL-STD-202G, and

SIU6_4_625x7_Layout 1 8/8/13 4:15 PM Page 1

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PC/104 and Small Form Factors

it limits the amount of flex that can be induced into the boards within the stack due to vibration.

“Shock is typically a single event such as dropping a system, sudden acceleration, air turbulence, hitting a pothole in the road, or coupling railroad cars together, which can cause dynamic transients,” Burckle says. “A PC/104 stack is held in place by four standoffs that are inserted into the mounting holes on each board. The purpose is to provide mechanical rigidity to the stack for resistance to shock and vibration. Plus, it prevents separation of the boards when subject to shock. Since the stack is basically a small square, it limits the amount of flex that can be induced into the boards within the stack due to vibration.”

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is basically a small square,

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“The corner standoff mounting holes for PC/104 are laid out in a trapezoidal fashion to relieve standing waves and mechanical damage during shock and vibration events common to Military, Aerospace, and Government (MAG) applications,” says J.C. Ramirez, Product Marketing Manager, ADL Embedded Solutions, Inc. (www.adl-usa.com). “As well, where possible, locking connectors are the norm, rather than the exception, to again improve tolerance to high shock and vibration environments. “From a shock and vibration standpoint, two key attributes to consider are contact wipe length and vertical “slack” of the mated connectors,” Ramirez continues. “Contact wipe is defined as the length of contact surface area between male and

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IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD female connectors when mated (Table 1). During the development of the PCIe/104 specification, special attention was given to ensure that the QMS/QFS connectors did not fully “seat” when installed at the specified 0.600” board-to-board distance of PC/104. This provides vertical “slack” that helps absorb shock and vibration in rugged applications, thereby minimizing mechanical stress and damage to the connector.” A low-power approach to thermal management As advantageous as their size is for rugged systems, small form factors are as equally challenged with thermal dissipation. In addition to the pressures to fit as much compute power in the smallest package possible, thermal management is complicated in aerospace and defense platforms because active cooling solutions, such as fans, are typically not permitted. To circumvent these challenges, PC/104-derivative systems take several approaches, including attaching processor modules directly to cold plates or internal chassis sidewalls and reducing component count to minimize SWaP. “Heat is the enemy,” Burckle says. “One of the hallmarks of WinSystems’ PC/104based SBCs and I/O modules is the use

Connector

SAMTEC QMS/QFS Series PCIe/104 Connector

TE Connectivity Free Height Series COM Express Connector

Description

15.25 mm installed height; 156 pos. with center blades for 5 V and 12 V

5 mm and 8 mm high; 220 pos. and 440 pos.

Power Rating

1.6 amps

0.5 amps

Temperature Rating

-55 ºC to +125 ºC

-40 ºC to +85 ºC

Contact Wipe Length

Up to 1.6 mm

Unknown

1,000+

Durability (mating cycles)

Table 1 | This comparison examines the mechanical characteristics and durability of Samtec QMS/QFS PCIe/104 connectors and TE Connectivity Free Height COM Express connectors. In addition to a mating cycle advantage of roughly 30x, the Samtec connectors feature a rugged, ribbed design for thicker sidewalls.

of low power devices. The best way to handle heat is to not generate it. Our goal is to have a power envelope of 10 W or less for the SBC so that handling thermal issues is mitigated. However, one of the ways to dissipate the heat is through heat sinks on the processors (Figure 2). Mounting the processor board at either the top or bottom of the stack can allow heat spreaders to dissipate heat to the chassis. Thermal issues require a thorough system analysis of where heat is generated and its efficient removal to stay within the requisite thermal envelope of the end product. “The useful board area [of a PC/104-derivative module] is 8640 mm² (13.4 in.²),” Burckle explains. “Subtracting the various connectors yields more or less room depending on the size and number needed for the board. The remainder of the area is for the electronic circuitry that requires the power for operation and subsequent heat generated from it.” “In regards to voltage, PC/104 derivatives are flexible in that the standard defines support for multiple voltage types, including +5 V, -5 V, +12 V, -12 V, and +3.3 V,” says Southworth. “In practice though, the vast majority of PC/104 cards today run on 5 V input only. Any power conversion requirements are typically handled via DC-DC converters SPECIAL ADVERTISING FEATURE

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Fall 2013

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

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on the card. Standardizing on 5 V is an advantage for system designers because it simplifies and potentially reduces the cost of the power supply design. “Generally speaking, because PC/104 is a small form factor it does not typically incorporate extremely high power consuming devices,” Southworth adds. “The types of processors used on a server-class SBC that often generate above 75 W are not usually found on PC/104 cards. Typically, PC/104 processors dissipate less than 75 W, and the average power dissipation is usually 15-20 W. Designers of PC/104 SBCs often select low-power Intel architectures such as Atom, Core 2 Duo, and Pentium M-class processors, and lately we are starting to see an increase in the popularity of Intel Core i7-class processors on PC/104 systems.” A new path forward Though many of its strengths are inherent to the PC/104 architecture, the advent of PCI Express Gen 2 and Gen 3 support in PCIe/104 promises the bus speeds and processor support to drive next-generation mil/aero applications. With PC/104 products available off-theshelf from more than 100 vendors worldwide, the stack will remain a proven alternative for aerospace and defense. “Military and defense thrives on rugged, extended temperature, SWaP-optimized solutions, and PCIe/104 offers all of those,” Ramirez concludes. “Especially with high-performance processors like the Intel Core i7, PCIe/104 is often the smallest form factor available for a given system.”

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IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD

Small Form Factors for Aerospace & Defense

Rugged, reliable COMs add value to military avionics design By RJ McLaren

Sophisticated avionics systems and platforms are advancing rapidly, particularly as unmanned aircraft handle a greater number of essential security and surveillance missions. In this environment, high-performance, Small Form Factor (SFF) platforms are in demand as enablers of superior intelligence gathering and improved, real-time situational awareness. COM Express-based Computer-on-Modules (COMs) are proving their mettle by answering today’s performance requirements for graphics, low power, and rugged reliability, while providing a cost-effective migration path that is in step with evolving avionics applications. Avionics technology continues its rapid advance, creating safer and more sophisticated airborne environments. Yet even as technology boundaries are pushed to enable enhanced communications, navigation, weapons control, and more, the demanding physical restrictions within an aircraft remain consistent. Designers face rigorous performance considerations such as Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP), shock and vibration, thermal requirements, and altitude issues, as the broad spectrum of military aircraft includes manned and unmanned vehicles that must support an incredible range of missions and payloads.

18 y

Fall 2013

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

These strict requirements all must be addressed with embedded computing solutions that offer High Availability (HA), airborne-compatible performance with reduced deployment and operating costs. SFF platforms, such as COMs, are optimized for this type of extreme military design, coupling rugged and extended temperature options with small, mobile, and power-efficient de sign capabilities. Ruggedized modules based on the COM Express standard, hosted by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG), offer an ideal option for Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS)based airborne networking applications.

Avionics applications in particular, with their uncommonly demanding environmental restraints, are benefiting from the compute-power and reliable performance delivered by these compact components. Optimal SWaP comes in small packages As a nearly complete computer mounted on a carrier board, COM Expressbased COMs can be considered application-ready platforms that are well suited for these types of rugged, highperformance deployments. COM Express offers the smallest form factor available

The “Basic” (95 mm x 125 mm) and “Compact” (95 mm x 95 mm) COM Express form factors are recognized successors to the legacy ETX form factor that set the standard for COM modules. The Compact form factor is ideally suited for space-critical or mobile applications, and its interfaces, pin-outs, and connector placements are 100 percent compatible with the Basic form factor and support a wide power input range of 8.5V to 18V. Attachment

for military systems, offering a size excellent for SWaP considerations coupled with customizable I/O options. The standard’s smallest form factor is the “Mini,” about the size of a credit card at 55 mm x 84 mm (Figure 1). Its extremely low power consumption and small format are well suited to mobile batterypowered and inexpensive applications. Their wide-ranging power input (from 5V to 14V) make them an ideal fit for small form factor avionics applications, particularly considered in tandem with their ability to handle extreme environmental conditions and temperature ranges from -40 °C to +85 °C.

Figure 1 | The COM Express specification defines multiple form factors, including the 55 mm x 84 mm “Mini,” the 95 mm x 95 mm “Compact,” and the 95 mm x 125 mm “Basic.”

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PC/104 and Small Form Factors

Fall 2013

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IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD

Any of these modules can incorporate today’s most advanced x86 processors, delivering graphics and processing performance that would have previously required multiple boards. Working in conjunction with a carrier board, which contains all the I/O and any customization required by the particular avionics application, the COM Express module brings performance and low power to standards-based, very small form factor designs. Broad vendor support makes the design process easier, and designers have access to a well-established

ecosystem of resources to manage future product migration. Flexible I/O and interconnects extend avionics design value In the COM Express standard, PICMG has different defined pin-outs for one or two 220-pin connectors that are placed next to each other. The positioning of the connectors guarantees extremely simple interchangeability of the three form factors; the connectors themselves are resistant to shock and vibration and offer extraordinarily

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module standard prepared for innovative interface technologies such as USB 3.0... high bandwidth for high-speed data transmission. COMs offer significant design value and flexibility, providing chipset I/O to the carrier board via these rugged board-toboard connectors. Broad combinations of I/O are readily available, and need only be brought into the design via the application-specific customization of the carrier board. LAN, SATA, video, audio, multiple USB, or PCI Express ports are all available, and depend simply on the requirements of the end-use application itself. COMs also integrate video processing and display, an important advantage for graphics-heavy imaging and data processing applications often found in avionics systems. The COM Express standard is considered the likely requirement for long-life video support native within the chipset, and enables standard connector access for VGA, LVDS, SDVO, and now DisplayPort, DVI, and HDMI. This avoids the need for added video cards that might be required by other platforms, or borrowing access from CPUs already constrained in space for processor, chipset, and memory.

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20 y

also the first independent

COM Express is also the first independent module standard prepared for innovative interface technologies such as USB 3.0; new Type 6 and Type 10 pin-outs help ensure long-term protection of deployed systems. COM Express technology now has the ability to handle future developments while retaining the connector concept, technology, and maximum backwards compatibility with the established Types 1 and 2 (Table 1).

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COM Express is

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

Type 6 is based on pin-out Type 2, the most widely adopted COM Express pin-out type to date, but reallocates legacy PCI pins from Type 2 to support the digital display interface and additional

Types

Connector Rows

PCI Express Lanes

PEG/SDVO

PCI

IDE Ports

SATA Ports

LAN Ports

USB 2.0/ SuperSpeed USB

Display Interfaces

Type 1

A-B

Up to 6

–

8/0

VGA, LVDS

Type 2

A-B C-D

Up to 22

1/2

32-bit

8/0

VGA, LVDS, PEG/SDVO

Type 3

A-B C-D

Up to 22

1/2

32-bit

–

8/0

VGA, LVDS, PEG/SDVO

Type 4

A-B C-D

Up to 32

1/2

–

8/0

VGA, LVDS, PEG/SDVO

Type 5

A-B C-D

Up to 32

1/2

–

8/0

VGA, LVDS, PEG/SDVO

Type 6

A-B C-D

Up to 24

1/NA

–

8/4

VGA, LVDS/eDP, PEG, 3xDDI

Type 10

A-B

Up to 4

–/1

–

8/2

LVDS/eDP, 1xDDI

Table 1 | The new Type 6 and Type 10 pin-outs in COM Express are compatible with the original Type 1 and Type 2 pin-outs, which offers an upgrade path to next-generation I/O.

PCI Express lanes. This enables a performance jump from devices incorporating earlier pin-out options, and enhances fourth-generation graphics architectures often used in advanced video applications such as surveillance for situational awareness. The Type 6 pin-out also considers future design options; the pins formerly assigned the IDE interface in pin-out Type 2 are now reserved for future technologies still in development. This gives designers more to work with, including broader native display choices and higher serial bandwidth than previously available. COM Express’ native support for the newest display interfaces also simplifies carrier board design, which reduces time to market and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for graphicsintensive military and aerospace applications. PCI Express support for Type 6 is extensive and underscores the trend to migrate from legacy parallel interfaces toward pure serial embedded system designs for higher bandwidth and reduced latency. Military system designers have a smooth transition to next-generation devices via faster drives and peripherals – essential for the rigors of long-term avionics deployments. Rugged by design COMs also offer access to extended thermal characteristics “by design” – or through a COM that has been reengineered and validated for proven functionality in extended-temperature applications. Military and aerospace or industrial temperature ranges are typically -40 °C to +85 °C, with some components offering a subset industrial

temperature range of -25 °C to +75 °C. In a “by design” COM, suppliers offer testing of complete systems and individual components to assure that performance withstands specific environmental conditions, which is essential to very small form factor avionics in mission-critical designs that are packed with highperformance features (Figure 2). COM Express is up to the avionics design challenge Sophisticated avionics applications offer some of the greatest challenges for designers of rugged, extended temperature systems that are constantly exposed to extreme external and internal conditions such as wide temperature variances, system start-up in low or high temperature, humidity, dust, and other environmental circumstances that can seriously impact performance. These rigorous requirements will only increase as avionics deployments become more complex, for example by integrating more cameras and sensors in surveillance or evolving diverse airborne devices that may include robotics. It is not practical to simply add more equipment onto an unmanned vehicle, yet demand continues for more sensor capability, or flexibility, to change or update sensor arrays based on specific mission profiles. This increases the necessity for a compact and modular open-standard-based high-performance module or system, and sets the stage for a proven small form factor such as COM Express. Delivering performance today and positioning OEMs for continued evolution of

Figure 2 | The new Type 6 and Type 10 pin-outs in COM Express are compatible with the original Type 1 and Type 2 pin-outs, which offers an upgrade path to next-generation I/O.

devices and applications, COM Express modules allow priority design consideration of ruggedness and flexibility. Scalability builds on what the silicon currently enables, and further capitalizes on board-level consistencies and conveniences, such as the ready availability of drivers. Designs can follow the same pin-outs and connector schemes, and ensure a smooth path to performance increases with each new generation of COM – delivering scalable power, performance, temperature, and graphics processing, and creating an optimal platform for avionics applications. RJ McLaren is Portfolio Manager for Commercial Avionics & Military Products, Kontron.

Kontron America www.kontron.com robby.mclaren@us.kontron.com PC/104 and Small Form Factors

Fall 2013

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IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD

Small Form Factors for Aerospace & Defense

VITA Small Form Factors By Jerry Gipper

Several conditions have come together in recent years to drive innovation in even smaller form factors. First, the continued integration of processors to include memory controllers, I/O, and serial fabrics such as Ethernet and PCI Express; and second, a rapidly expanding market need for high-performance, small computing platforms for unmanned mobile vehicles. But new initiatives are different. Standards developers have had rugged and mobile applications in mind from the get-go. They are taking into consideration various cooling strategies from convection to conduction, focusing on lower module mass, and keeping performance and serviceability at the forefront. VITA has a long history with small form factor boards, beginning with the original 3U VMEbus that was deemed n ecessary to address the needs of industrial applications that were space limited. Many early VMEbus products were 3U in size, but the major deficiency for these products was the limited availability of backplane I/O connections, so over time 6U gained the larger market share.

22 y

Fall 2013

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

Fast-forward a few years to the switched fabric era of module interconnections. The VPX concept, proposed in 2004, also has 3U and 6U form factors defined in the specification. The use of serial switched fabrics in a much higher pincount connector (up to 280 pins in 3U) make the smaller board size a very popular choice. As in the early years of VMEbus, the 3U size gained many early design wins.

VPX was driven by a need to develop a rugged form factor that utilized serial switched fabrics such as PCI Express, Ethernet, serial RapidIO, and InfiniBand for module interconnection. The original target market was High-Performance Embedded Computing (HPEC) for defense applications where Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) was a major concern. The small 3U size is particularly suited for vehicular mobile platforms.

VITA projects In rapid succession, three proposals for smaller form factors that all leverage work done on VPX began specification development under the VITA Standards Organization (VSO). The efforts at VITA are primarily focused on small form factor blades that require a backplane to interconnect modules. VITA 73: Small Form Factor (SFF) VITA 73 was conceived while searching for a solution to a Network Attached Storage (NAS) problem, when a 2.5" X-frame carrier for Solid-State Disks (SSDs) was determined to be an appropriate form factor for an embedded computing platform (Figure 1). VITA 73 provides a standard mechanical format with switched serial interconnects based on VPX, with specific concern taken to allow deployment in rugged environments. The working group developing the specification had several goals, with size and weight leading the list. The group also wanted to ensure that performance is maintained through the module interconnection scheme. At the same time, easy maintenance and no cables in the system drove many decision points. The VITA 73 working group is nearing completion of the specification, and is preparing for “Draft Standard for Trial Use” status by the end of 2013. Evaluation modules are available from PCI-Systems. VITA 74: Nano Small Form Factor (NSFF) The inspiration for VITA 74 came from reviewing existing Computer-OnModule (COM) standards, including nanoETXexpress for miniature CPU modules, existing VITA standards for VPX and FPGA Mezzanine Cards (FMCs), and smaller, price-point targeted PC/104 modules. The targeted user community has a need for price-sensitive platforms with a standards-based approach for conduction-cooled systems. The working group – consisting of several merchant board manufacturers, system integrators, and defense prime contractors – drew from existing open standards to reduce risk and schedule.

The working group design goals are as follows: 1. Boards the size of a credit card, including 12.5 mm and 19 mm modules (Figure 2) 2. Stand-alone computers the size of a deck of cards 3. Systems the size of a Rubik’s Cube

Figure 1 | The VITA 73 specification defines a 4.5" (W) x 4" (H) x 6" (D) chassis based on VPX’s serial switched interconnect scheme. Image courtesy PCI Systems, Inc.

Module Internal Board Stack Baseboard

12.5mm Module Baseplate

Nano-ETX Card

19mm Module

Carrier Baseplate

Figure 2 | The VITA 74 specification defines 12.5 mm x 76 mm x 89 mm (top) and 19 mm x 76 mm x 89 mm (bottom) modules based on the nanoETXexpress COM standard, as well as system-level solutions. Image courtesy Themis Computer. PC/104 and Small Form Factors

Fall 2013

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IT'S A SMALL (FORM FACTOR) WORLD

The VITA 74 working group is nearing completion of the specification, to be followed by balloting. The specification is on target to be publically available in early 2014. Modules and systems are available from Themis Computer and Creative Electronic Systems (CES).

❚❚ VITA 75.2x Cooling and Mounting – Defines various cooling methods and the interface for cooling the subsystem. ❚❚ VITA 75.x Internals Structure – Defines types of modules that can be used within the Base Profile.

VITA 75: Rugged Small Form Factor (RSFF) VITA 75 is a “voice of the customer”driven program. The scope of the VITA 75 project is broken down into modular subsystems that define the complete platform (Figure 3). The VITA 75 specification defines a box and external interfaces to that box, including the: ❚❚ VITA 75.0 Base Profile – Defines external dimensions and the envelope the subsystem must fit within. Its size is scalable. ❚❚ VITA 75.1x Front Panel Profile – Defines the power and signal interfaces that connect externally to the subsystem.

Front Panel

Width

Height

Length

Figure 3 | Several sub-profile variants of the VITA 75.0 specification have been released for trial use.

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24 y

Fall 2013

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

Many small form factor Single Board Computers (SBCs) are competing for a share of a rapidly expanding market in many application spaces.

nature, electronic components want to become smaller and more functionally dense. Many small form factor Single Board Computers (SBCs) are competing for a share of a rapidly expanding market in many application spaces. We can only expect a similar trend to continue for interconnected boards. Jerry Gipper is Director of Marketing for the VITA Standards Organization (VSO), and Editorial Director of VITA Technologies magazine. Effective January 1, 2014, Jerry will be replacing Ray Alderman as the VSO’s Executive Director. VITA Standards Organization (VSO) www.vita.com jerry@vita.com

VITA 75 is a specification that defines a small form factor, box-level standard that is based heavily on customer demands. VITA 75 is most notably differentiated from the VITA 73 and VITA 74 initiatives in the fact that it focuses on the box in terms of both size and the level of ruggedization of the operating environment. The internal modules are yet to be defined, but could easily include VITA 73- or VITA 74-style modules. The VITA 75 working group released several sub-profiles of the specification to “Draft Standard for Trial Use” status. The intent is to give manufacturers and users the opportunity to design, build, and use products, then provide feedback to the developers based on actual use. VITA 59: Rugged COM Express Added to the mix of small form factor projects is VITA’s Rugged COM Express standard. The COM Express specification was developed under the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG); however, VITA members who were also PICMG members felt that the VSO was better equipped to help define a more rugged version of COM Express. The working group is now preparing to roll out a rugged version of COM Express by early 2014. Working together to combine the efforts of both organizations has greatly reduced the time to develop and complete this specification. Shrinking size for a growing opportunity We are only at the beginning of a wave of even smaller form factor products. By

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

Fall 2013

y 25

THE BIG YET SMALL PICTURE

Product Migration

PC/104 product migration strategies By Jeff Milde

PC/104 is a widely used small form factor board standard that has evolved several variations by leveraging advances in desktop PC technology. To date, these advancements have included faster bus interconnects and new I/O schemes that required additions to the original PC/104 specification. But as technology continues to improve, there must be a clear migration path available to allow the incorporation of new technology into product updates and new generations of products. The PC/104 family of specifications has five major variations, spanning from the original PC/104 specification based on the ISA bus, to the latest based solely on PCI Express (PCIe) for module interconnection. The changes are very evolutionary in nature, and those that have been tracking these changes have most likely taken the small steps necessary to leverage the latest advancements. But what happens when you need to move multiple generations, particularly from ISA or PCI bus variations to PCIe? What are the precautions that must be taken in order to make the migration in one big step?

26 y

Fall 2013

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

Reasons to change Common reasons to change electronic components such as PC/104 modules include: ❚❚ Higher performance – Customers have outgrown the performance capability of their existing platforms, so a faster processor, more memory, or more I/O is needed. There always seems to be a need for more performance, as Operating System (OS) and application software requirements tend to grow. New I/O devices are added to the product feature set, and faster algorithm

processing and response may be demanded by an application. ❚❚ Latest in I/O technology – SATA, USB 3.0 – New peripheral devices are needed to accommodate new requirements, and changes to the base platform are needed to utilize peripherals that are only available in new technologies. New peripherals only available with USB 3.0 may be required, thus a newer generation of modules with the proper I/O interfaces are needed as well. ❚❚ Obsolescence management – The bane of embedded computing platforms is they are expected to

perform for many years. It can be especially challenging when trying to leverage the cost advantage of PC-style components that thrive on change. Obsolescence management is a never-ending task that requires constant monitoring to be sure that there is a true end-to-end product life cycle in place. ❚❚ Supply chain issues – If a supplier changes strategy or goes out of business, are there alternatives? Using open standards like PC/104 put you in a good position to address this issue, but there are still hurdles that must be cleared before an alternate module can be used.

enhancements while maintaining original components. If you have not been keeping up, then read on. What should I be concerned about when migrating? In short, you should be concerned about everything. Take the time to develop a new architecture that will get your product where it needs to be now and in the future. A lot of these decisions will be based on expected production volume and product lifetime. You need

to be especially sensitive to enclosures, peripherals, and software (drivers in particular). Depending on your choices, any one of these could quickly require a complete overhaul. PC/104’s standard form factors minimize the enclosure impact, and since PC/104 follows the desktop PC, the software migration path is clearly defined. What cost tradeoffs must be made? Cost tradeoffs depend on the big picture plan, production volume, and product

Any of the aforementioned issues can put platforms in a position where the existing architecture will no longer be sufficient. When faced with one or more of these reasons, you need to start preparing to change or update the technology used in your platform(s). Change can be very beneficial, especially as technology marches on, but benefits will vary depending on product and customer needs. Preparing for migration Ask yourself the following questions when developing your next embedded computing platform, and then work with suppliers on answers to keep from falling behind in the future. When should I move to the next generation? The move to the next generation will usually be driven by the need for increased computing performance or additional functionality that can only be achieved with a new generation of products. The move can also be influenced by the need to reduce or eliminate obsolescence issues that are too complicated or costly to manage with the original product line. In most cases, microprocessor selection will drive the need for migration. What are my options? With PC/104 there are several options. Long time users may have been making incremental improvements from generation to generation using bridging products that provide the benefit of

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

Fall 2013

y 27

THE BIG YET SMALL PICTURE

PCI Connector

PC/104™

PC/104-Plus™

ISA Connector

ISA Bus

ISA and PCI Bus

PCI Connector

PC-104™

PCI/104Express™ Stackable PCIe Connector

PCI Bus

PCI and PCIe Bus

PCe/104™ Stackable PCIe Connector

PCIe Bus

Figure 1 | PC/104 family relationship and evolutionary steps.

lifetime. Budgets will make a lot of the decisions for you, but keep in mind that migrating as much as possible may have cost benefits in product lifecycle management that justify a substantial migration effort. PC/104’s modular approach helps, allowing you to build the system required today with the knowledge that it can be expanded later if necessary. How much reuse should I expect? The amount of reuse you can expect really depends on the extent of your upgrade plans. If it is a low run-rate system and you only need a bit more from it, try to reuse as much as possible. If you are dealing with a product that needs a major refresh and the production volume is still viable, then a more substantial redesign with little regard for reuse may be more appropriate. How much of your original enclosure design you can reuse will depend on the original design and how well it can support new modules. Every PC/104 generation has a bridge to the previous generation, and the step from PCI to PCIe is simplified by the common software architecture. Do I need to support all of the current interfaces? This is your call, but it may be time to change to more efficient interfaces and I/O peripherals. For instance, USB offers a ubiquitous interface that was not available several years ago that may allow you to replace many older, more difficult-to-support devices with ones that can save money and improve overall system performance.

28 y

Fall 2013

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

What new capabilities can be added? Using serial switched fabrics such as PCIe allows you to build systems with a very scalable interconnect scheme. Additional “pipes” can be added to the system to increase bandwidth as an application’s performance needs grow, and interconnects can be routed in ways not possible with parallel bus architectures. Being able to optimize the traffic lanes to your application makes it possible to move data to locations where it is most effective for your application. With the higher interconnect bandwidth, some of the data throughput limitations that may have been hindering your system will no longer exist. This is the time to reevaluate the entire system architecture to maximize its effectiveness for current and future computing needs. What software issues need to be addressed? If starting with a proprietary OS, work could be substantial if the environment is not current with today’s I/O devices. This is very likely since you are still dealing with older peripherals that are influencing your migration decisions. In this case, a commercially available OS that will reduce future risk may be the best option. If you have a current version of a commercially available OS then your efforts may be relatively painless. Again, it will depend on how much custom driver work was done originally and if those peripherals will be needed in the new system. If everything can be upgraded

at once then the work may be minimal. If new drivers must be developed or re-written from old drivers, then there is a lot of work ahead in developing and testing new software. This may also be the time to re-evaluate your OS choice, since there has been tremendous change in the past few years – Linux plays a major role, and multicore processors with hypervisor support open up interesting opportunities that allow you to run legacy software while developing an alternate path for new applications. Since PC/104 hardware migration has followed the desktop PC, the software path is well traveled with a wealth of resources available to support growth. Steps to migration The developers of the PC/104 family of specifications have always had product migration in mind. Figure 1 shows how to step through the generations of PC/104, but what happens when you want to go from one generation to the next? PC/104-Plus and PCI/104-Express simplify single generation transitions by incorporating an older generation bus with the new generation bus. This allows direct use of older generation peripheral cards in a system with newer cards, which significantly reduces development time and cost because well-performing legacy peripherals can be used alongside cards with advanced microprocessor architectures. One big jump A two-generation jump in any electronic system can be a major undertaking, such

Change cannot be avoided, especially when dealing with electronic technology. Rather than

TS-4710 High End CPU Module pricing starts at

resist, you should anticipate change and build it into your plans. as ISA to PCIe or PC/104 to PCIe/104. For complete system redesigns you can simply select from a wide array of new PCIe/104 modules. If you would rather take a more conservative approach or need to use older technology peripherals, you can use transition modules. In this case, you would select a PCI/104-Express CPU and use a transition module to bridge to the ISA bus. As newer OSs free themselves from the legacy constraints, you may find ISA features like interrupts, Direct Memory Access (DMA), and certain size bus transactions limited, so be sure to check compatibility with the CPU manufacturer. There may be some reuse of enclosure technology depending on the original implementation. You will be able to reuse I/O with standards such as USB and Ethernet, but need to start shopping for PCIe/104 modules that can be used to replace older I/O payload(s). For large I/O complexes, you might consider a second box that is dedicated to PCIe/104 and connects back to the PC/104 subsystem through Ethernet or another acceptable interconnect; this may allow you to consolidate and eliminate modules, depending on the types of I/O in the original system versus what is required in the new version. Look for these opportunities when possible to minimize the migration effort and cost. PCI-104 to PCIe/104 Here you can follow the same steps as the PC/104-Plus migration, but without the legacy ISA bus issues to contend with. Start thinking about eliminating any I/O that resides on the PCI bus so that you can eventually have a single interconnect system based on PCIe. PCI/104-Express to PCIe/104 If you started here or have been migrating over the years, you are in great shape. You already have the PCIe bus interconnect and the next move eliminates the PCI bus from the equation. You

may even be able to start eliminating costs as you reduce stacking complexity by focusing all of your system elements on PCIe as the primary interconnect. From here you are also well positioned to leverage the expanding use of serial switched fabrics such as PCIe. Coping with change Change cannot be avoided, especially when dealing with electronic technology. Rather than resist, you should anticipate change and build it into your plans. Some common strategies to minimize the impact of change include: ❚❚ Staying within processor families ❚❚ Staying within commercial OS families with broad driver support ❚❚ Migrating in multiple small steps versus one big step

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TS-4710 shown mounted on TS-8160 baseboard with PC/104 bus

TS-4710 Features Up to 1066MHz CPU w/ 512MB RAM User-Programmable 8K LUT FPGA Boots Linux in under a half second Robust DoubleStore Flash storage LCD video output up to WUXGA USB2, Ethernet, PCIE, SPI, 6 UARTS Touch Panels available

Other TS-SOCKET CPUs TS-4200: Atmel ARM9, super low power TS-4600: 450MHz at very low cost TS-4712: like TS-4710 + 2 ethernets TS-4800: 800MHz iMX515 with video

Future-proof your design by keeping a product lifecycle team on top of new technologies, and make migration decisions in a timely fashion so you do not get so far out that you need a complete system redesign. Also consider getting involved in the standards development process so that you can influence new standards and stay on top of new innovations for your next product design. PC/104 module suppliers have the expertise to assist in developing the most effective migration strategy. Be sure to get them involved early in the migration process so you can make the right choices and minimize effort.

Jeff Milde is Executive Director of the PC/104 Consortium.

PC/104 Consortium www.pc104.org info@pc104.org

TS-SOCKET Benefits Simplifies custom embedded systems Rapid design process with CPU Cores COTS development boards available Design your own baseboard or use our design services Interchangeable for future upgrades

Design your solution with one of our engineers Over 25 years in business Never discontinued a product Engineers on Tech Support Open Source Vision Custom designs with excellent pricing and turn-around time Most products ship next day

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EDITOR’S CHOICE Saved Board Area & Cost

Editor’s Choice

Analog SoC integrates complete signal chain to save PCB space and cost

Designing analog circuits into a PCB layout is a challenge for even the most experienced developers, as trace length and signal integrity issues often require additional components and more board area. To reduce these complications in small form factor designs, engineers at Microchip recently released the PIC24FJ128GC010 family of Microcontrollers (MCUs), the company’s first analog Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) that integrate a 16-bit ADC, 10 MSps 12-bit ADC, DAC, and dual operational amplifiers. In addition to Microchip’s eXtreme Low Power (XLP) technology, the interconnection of a complete analog signal chain within a single, compact chip (as small as 9 mm x 9 mm) saves board space and cost for portable industrial and medical applications. Saved Board Area & Cost

While the 16-bit ADC on the PIC24FJ128GC010 MCUs allows input signals to be divided for better resolution, the 12-bit ADC enables rapid throughput sampling for gathering data from multiple sensors. The MCUs also incorporate an LCD driver for interfacing with displays, an integrated USB data port, and an on-chip mTouch peripheral to support capacitive touch sensing. Microchip Technology, Inc. | www.microchip.com | www.smallformfactors.com/p9916061

VectorCAST automates Android testing for embedded Mobile is in, and embedded solutions that don’t embrace it will be, quite literally, left behind. Embracing the trend towards portable connectivity, Vector Software now supports the Android development environment in its VectorCAST tool suite, integrating VectorCAST/C++, VectorCAST/Cover, and VectorCAST/RSP with the Android Native Development Kit (NDK) and Android Developer Tools (ADT) to allow easy porting of C and C++ applications to Android platforms. Using VectorCAST, engineers developing Android applications for safetycritical embedded devices or consumer electronics can now improve code quality and cut time to market by automating software testing. Combining VectorCAST/C++ and VectorCAST/RSP for Android, the VectorCAST embedded software testing tool automates low-level testing and provides a suite of pass/fail tests for evaluating individual modules. By leveraging the Android Software Development Kit (SDK) and Debug Bridge, VectorCAST executes and retrieves the results of unit testing on Android systems, while also providing automated regression testing for continuous integration. A video providing more information on VectorCAST for Android can be viewed at www.vectorcast.com/community/ videos/vectorcast-android. Vector Software, Inc. | www.vectorcast.com | www.smallformfactors.com/p9916060

Bay Trail ventures into small form factors with big scalability The “Bay Trail” era is upon small form factor designs, as board vendors begin swapping out their old Atom offerings with new ones based on Intel’s E3800 series System-on-Chip (SoC). One of the early boards to make the switch is the conga-QA3, a Qseven Revision 2.0 module from congatec AG that measures 70 mm x 70 mm and comes in five Bay Trail-based variants for maximum scalability in a low-power package. The single-chip Computers-On-Module (COMs) are available in flavors ranging from a 1.46 GHz single-core product with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) of only 5 W, up to a quadcore 1.91 GHz version at 10 W TDP. Each rendition is also outfitted with ceramic capacitors that make the modules well suited for industrial mobile and harsh environment applications. Standard I/O off of the conga-QA3 includes three PCI Express 2.0 lanes, two 3 Gbps SATA interfaces, native USB 3.0 support, and DispayPort and HDMI ports for driving high-resolution displays. Integrated graphics support includes DirectX 11, OpenCL 1.2, and OpenGL 3, and Intel features such as Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions (AES-NI) help ensure that sensitive data remains secure. congatec AG | www.congatec.com | www.smallformfactors.com/p9916059 30 y

Fall 2013

PC/104 and Small Form Factors

UPCOMING E-CAST Managing ITAR/Export compliance reform for defense electronics suppliers Date: Tuesday, November 12 at 11 am EST Speakers: Kay Georgi, Partner, Arent Fox, LLP; Karen Jones, Director, Trade Compliance, Exelis Electronic Systems Division; Lawrence Fink, Vice President for Legal/Senior Counsel, SAIC

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Multi-million dollar fines, criminal charges, lost business – all of these are the side effects of non-compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Ignorance of the law does not guarantee a pass. New reforms coming out of the Obama Administration are gradually loosening those controls, beginning with non-combat related aircraft and commercial satellite related items. The Departments of State and Commerce are continuing to create and publish new rules and changes to the ITAR and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to move a very large set of controlled parts common to the State Department’s U.S. Munitions List (USML) Category VIII over to the Commerce Control List (CCL) and be authorized for export to 36 countries. This e-cast with export compliance attorneys from the defense industry will discuss how these reforms will affect the military electronics suppliers, including new requirements and potential pitfalls. Topics to be covered: › Classification in the framework of ECR › New definition of “Specially Designed” › What is moving to the CCL and what is not and how to know the difference › Potential pitfalls/common mistakes to avoid

To register go to ecast.opensystemsmedia.com/426

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