Computer-on-a-Module features FPGA for embedded applications.
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Press Release Summary:
Embedded System Module EM04N includes 266 or 400 MHz Kahlua II PowerPC processor and Altera Cyclone FPGA with 250,000 gates. FPGA accommodates TFT display controller, touch-screen controller, 2 CAN controllers, and 8 UARTs. Module features slot for SO-DIMM with 256 MB DRAM and slot for CompactFlash memory. Two RS232 channels and 2 Fast Ethernet ports can be accessed on front of board. Applications include machine controls, man/machine interfaces, and embedded terminals.
Original Press Release:
New Computer-on-a-Module Features Large FPGA for Embedded Applications
Dallas, January 12, 2004 - A new embedded computer-on-a-module from MEN Micro (www.menmicro.com) has a 250,000-gate field programmable gate array (FPGA) that gives system designers the flexibility they need to add significant functionality to the resources already on-board. In many cases, designers can load existing VHDL designs into the FPGA, significantly reducing development time and risk.
MEN's new Embedded System Module (ESM), the EM04N, features a 266 or 400 MHz Kahlua II PowerPC processor (MPC8245) and an Altera Cyclone FPGA. The aggressive price point and rugged dependability of the EM04N makes it well suited for cost-sensitive applications deeply embedded in harsh industrial environments. Typical applications would be machine controls, man/machine interfaces, embedded terminals, fieldbus bridges or embedded Linux PCs.
"In the embedded world, it's all about getting the proof of concept system up and running quickly and economically, and then getting a finished product to market. This is as true for systems that will only be replicated a few dozen times as it is for those which will be produced in the thousands. One good way to minimize both design risk and development time is to start the project team with a known 'good' hardware and software environment," said Ernest Godsey, president of MEN Micro. "With the FPGA on the EM04N, developers have a very fast track to fully functional hardware. This in turn enables the development team to concentrate on what's going to differentiate the system in the marketplace. This will usually be a combination of the custom (FPGA) functionality and application software."
The 250,000 gates of the Cyclone FPGA give developers the flexibility of quickly adding functionality to the basic EM04N. For example, the EM04N's FPGA could accommodate a TFT display controller, a touch-screen controller, two CAN controllers and eight UARTs. All of these modules are already available in VHDL, and the loading of them into the FPGA is relatively straightforward. The EM04N's FPGA is linked to the rest of the system through the CPU's PCI bus. Connectors for any special I/O implemented in the FPGA are implemented on the EM04N's carrier card.
For memory the EM04N includes a slot for a single outline-dual inline memory module (SO-DIMM) of up to 256 MB of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and a slot for CompactFlash memory. The EM04N's two RS232 channels and two Fast Ethernet ports can be accessed on the front of the board.
Starter Kit Ensures Rapid Development
To enable designers to begin development immediately, the EM04N can be ordered in a starter kit that includes a carrier card, all the necessary cables and adapters, and a plug-in power supply. The default functions that are configured in the EM04N's FPGA include a 800 x 600 graphics controller, CAN controller, four UARTs and serial peripheral interface bus (SPI bus), IDE interface, and static memory and general purpose I/O controllers.
Board support packages for Linux, VxWorks and QNX are available for the EM04N.
Pricing and Availability
The EM04N is available now from MEN Micro, Inc. Pricing starts at $540 for single units. In the United States, MEN Micro products are sold through a national network of technical manufacturer's representatives. For sales information, call 972 939-2675, send faxes to 972 939-0055 or email sales@menmicro.com. For more information on the EM04N, this press release, a product photo and collateral materials are available at men.de/products/press.
What's an ESM?
Unlike other mezzanine cards or processor modules, which may have limited functionality, an ESM is a complete computer system on a mezzanine card. The ESM specification, which was developed by MEN Micro, defines the mechanical, electrical and environmental characteristics of both ESMs and carrier cards, although an ESM can function as a standalone computer without a carrier card. Each ESM consists of a CPU chipset, main memory, mass storage connection, essential I/O ports and an onboard BIOS or monitor firmware. MEN also supplies board support packages (software support) for various operating systems including Windows, Linux and a variety of real-time OSs.
MEN has product plans for ESMs with a wide variety of CPUs, including PC and PowerPC architectures, but the specification makes it possible to use almost any general-purpose processors, including ARM, XSCALE and MIPS RISC processors. Each ESM is electrically compatible with all versions of the PCI bus. All ESMs share the same mechanical specifications, including the 71 x 149 mm footprint. The 149 mm depth is compatible with the depth of the Eurocard form factor. The 71 mm width means that two PCM modules can be installed on a 6U Eurocard carrier card along with an ESM. Front panel connector types are not specified, but an ESM has enough room on its front panel for several connectors. For example, four RJ45 or two 9-pin D-Sub connectors can be accommodated on an ESM's front panel.
ESM carrier cards can be designed with a wide variety of functionality, from a simple passive board for the power supply connection to a complex carrier board with other types of mezzanine cards such as PMC, PCMIP or M-Modules. For this reason the types of systems where ESMs can be cost effectively used is practically limitless. For example, ESMs can be used on 3U or 6U carrier cards containing additional I/O in CompactPCI or VME systems. ESMs can even be stacked with PC/104-Plus I/O cards and combined with practically any conceivable type of carrier card to create complete embedded systems.
About MEN Micro
MEN designs, manufactures and sells board-level industrial real-time and embedded computer products. The flexibility inherent in MEN's standard products allows system platforms to be custom configured for a wide range of applications. In addition, the company develops custom boards and systems for OEMs, end users and system integrators. MEN's products include VMEbus and CompactPCI compute platforms with Intel Pentium, Motorola 68000 or PowerPC processors, and a wide selection of M-Module or PCMIP mezzanine I/O modules. The MEN product lines support the most widely used operating systems, including Windows NT, VxWorks, OS-9, QNX and Linux.
MEN was founded in 1982 in Nürnberg, Germany, as MEN Mikro Elektronik GmbH. The company has subsidiaries in France, MEN Mikro Elektronik SA; the United Kingdom, MEN Micro, Ltd., and the United States, MEN Micro, Inc. A network of technical distributors services and supports the rest of the world.
