ADLINK's new Atom™-based ETX-AT delivers higher performance and lower power consumption at lower cost than its predecessors. This not only makes the ETX-AT excellently suited for new applications, but also provides a seamless upgrade path to prolong the production life of existing ETX® based systems by an additional 7 years.
ADLINK Technology, a global provider of trusted embedded products, announces the ETX-AT, the newest member of its Computer-on-Module (COM) family. The ETX-AT is based on the latest ETX® 3.02 form factor standard that provides two additional SATA ports on the module while maintaining full backward compatibility with earlier ETX® standards.
Entry Level Intel®-based ETX® Module
The ETX-AT is positioned as an entry level ETX® module for generic systems but also for systems that require a full set of graphics features. The module comes with integrated support for high resolution CRT, single/dual channel LVDS and TV-out (SDTV and HDTV). A very low power consumption of below 10 watts makes this module suited for truly fanless or deeply embedded systems. Primary applications areas are: Medical Diagnostics and Imaging, Gaming, Industrial Automation, Test and Measurement, POS, and Industrial Control.
Reduced Power Consumption and Lower System Cost
The 45nm Intel® Atom™ Processor N270 with 512 kByte L2 cache on the ETX-AT features a thermal design power of just 2.5 watts at peak levels while supporting Intel® SpeedStep® Technology. The Intel® Atom™ Processor N270 supports Hyper Threading Technology that essentially makes it behave like a dual-core processor. The thermal design and powerful CPU core allows the ETX-AT to provide equal or better performance than earlier generation modules at lower power consumption.
«At a much lower total cost of ownership, the ETX-AT allows us to provide much higher value, specifically for entry level ETX® applications», says Henk van Bremen, Product Director for ADLINK Embedded Division. «With its popular and proven integrated graphics core based on the Intel® 945GSE Express chipset and additional 18/24-bit LVDS support, the module is optimally suited to graphics demanding applications such as those in the medical field. We expect many system integrators to use the ETX-AT to upgrade older generation modules used in currently running projects because of its better value, lower price and 7 year warranted production lifetime,» concludes van Bremen.
ETX-AT Feature Set
The ETX-AT supports up to 2 GB of «mainstream» DDR2 memory on a single SODIMM. The Mobile Intel® 945GSE Express chipset integrates an Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator 950 that provides CRT, TV-out (SDTV and HDTV) and has additional support for single/dual channel 18/24-bit LVDS.
The module incorporates an Intel® based 10/100BASE-T Ethernet port, provides two IDE PATA channels, a dual-port SATA controller, 4 USB 2.0 ports, two serial ports, one parallel port (SPP/ECP/EPP) shared with FDD, one PS/2 keyboard/mouse interface and HDA Audio.
The ETX-AT fully supports PCI™ and legacy ISA based on a high speed PCI/ISA bridge. The module comes equipped with AMIBIOS8® supporting embedded features such as Remote Console, CMOS backup for battery-less operation, CPU and System Monitoring, and Watchdog Timer.
The ETX-AT can be optionally equipped with a Solid State Drive (SSD) soldered onto the module to provide up to 4 GB of IDE-based bootable Flash storage.
ADLINK’s Full Computer-on-Module Product Line
ADLINK’s complete Computer-on-Module product family includes ETX® modules for PCI/ISA oriented designs and COM Express™ modules for PCI Express®/PCI™ designs with optional legacy support through LPC. To evaluate or test our modules, starter kits with fully assembled system, cabling and software or prototype boards with ATX form factor are available.
Carrier Board Design and Manufacturing Support
ADLINK provides schematics, mechanical files, design guides, BSP’s, I2C libraries, R&D support, product review service and BIOS customization for companies performing their own carrier board design. ADLINK also offers full development and/or production services for those wishing to outsource their carrier board/system design and/or manufacturing.