SBCs fully support legacy ISA bus.

Press Release Summary:

Incorporating AMD 500 MHz Geode(TM) LX 800 processor, EPIC-compliant ReadyBoard(TM) 620 and PC/104-compliant CoreModule(TM) 620 feature PCI-to-ISA bridge, AMI BIOS, and BIOS extensions for compatibility with PC/104 modules. ReadyBoard 620 features 4 UART serial ports, 2 ports with RS-485 support, and 8 GPIOs, while CoreModule 620 incorporates 2 RS-232/422/485 serial ports, Intel 82551 10/100 Ethernet, and 2 USB 2.0 ports.


Original Press Release:

Legacy PC/104 I/O Gets a Lifecycle Boost

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 2 /- Ampro Computers, Inc., a leading supplier of standards-based computer systems, single board computers (SBCs), and computer-on-modules (COMs), is introducing at the Embedded Systems Conference two landmark SBCs that fully support the legacy ISA bus through a unique combination of circuitry, industry-standard BIOS and Ampro extensions. The ReadyBoard(TM) 620 and CoreModule(TM) 620 SBCs bring this technical innovation to the popular EPIC and PC/104 form factors at a critical time when system companies' revenues are at risk due to the depletion of end-of-life (EOL) CPUs and chipsets. Ampro satisfies the urgent migration need using the new 500 MHz Geode(TM) LX 800 processor from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in order to meet the price and low power requirements of legacy embedded systems, coupled with a PCI-to-ISA bridge, industry-standard AMI BIOS, and BIOS extensions which initialize and support critical features that are necessary to maintain compatibility with the hundreds of off-the-shelf and custom PC/104 modules used in these systems. Without a full new implementation of the ISA bus, many of these system OEMs would face substantial re-architecture, sourcing, and re-qualification challenges just to keep production running. "In response to the rampant obsolescence in the industry, Ampro has created hope for hundreds of electronics manufacturers who are not sure how to keep ISA-based systems in production," said Joanne Mumola Williams, president and CEO of Ampro. "The CoreModule 620 meets the demands of military, transportation, avionics, factory floor, and other rugged and extended temperature applications, while the ReadyBoard 620 provides a smooth migration for medical, office, kiosk and other less rugged applications without the extensive hardware and software re-designs associated with moving legacy peripherals to newer buses like LPC or PCI." "Ampro has created a powerful solution to a difficult problem by augmenting the richness of AMIBIOS8 with new eModules, providing BIOS extensions for embedded customers that still rely on legacy technologies," said S. Shankar, President & CEO of American Megatrends Inc. "AMIBIOS8 continues to provide embedded market leaders like Ampro with the ability to deliver innovative solutions, such as their AMD Geode LX 800 platforms." At 115mm x 165mm (4.5" x 6.5"), the EPIC-compliant ReadyBoard 620 combines the 500 MHz Geode LX 800 processor with 128kB level 2 cache, along with a very rich set of on-board legacy I/O including (4) UART serial ports, (2) ports with RS-485 support, a parallel / floppy port, PS/2 keyboard and mouse, IDE interface for up to 2 disk drives, integrated graphics, AC'97 audio, and 8 general-purpose digital I/O pins (GPIOs). In addition, the ReadyBoard 620 provides (2) 10/100 Ethernet ports using the Intel® 82551 controller, (4) USB 2.0 ports, a Compact Flash socket, and both TTL and LVDS LCD interfaces to support new and existing flat panel displays. Most of these ports use standard PC-style connectors to minimize cabling. Bus expansion is available using the standard "stacking" PC/104-Plus interface, which features both PCI and ISA bus signals. For product information, please visit the ReadyBoard 620 (http://www.ampro.com/Products/ReadyBoard/ReadyBoard_620/index.htm) product page on Ampro's Web site. For rapid deployment of new applications, Ampro offers a complete line of ReadySystem(TM) computers and ReadyPanel(TM) Panel PC touch-screen computers using the ReadyBoard 620. For tiny and rugged applications, the PC/104-compliant CoreModule 620 combines the same processor with (2) RS-232/422/485 serial ports, a parallel/floppy port, PS/2 keyboard and mouse, IDE interface for up to 2 disk drives, integrated graphics, Intel 82551 10/100 Ethernet, (2) USB 2.0 ports, a Compact Flash socket, and a TTL LCD interface. For harsh environments, optional -40 degrees to +85 degrees C operation and conformal coating are offered. Please visit the CoreModule 620 (http://www.ampro.com/Products/CoreModules/CoreModule_620/index.htm) product page for more information. Given the uncertain future of single data rate (SDR) RAM such as PC133, as well as specific soldered RAM packages, both boards use DDR 333 SODIMM RAM, which provides a substantial performance increase in addition to the clear lifecycle benefit. For both products, the ISA bus support features a PCI-to- ISA bus bridge IC, rather than using an LPC-to-ISA bridge, so that the entire address and I/O space is available, and 16-bit-wide data transfers are supported. The BIOS supports distributed DMA (DDMA) as well as the entire set of IRQ's (interrupt requests) in order to work with a very broad range of standard and custom PC/104 boards that are in use. Both products are fully RoHS compliant. QuickStart Kits for these products include cables, 512MB DDR RAM, plus device drivers and Board Support Packages (BSPs) for Windows® XP, Windows XP Embedded, Windows CE, and a full Linux® 2.6 distribution. The EPIC Specification and the PC/104 family of specifications are managed by the PC/104 Consortium (http://www.pc104.org/). Pricing and Availability ReadyBoard 620 samples will be available within 60 days. CoreModule 620 samples will be available within 90 days. Prices start in the upper $200s in production quantities. For product photos, please use the following links: www.ampro.com/assets/images/CM620.jpg www.ampro.com/assets/images/RB620.jpg About Ampro Computers, Inc. Ampro Computers, Inc. is a leading global provider of modular embedded computing solutions for OEM applications. Ampro's mission is to provide time saving solutions for embedded systems designers that accelerate the product deployment process. Ampro pioneered the embedded PC industry creating the popular PC/104 and EBX standards, and recently co-invented the new EPIC and EPIC Express standards. Ampro offers the ReadySystem, ReadyPanel, and MightySystem Computers as complete turnkey industrial computer solutions, ETX and XTX Computer-on-Modules, PC/104-compatible CoreModule CPUs and MiniModule I/O expansion products, EBX form factor LittleBoard single-board computers (SBCs), EPIC form factor ReadyBoard SBCs, and Mini-ITX form factor MightyBoard SBCs. For more information about Ampro Computers, please visit www.ampro.com/. Source: Ampro Computers, Inc. CONTACT: Victoria Kostka, +1-408-360-4324, vkostka@ampro.com Web site: http://www.ampro.com/

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