Ibase Technology has announced a fanless computer that sports six serial ports and eight GPIOs. The ASB200-883-6COM includes a 2.5-inch bay for an HDD (hard disk drive), externally accessible CompactFlash slot, dual gigabit Ethernet ports, and both VGA and DVI video outputs, the company says.

The new ASB200-883-6COM is said to be aimed at low-power applications that require multiple serial ports, such as digital signage, medical, and POS applications. In addition to six COM ports, the device's front panel (shown below left) includes two USB 2.0 ports, a line output, microphone input, and terminal block connectors for eight programmable GPIOs, Ibase says.

The ASB200-883-6COM front panel (left) and rear panel (right)
(Click either to enlarge)

The device's rear panel (above right), meanwhile, includes an input for 12VDC power, two more USB 2.0 ports, two gigabit Ethernet ports, and a PS/2 connector. In addition, VGA and DVI-D ports are both fitted, allowing the device to support dual displays, according to iBase.

As Ibase acknowledges, the ASB200-883-6COM is based on a previously released "3.5-inch" SBC (single board computer), which actually measures 5.75 x 4 inches. The IB833 features Intel's familiar, 1.6GHz N270, plus the 945GMS northbridge and ICH7M southbridge. (These components are soldered to the back of the IB883, hence they're not visible in the photo below.) The board also has a single SODIMM slot, said to accept up to 1GB of DDR2 RAM.

Ibase's 883
(Click to enlarge)

On the IB883, the "real world" connectors — carried over to the ASB200-883-6COM's rear panel — included two gigabit Ethernet ports, a DVI port, a PS/2 connector for keyboard/mouse, and two USB ports, as shown above. Pin headers offered up two additional USB ports, two COM ports, a SATA port, digital I/O, and six-channel audio, according to Ibase. The IB883 was also said to have a PCI Express x 1 interface, which is presumably how the four additional COM ports have been added to the new ASB200-883-6COM.

The IB883's Type II CompactFlash slot, visible above, is said to be accessible externally on the ASB200-883-6COM. In addition, there's room internally for a 2.5-inch, 80GB SATA hard disk drive. Thanks to the N270's 2.5-Watt TDP and an integral heat sink, the ASB200-883-6COM is able to run fanlessly, taking its DC power from an external AC adapter, says Ibase.

Features and specifications listed by Ibase for the ASB200-883-6COM include the following:

• Processor — 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
• Memory — Up to 1GB of DDR2 RAM via single SODIMM slot
• Storage — 2.5-inch, 80GB hard disk drive and CompactFlash
• Networking — 2 x gigabit Ethernet ports
• Other I/O:
  • 1 x VGA
  • 1 x DVI-D
  • 4 x USB 2.0 (2 front, 2 rear)
  • 1 x PS/2
  • Audio — mic in and line out
  • 6 x RS232
  • 8 GPIOs
• Expansion — CompactFlash Type II slot
• Operating temperature — 32 to 113 deg. F (0 to 45 deg. C)
• Power requirements — 12VDC, via external AC acapter
• Dimensions — 9.44 x 6.37 x 1.45 inches (240 x 162 x 37mm), not including wall mounting brackets

Availability

Ibase did not provide information about pricing, availability, or operating system support. Almost all other Atom-based products have been said to be compatible with Linux, Windows XP Embedded, and Windows CE, among other operating systems, however.

More information about the ASB200-883-6COM may be found on the Ibase website, here.

 
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