Advantech has rolled out a new EBX-format single-board computer (SBC) that runs Linux. The PCM-9590 supports a wide variety of Intel CPUs, from Celeron M to Core 2 Duo, according to the company.

As the block diagram below illustrates, the PCM-9590 uses Intel's 945GM northbridge and ICH7M southbridge. These provide support for up to 2GB of 400/533/667MHz DDR2 DRAM, in two 200-pin DIMM sockets. There's also 512KB to 4MB of L2 cache, depending on CPU. CPU support, as noted above, ranges from Celeron M up to the 32-bit Core Duo (“Yonah”) or 64-bit Core 2 Duo (“Merom”) processors.

A block diagram of Advantech's PCM-9590
(Click to enlarge)
Display capabilities are provided by the 945GM's integrated graphics circuitry. As implemented here, this means up to 32GB of shared graphics memory, and support for dual displays that can combine any two of CRT, LCD, and TV output. CRT resolution can be up to 2048 x 1536 pixels, according to Advantech, while LCD support provides 1600 x 1200 pixels at horizontal refresh rates from 25Hz to 112Hz.

Advantech's PCM-9590 front (left) and back (right)
Advantech says the PCM-9590 also provides a wide variety of expansion possibilities. For example, there is a PCI-104 expansion site, a Mini PCI interface, and a 16-lane PCI Express slot. Also included are six USB ports, dual Ethernet ports, four serial ports, EIDE and SATA interfaces, and GPIO.

Features and specifications listed by Advantech for the PCM-9590 include:

• Processor — Celeron M, Core Solo, 32-bit Core Duo (“Yonah”), or 64-bit Core 2 Duo (“Merom”)
  
• Memory — up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM in dual 200-pin DIMM sockets
  
• Display — dual displays combining any two of CRT, LCD, and TV output. CRT resolution up to 2048 x 1536 pixels, LCD support to 1600 x 1200 pixels
  
• Networking — 2 x 10/100/1000 Ethernet
  
• Other I/O:
  • 1 x UDMA100 EIDE

  • 2 x EIDE
    
  • 2 x SATA
  • 1 x keyboard, 1 x mouse
    
  • 3 x RS232
    
  • 1 x RS232/422/485
    
  • 1 x LPT
    
  • GPIO

• Expansion:
  • 1 x Mini PCI
    
  • 1 x PCI-104
    
  • 1 x 16-lane PCI Express
• Power requirements — AT or ATX power supply (5VDC and 12VDC)
• Dimensions — 8 x 5.75 inches (203 x 146 mm)

While the PCM-7590 was designed for Windows XP Embedded, according to Advantech's release, its standard chipsets and PC architecture should enable support for Linux and other operating systems. The board appears to be available now, though suggested pricing was not provided.

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