Advantech unveiled a PCI-104 SBC (single board computer) based on Intel's new Atom E6xx processors. The PCM-3364 offers CAN bus and half-size Mini PCI Express expansion, supports dual displays (CRT and LVDS), and is offered in an extended-temperature (-40 to 185 deg. F), the company says.

When Intel announced its embedded-oriented, 32nm Core processors in January, Advantech responded with a salvo of seven devices in various form factors. A week later, the company did it again, launching eight "Pineview" Atom-based products all at once.

Now, the jungle drums tell us, the vendor is planning a similar bacchanal to celebrate yesterday's release of the Atom E6xx. (We'll list some of the relevant Advantech products we've been tipped to later in this story.)

Mercifully perhaps, only a single Atom E6xx product from Advantech broke cover today. Measuring 3.8 x 3.5 inches, the PCM-3364 is a SBC that offers a PCI-104 expansion connector, and further provides a half-size Mini PCI Express slot and a CAN bus connector, the company says.

Advantech's PCM-3364

According to Advantech's preliminary data sheet, the PCM-3364 (above) will be offered with the 600MHz Atom E620, 1.0GHz Atom E640, or 1.3GHz Atom E660. These CPUs have TDPs of 2.7 Watts, 3.3 Watts, and 3.3 Watts respectively, according to Intel.

With the above CPUs, the PCM-3364 has an operating range of 32 to 140 deg. F (0 to 50 deg. C), Advantech says. The SBC will also be offered with Intel's more robust Atom E660T, in which case it will be rated to work in temperatures from -40 to 185 deg. F (-40 to 85 deg. C), the manufacturer adds.

The PCM-3364 includes 512MB or 1GB of soldered-on DDR2 memory, according to Advantech. Like others in the initial wave of E6xx devices, it also includes the EG20T platform controller hub (still labeled with its "Topcliff" codename in the block diagram below).

A block diagram of Advantech's PCM-3364
(Click to enlarge)

Storage interfaces are provided for CFast and SATA, while additional headers confer support for three USB 2.0 hosts and one USB 2.0 client, two serial ports (one RS232 and one RS232/422/485), PS/2 keyboard/mouse, 8-bit GPIO, I2C, and SMbus, says Advantech. Also supported are gigabit Ethernet and HD audio (mic in, line in, line out), according to the company.

Advantech notes that the E6xx's integrated 2D/3D graphics engine runs at up to 400MHz, supporting OpenGL ES2.0, OpenVG 1.0, and DirectX9.0c. Encode formats are said to include MPEG4, H.263, and H.264, while decode formats include MPEG2, MPEG4, VC1, WMV9, and H.264. Possible VGA resolutions range up to 1280 x 1024 pixels, while a simultaneously connected LVDS display can offer up to 1280 x 768 pixels, the company adds.

Features and specifications for Advantech's PCM-3364 include:

• Processor — 600MHz Atom E620, 1.0GHz Atom E640, 1.3GHz Atom E660, 1.3GHz Atom E660T
• Chipset — EGH20T
• Memory — 512MB or 1GB of soldered-on DDR2 RAM
• Expansion:
  • PCI-104 connector
  • CAN bus
  • Mini PCI Express slot (half-size)
  • CFast
• Networking — gigabit Ethernet
• Other I/O (via headers):
  • SATA
  • 1 x VGA
  • 1 x LVDS
  • 3 x USB 2.0 host and 1 x USB client
  • 1 x PS/2
  • 8-bit GPIO
  • 1 x I2C
  • 1 x SMbus
  • audio — mic in, line in, line out
• Power — 5VDC; consumption n/s
• Operating temperature — 32 to 104 deg. F (32 to 140 deg. F) except for E660T version, which operates from -40 to 185 deg. F (-40 to 85 deg. C)
• Dimensions — 3.8 x 3.5 inches

Further information

According to Advantech, the PCM-3364 supports Linux, Windows CE 6.0, Windows XP Embedded, and Windows Embedded Standard 7, among other operating systems. Pricing and availability were not cited, and Advantech does not yet have a product page or finalized data sheet for the device; however, we unearthed the company's preliminary data sheet in PDF format, here.

Meanwhile, Advantech has provided preliminary word of additional Atom E6xx products, but without yet offering further details. They are:

• the SOM-3564, a Qseven module
• the SOM-6764, a COM Express Compact module
• the SOM-7564, a COM Express Ultra module
• and the PCM-9364, a 3.5-inch SBC

A picture of the SOM-7564 can be found on an Intel blog, here.

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