German embedded firm SSV announced a touchscreen control unit designed for HMI industrial applications. The EUI/57V is equipped with an x86-based Vortex86DX processor clocked to 800MHz, a 5.7-inch VGA touchscreen, and HMI (human machine interface) connections that include Ethernet, serial, USB, CAN, GPIO, and SPI, SSV says.

The EUI/57V touchscreen control unit is built around a BB6/eSOM baseboard containing SSV's eSOM/2586 computer module, which uses a proprietary form factor the company calls "eSOM-200." In addition to providing common computer interfaces, eSOM-200 modules offer a generic 16-bit bus that can support a wide range of peripheral modules, says SSV. The module's 200 pins are said to be accessible on two FX8C plug connectors.

The EUI/57V touchscreen control unit

Introduced earlier this year, SSV's first eSOM-200 module is the eSOM/2586 (pictured below), which, like the company's DIL/NetPC DNP/2486 computer-on-module (COM), runs Debian Linux on an x86-compatible Vortex SoC from DMP Electronics. However, the eSOM/2586 runs the more powerful Vortex86DX instead of the older 300MHz Vortex86SX.

Announced last November, the Vortex86DX is a 32-bit x86 SoC that targets home gateways, thin clients, and industrial controllers. Claimed to run Linux using under two Watts, the Vortex86DX puts a CPU core, northbridge/southbridge, and numerous peripheral functions into a single IC housing.

eSOM/2586 module
(Click to enlarge)

SSV clocks the EUI/57V's Vortex86DX to 800MHz, and backs it up with 128MB DDR2 SDRAM and a gigabyte of NAND flash containing the Debian-based embedded Linux distribution. Storage expansion is available via a CompactFlash slot.

The 5.7-inch TFT LCD touchscreen offers VGA resolution and a 4-wire-touchscreen interface, says SSV. The module is said to provide interfaces including 10/100Mbps Ethernet, USB 2.0 host interfaces with 480Mbps support, dual RS232 ports , and an RS485 port. Additional interfaces include CAN, GPIO , and SPI.

All interfaces are integrated into the preinstalled software and can be used directly from Java, says SSV. The pre-installed software includes X-Server, as well as the original Sun Java Runtime Environment (Java 6 J2SE), says SSV. The software bundle also includes the Java 6 with Swing widget toolkit and API, which enables the development of independent graphical user interfaces (GUIs) with a procedural (Java- and Swing-based) or declarative (HTML- or XML-based) approach, says the company.

EUI/57V block diagram
(Click to enlarge)

The pre-installed software can be extended with integrated data logger, teleservice router, and virtual IP modem functions, says the company. The EUI/57V is particularly suitable for front-panel systems used in renewable energy applications, where data must be logged over long periods, and "a safe remote maintenance access is standard," says SSV. Extended temperature versions of the device are also said to be available.

Specifications listed for the EUI/57V include:

• Processor — Vortex86DX @ 800MHz (32-bit x86) on an SSV eSOM/2586 module and BB6/eSOM baseboard
• Memory — 128MB DDR2 SDRAM @ 300MHz
• Flash –1024MB NAND
• Flash expansion — 1 x CompactFlash socket with IDE-based interface
• Display:
  • 5.7-inch VGA-size touchscreen
  • 18-bit digital RGB interface and LED backlight
  • 18-bit TTL interface (VGA-based for TFT/STN panels)
  • 4-wire resistive touch panels (UART-based)
  • 64MB LCD video RAM with DDR2 interface
• Networking — 1 x 10/100 Ethernet
• Other I/O:
  • 2 x RS232 and 1x RS485 UART (16C550/16C552 compatible)
  • 2 x USB host port with HS (480Mbps), FS, and LS support
  • 1 x SJA1000 with FullCAN and BasicCAN support
  • 7-bit GPIO signals from eSOM/2586 PIO port B
  • 1 x SPI master interface with one-chip select output signal
• Other features:
  • 1 x real-time clock with external battery-backup
  • 1 x timer watchdog
  • 1 x power supervisor
  • eSOM-200 form factor (2x 100-pin Hirose FX8C connector)
  • 2 x LED output signals for external power and LAN activity LED
• Servers — HTTP(S); Telnet; SSH; (S)FTP
• Dimensions — 6.4 x 5.1 inches (162.2 x 128.8mm)
• Power — 12 to 24 VDC
• Operating temperature — 32 to 140 deg. F (0 to 60 deg. C); extended temperature range available on request
• Operating system — Linux 2.6.18 (Debian-based) with X Server and Java 6 (J2SE) run-time environment

Availability

SSV did not mention pricing or availability for the EUI/57V. More information may be found here.

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