Mini-ITX mobo supports dual LVDS displays
May 18, 2009 — by Eric Brown — from the LinuxDevices Archive — 15 views
Avalue announced a Mini-ITX-format motherboard for signage and kiosk applications that offers dual-channel 24-bit LVDS for simultaneous displays. The EMX-945GSE incorporates an Intel Atom N270 and 945GSE chipset with up to 2GB RAM, and provides two gigabit Ethernet and six USB 2.0 ports, says Avalue.
(Click for larger view of the EMX-945GSE )
The Linux-compatible EMX-945GSE is aimed at embedded applications, including digital signage, interactive kiosks, point-of-sale (POS) terminals, and thin clients, says Avalue. As its name implies, the mobo employs Intel's 945GSE northbridge and ICH7-M southbridge. The EMX-945GSE's Intel Atom N270 is clocked to 1.6GHz and supported with 2GB DDR2 SDRAM, and the board is said to offer Trusted Platform Module (TPM) support via an Infineon SLB 9635 cryptographic chip (pictured below right).
 Infineon SLB 9635 |
Drawing on the 945GSE's 32-bit Intel Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950 engine, the motherboard supports LVDS, DVI, and CRT ports for driving multiple simultaneous graphic displays. Avalue has also added specific support for the chipset's dual channel 24-bit LVDS mode, in order to drive high-resolution displays on 17-inch and larger LCD panels.
The EMX-945GSE is equipped with two gigabit Ethernet ports, four COM ports, and six USB 2.0 ports, says Avalue. For storage, an IDE connector and two SATA connectors are supplied, and a CompactFlash slot is also available. Further expansion is possible via Mini PCIe and PCI slots. Features such as CPU and system monitoring, smart fan control, and a watchdog timer are offered to support remote, standalone operation.
Specifications listed for the EMX-945GSE include:
- CPU — Intel XFCBGA 45nm Atom N270 @ 1.6GHz; Intel 945GSE/ICH7-M chipset; 533MHz FSB
- Memory — 1 x 200-pin SODIMM for up to 2GB DDR2 533MHz SDRAM, non-ECC
- Flash expansion — 1 x CompactFlash Type I/II slot
- PCI expansion — 1 x PCI 2.3; 1 x Mini-PCI
- Graphics — Intel GMA 950 with support for up to 224MB shared video memory
- Display modes — dual-view, 2-CH 24-bit LVDS (DVI optional with EMX-945GSE-DVI); CRT+DVI, CRT+LVDS, or DVI+LVDS
- Resolution — CRT mode 2048 x 1536 @ 75Hz; LCD mode 2048 x 1536 @ 60Hz
- Audio — 5.1+2-CH HD audio (Realtek ALC888), 6W amp; mic in, Line in, Line out
- Networking — 2 x gigabit Ethernet ports (Realtek RTL8111C)
- USB — 6 x USB 2.0
- Other I/O:
- 4 x COM ports
- 8-bit GPIO
- 1 x keyboard
- 1 x mouse
- 1 x IDE
- 2 x SATA
- Monitoring features — CPU and system monitoring; smart fan control; watchdog timer
- Operating temperature — 32 to 140 deg. F (0 to 60 deg. C)
- Dimensions — 6.7 x 6.7 inches (170 x 170mm); Mini-ITX
- Operating system — Linux, Windows 2000/XP/98/95, Windows CEAvailability
Avalue did not provide pricing or availability information on the EMX-945GSE. More information may be found here.
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