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Via’s Nano leaps to the Qseven format

Oct 21, 2011 — by LinuxDevices Staff — from the LinuxDevices Archive — 1 views

Arbor announced a Qseven module that employs Via's 1.0GHz Nano U3500 processor. The Emq-v900 has 1GB of soldered-on DDR3 memory, two SATA ports, eight USB 2.0 ports, gigabit Ethernet, and multiple video outputs, the company says.

Arbor's Emq-v900 uses the 2.75 x 2.75-inch Qseven module format that Congatec launched in 2008 (as part of a 14-member consortium that also included MSC Vertriebs and Seco, among others). As such, it has a 230-pin "golden finger" connector, using Nvidia's MXM (Mobile PCI Express Module) format, that sends all its I/O to and from a baseboard.

Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of Qseven modules have featured Intel Atom processors. We've encountered an ARM-based version (with a dual-core Nvidia Tegra 290 CPU) in the form of MSC Vertriebs' MSC Q7-NT2, and Congatec recently introduced the Conga-QAF, using AMD G-Series processors — but Arbor's new entry appears to be the first Qseven module with a Via CPU.


Arbor's Emq-v900

Specifically, the Emq-v900 employs the single-core, 1.0GHz U3500, which can idle using just 100mW, according to Via. (The chipmaker has always been coy about Nano TDPs, but this CPU uses a maximum of 5 Watts, according to Wikipedia and other sources.)

Via's comparatively large VX900 northbridge/southbridge is also part of the mix. This 31 x 31mm chip offers hardware acceleration for H.264, MPEG-2, VC-1, WMV-HD, AVS, Blu-ray, and "advanced browser streamed video technologies," all at "true HD" resolutions, its manufacturer says.

Thus, according to Arbor, the Emq-v900 module supports multiple displays. The possibilities, any two of which may be selected at once, include LVDS, DisplayPort, and TDMS (transition minimized differential signaling), the company says.

  • Like all the Emq-v900's other connectivity, its video outputs have to reach the outside world via a separate Qseven baseboard. While such devices are widely available, Arbor neither listed its own nor mentioned whether or not the module is compatible with third-party products (we'd assume so).

    In any case, other interfaces are said to include two 3.0Gbit/sec. SATA ports (supporting RAID 0 and 1 configurations), eight USB 2.0 ports (one configurable as a client port), and HD audio. The Emq-v900 also provides SDIO and two PCI Express x1 expansion lanes, according to Arbor.

    Specifications listed by Arbor for the Emq-v900 include:

    • Processor — Via Nano U3500 clocked at 1.0GHz
    • Chipset — Via VX900
    • Memory — 1GB of soldered-on DDR3 memory
    • Expansion interfaces — 2 x PCI Express x1 lanes
    • Networking — 1 x gigabit Ethernet
    • Other I/O:
      • LVDS
      • DisplayPort
      • TMDS
      • 8 x USB 2.0
      • 2 x SATA
      • 1 x SDIO
      • 1 x LPC
      • high definition audio
    • Operating range — 32 to 140 def. F
    • Power — 12VDC; 1.55A
    • Dimensions — 2.75 x 2.75 inches
    • Other features — watchdog timer

    Further information

    Arbor did not provide pricing, availability information, or operating system details for the Emq-v900. However, more information on the device may be found on the Emq-v900 product page.

    Jonathan Angel can be reached at [email protected] and followed at www.twitter.com/gadgetsense.


  • 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.



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