Diamond Systems says it is now shipping an SBC (single board computer) that offers a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 CPU plus both SUMIT-A and PC/104 expansion interfaces. The Aurora has a -2 to 150 deg. F operating range, eight digital I/Os, and support for an onboard USB flash drive, the company says.

Diamond's Aurora is an example of a SUMIT-ISM SBC. Explained more fully later in this story, this essentially means that the device has the 3.8 x 3.6-inch form factor inherited from PC/104, but adds a SUMIT (stackable unified module interconnect technology) expansion interface. (More SUMIT-ISM background may be found in our previous coverage of Diamonds's SUMIT-FP SUMIT-ISM adapter board, here.)

Diamond's Aurora

According to Diamond, the Aurora (above) has a 52-pin SUMIT-A interface that provides access to one PCI Express x1 lane. Meanwhile, the SBC also has an LPC-to-ISA bridge, supporting a standard PC/104 interface, the company adds.

Diamond says the Aurora is also noteworthy in that the heat-generating 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 and SCH US15W northbridge/southbridge are located on the bottom of the board, as shown at right. Therefore, the device operates fanlessly from -2 to 150 deg. F (-20 to 71 deg. C) with the aid of a heat spreader, rather than an old-style, more bulky heat sink.

The Aurora accepts up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM via a DIMM slot, according to Diamond. Meanwhile, it's said, an onboard USB port is designed to accept an optional flash drive, which is offered in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB capacities.

A block diagram of the Diamond Aurora
(Click to enlarge)

PC/104 and SUMIT interfaces apart, the Aurora has a variety of headers for expansion. According to Diamond, it supports both LVDS and SDVO displays, has a gigabit Ethernet interface, provides four USB 2.0 ports, and includes four serial ports (two RS232/422/485 and two RS232).

The Aurora is additionally said to provide eight digital I/Os and PS/2 support for a keyboard and mouse. The watchdog timer-equipped SBC consumes just 5.4 Watts and operates from 5VDC power, Diamond adds.

Features and specifications listed by Diamond for the Aurora include:

• Processor — Intel Atom Z530 clocked at 1.6GHz
• Chipset — SCH US15W
• Memory — up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM via single SODIMM slot
• Storage — supports optional USB flash drive in 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB capacities
• Expansion — PC/104 (ISA) and SUMIT-A (1 x PCI Express x1)
• Networking — gigabit Ethernet
• Other I/O:
  • 4 x USB 2.0
  • 4 x serial (2 x RS232/422/485, 2 x RS232)
  • 1 x SATA
  • PS/2
  • 8 x digital I/O
  • LVDS
  • SDVO (optional VGA adapter)
• Power — 5VDC; consumes 5.4 Watts
• Operating temperature — -2 to 150 deg. F (-20 to 71 deg. C)
• Dimensions — 3.77 x 3.55 inches (96 x 90mm)
• Weight — 7.5 ounces

Colin McCracken, vice president of marketing at Diamond Systems, stated, "With the end-of-life of the 855 chipset in all form factors, popular Pentium M and Celeron M SBCs need to be replaced with power-efficient Atom-class products. Featuring conduction cooling, Diamond's new Aurora SBC stretches program budgets by providing an unmatched feature set."

Further information

According to Diamond Systems, the Aurora is shipping now, priced "in the upper $400s" in OEM volumes. The SBC is said to be compatible with Linux, Windows Embedded Standard, Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE, and QNX, and "all necessary drivers are included with the product."

Further information may be found on the device's product page, here.

This article was originally published on LinuxDevices.com and has been donated to the open source community by QuinStreet Inc. Please visit LinuxToday.com for up-to-date news and articles about Linux and open source.