Kontron is shipping a tiny RISC-based SBC (single-board computer) targeting cost-sensitive applications in industrial automation, transportation, medical technology, and defense. The PowerPC-based EB405 ships with a Linux BSP (board support package), and shares an interface with other E2Brain SBCs, or “computer-on-modules” (COMs) as Kontron calls them.

(Click for larger view of EB405)

Kontron says the standardized, modular design of its COMs offers design flexibility and a built-in upgrade path, freeing embedded systems developers from hardware design and re-design chores. The company's E2Brain line also includes the EB425, based on an Intel XScale IXP42x network processor clocked at 266MHz or 533MHz, and the EB8540, based on a Freescale MPC8540 PowerQUICC processor running at up to 800MHz, among other models.

The EB405

The EB405 is based on an IBM PowerPC 405EP that clocks up to 266MHz. At 200MHz, the board is said to draw less one watt of power.

The EB405 measures 3 x 4.5 inches (75 x 115mm), and offers expandibility through four standard SMD connectors. Expansion interfaces include a 32-bit 33/66MHz PCI bus, an LPC I/O bus, and an I2C bus. I/O interfaces include dual fast Ethernet ports, and either two or four serial ports, each designed to function as an Rx/Tx Terminal or UART interface, Kontron says.

Architecture diagram of Kontron's E2Brain SBCs
(Click to enlarge)
The EB405 comes with 16 to 64MB of SDRAM, soldered to the baseboard. It is available with 4 or 8MB of Flash. The board also comes with an EEPROM, “for user and configuration data,” Kontron says, and a CompactFlash interface with physical slot. A JTAG/BDM interface is also provided.

The EB405 takes a single-source 3.3V power supply. It is available in standard (32 to 158 deg. F, or 0 to 70 deg C) and extended temperature (-72 to 185 deg F, or -40 to +85 deg C) models. Kontron says the board is suitable for “extremely harsh environments,” and includes a hardware watchdog and RTC (real-time clock), which should enable unattended self-reboots should the system go out to lunch for too long.

Availability

Kontron says it can make evaluation baseboards available at this time. The EB405 comes with an OS-independent boot loader with network support, and both Linux and VxWorks BSPs (board support packages).

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