Irvine, CA, June 22, 2010 –Advantech, a leading embedded platform and integration services provider has just released a cost-effective System On Chip (SoC) PC/104 CPU module driven by the ultra low power DM&P Vortex86DX 1.0 GHz processor with 256 MB of DDR2 SDRAM memory on board. PCM-3343 has the standard dimensions of 96 x 90 mm in a fanless PC/104 architecture, supporting rich graphic output including VGA and 24-bit LVDS or TTL up to 1024 x 768 resolution. PCM-3343 delivers ultra low power consumption of less than 5 Watts under full load, and extended temperature support between -40 ~ 85° C. It is well-suited for those applications which need only basic CPU performance, but very low power consumption at an attractive price. This latest SoC CPU board will appeal to system integrators developing DOS, WinCE, WinXP Embedded and Linux –based OS applications in factory automation and industrial instrument fields as well as medical products and devices.
Ultra Low Power and Cost-effective Solution
PCM-3343 is designed as an ultra low power consumption platform with DM&P’s Vortex86DX 1.0 GHz x86 compatible processor. The CPU chip uses a 90nm process, specially implemented as an ultra low power consumption solution, and comes with hardware Floating Point Unit and 256 KB of L2 cache. Because the power consumption under full load is under 5 Watts it can provide an ideal passive cooling solution for highly enclosed embedded applications.
Fully Legacy PC/104 (ISA)
PCM-3343 supports full legacy PC/104 (ISA) and ISA DMA support which will be attractive to customers with older existing carrier boards and PC/104 modules—an essential feature for electrical power stations and factory automation. In response to backward compatibility support for DOS applications, PCM-3343 supports USB hot plugging to replace FDD’s, as well as having an optional 4 MB of external SPI flash for boot disk and small storage, which makes this total solution even more cost-effective. Furthermore, with older 386, STPC SoC, and GX1 X86-based platforms being phased out in the market, PCM-3343 will be the only alternative replacement offering backward compatibility with older embedded equipment.
Reliable Design and Extended Temperature Support to Endure Harsh Environments
At the component level, PCM-3343 uses solid capacitors on a TG-150 PCB that are more stable and reliable in high temperature environments. It has been stringently tested to work flawlessly in extended temperature ranges between -40 ~ 85° C. PCM-3343 is designed with 256 MB DDR2 SDRAM that has been soldered down for vibration resistance. It is these stringent and critical component selections that make PCM-3343 able to endure harsh environments.
In addition, Advantech also provides a ruggedized package service that includes conformal coating, and Industrial-grade compact flash—SQFlash. The conformal coating service is offered to protect the PCB and components from dust, moisture, fungus, corrosion and vibration.
Rich OS support ,APIs and I/O
APIs are included for configuring I2C, watchdog timer, panel backlight on/off, brightness control, and GPIO—all through a user friendly GUI to make it easier and simpler to configure and integrate into applications. PCM-3343 is designed with ample IO ports and storage, including three RS-232, one RS-422/485, one IDE, four USB 2.0, and two 10/100 LAN ports, plus a single CompactFlash socket, and 16-bit GPIO. Supported OS include DOS, Windows CE 5.0/ 6.0, Linux Ubuntu 9.10, QNX Neutrino 6.3.2, Windows XP, and XP Embedded. Linux Ubuntu 10.04 and QNX Neutrino 6.4.1 are under development.
PCM-3343 is a highly integrated platform for a wide variety of industrial applications with longevity support ‘till 2017 and is available now (including the standard and wide temperature versions).
About Embedded Core Services –Advantech Embedded Core Services offers design-in oriented services. These streamlined solutions broadly integrate embedded boards, peripheral modules and software. We believe dedicated focus on Embedded Design-in services can fulfill electronic engineering demands at their design- in phase, and bring benefits which shorten the design and integration cycle, minimizing uncertainty and risk.
Advantech Co., Ltd. (TAIEX: 2395) – Founded in 1983, Advantech delivers trustworthy industrial computing solutions that enable intelligent applications. Our operation is divided into two segments: Branded & Solution Business and Embedded Design-In Business. Advantech is a Premier Member of the Intel® Embedded Alliance. We cooperate closely with solution partners to provide products and customized solutions in a wide array of applications. Advantech operates an extensive support, sales and marketing network in 18 countries and 39 major cities to deliver fast time-to-market services to our worldwide customers. (Corporate Website www.advantech.com)
