VersaLogic has announced a PC/104-Plus SBC (single board computer) that targets military, avionics, and medical applications. Running on an AMD LX800 processor, the dual-Ethernet port equipped Cougar operates fanlessly, draws under five Watts, and features high resistance to mechanical and thermal shock.

(Click here for a larger view of the Versalogic Cougar)

The Cougar is rated to withstand up to 2G of constant acceleration from five to 500Hz, tested for 20 minutes per axis. It also has an extended operating range, from -40 to 85 deg. C (-40 to 185 deg. F), and is claimed to withstand thermal shock of up to five deg. C per minute. RoHs-compliant, the SBC operates without a cooling fan. With a keyboard and mouse attached, and running Windows XP, it draws under 4.5 Watts of power, according to the company.

The Cougar uses AMD's 500MHz Geode LX800. Originally named to reflect performance relative to Via's C3 processor, the LX800 also offers “Celeron-equivalent 800 MHz performance” at a low power rating, according to VersaLogic. The LX800 mates with a special companion chip supporting analog and LVDS display interfaces up to 1600 x 1200.

The Cougar comes with 256MB of soldered-on RAM. A “high-retention” Compact Flash socket is included on the board, but for those who need the higher capacity of a rotating disk, the Cougar additionally includes a 44-pin IDE connector that is compatible with UDMA66 drives.

The Cougar's I/O includes two 10/100 Ethernet ports with RJ45 connectors, four USB 2.0 ports and three serial ports. The board's firmware allows booting over a network via PXE (preboot execution environment), NetWare, and BOOTP (bootstrap protocol).

Features and specifications listed by VersaLogic for the Cougar include:

• Processor — AMD LX800 clocked at 500MHz
  
• Memory — 256MB of soldered-on RAM
  
• Display — supports analog and LVDS, with resolution up to 1600 x 1200 pixels
  
• Networking — 2 x 10/100 Ethernet ports
  
• Other I/O:

  • 4 x USB 2.0
    
  • IDE
    
  • 3 x COM (2 x RS232, 1 x RS422/485)

• Expansion — Compact Flash slot
  
• Shock resistance:Thermal — 5 deg. C/min
  
• Vibration, sinusoidal sweep — 2G constant acceleration from 5 to 500Hz, 20 minutes per axis (MIL-STD-202G, method 204, modified condition A)
  
• Vibration, random — 5.35G rms, 15 minutes per axis (MIL-STD-202G, method 214A, condition A)
  
• Mechanical shock — 30G half-sine, 11ms duration per axis (MIL-STD-202G, method 213B, condition J)