[Updated Mar. 21, 2005] — Adlink is shipping an ETX computer module based on a Mobile Celeron processor, and has promised another based on a Pentium M, with PCI Express. The boards will help close the performance gap between “computer-on-module” (COM) systems and other embedded form-factors, the company says.

(Click for larger image of the ETX-IV266)

ETX-IV266

According to Adlink, the currently shipping ETX-IV266 was designed to minimize power usage and heat dissipation. The board is available with a choice of soldered-on processors, including a passively coolable Intel ULV (ultra-low voltage) Mobile Celeron, clockable from 400 or 650MHz, and Intel's LV (low voltage) Mobile Pentium III-M, clockable from 800 to 933MHz.

The board uses Via's CLE266 chipset, which features 8x AGP graphics, a 133MHz frontside bus, and support for up to 1GB of DDR266 RAM, through a single SODIMM socket. Additionally, the CLE266 chipset offers MPEG-2 decoding, LVDS flat panel display support, and TV out for PAL/NTSC, Adlink says.

I/O ports include four USB v2.0 ports, a 10/100Base-T Ethernet port, an EIDE controller supporting both PIO and UDMA modes, two serial ports, one parallel port (SPP/ECP/EPP) shared with FDD, one PS2 keyboard/mouse interface, and an AC97 audio interface with codec, Adlink says. The board supports RS-232 console redirection, and includes a watchdog timer, CMOS EEPROM backup of BIOS settings for battery-less operation, USB and legacy boot, and PXE network booting.

ETXp-IA533

The ETXp-IA533 is based on the COM Express form-factor, a relatively new standard overseen by PICMG that merges the ETX mechanical format with PCI Express expansion. The board is powered by Intel's Pentium M 760 running at 2.0 GHz, along with Intel's 915GM Express Chipset. Both Intel components are warranted for long product life under Intel's Embedded Architecture program, Adlink says.

The ETXp-IA533 derives its name from its ability to support dual channel DDR2 memory clocked at 533MHz. Additional features include one onboard Gigabit Ethernet port, a Graphic PCI Express x16 slot, and support for up to four additional PCI Express x1 devices. The module also supports legacy 32-bit PCI and ISA peripherals through an LPC (low-pincount connector).

Adlink's product manager, Henk van Bremen, said, “For many years Computers on Module have trailed in performance and technology compared to standard form factors. With the introduction of ETXexpress, which is based on the new high speed differential signaling bus, PCI Express, COMs are closing the technology gap, and can go center stage for high-end OEM applications.”

Availability

The ETX-IV266 is shipping now in production quantities, and comes with an embedded Linux development kit that supports cross-platform development with a USB connection to any desktop or notebook, Adlink says. The ETXp-IA533 is expected to sample in early Q2, 2005.

 
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