CompactPCI Serial Single-Board Computer

MEN Micro Inc.'s G20 is asingle-board computer (SBC) based on the newly ratified PICMG CPCI-S.0 CompactPCI Serial. The G20 uses the 64-bit Intel Core i7 with a base processing speed of 2.53 GHzthat supports Intel Turbo Boost Hyperthreading technology to provide a maximumspeed of 3.20 GHz. A CPU-independent microprocessor in the G20 based onthe Intel Advanced Management Technology (AMT) allows remote access via anintegrated Ethernet controller, even when the computer is in soft-off orstand-by state. This is useful in systems where the operating system hascrashed or the hard disk is defective, since an error diagnosis with repair canbe carried out remotely as long as the system has standby voltage. AMT alsoenables users to remotely access different functions such as reading statusinformation, changing configurations, switching the PC on and off as well asforwarding or redirecting I/O devices like hard disks and CD-ROM (Serial OverLAN) via keyboard, video or mouse.

Standard front I/O includes twoPCIe-driven Gigabit Ethernet and two USB 2.0 interfaces as well as twoDisplayPorts that can be used as an HDMI or DVI connection via an externaladapter. A total of eight PCI Express links in the front and back of the G20enable fast communication. For user-specific applications, the rear I/O alsoprovides eight USB ports, six SATA ports, a Display or HDMI port as well as aPEG x8 port and five PCI Express x1 links.

MEN Micro also offers the GM1 CompactPCI Serial mezzanine module that leads four of the possibleeight Ethernet interfaces specified in the standard to the backplane where theyare implemented on CompactPCI Serial connector P6 assembled on the GM1, savingcosts and increasing system flexibility.

For building complete systems in afull mesh Ethernet architecture, the G20 can be used with Schroff's IEEE1101.10/11-compliant 19 inch CompactPCI Serial rack that offers a system slotand eight peripheral slots on the backplane, with two of the peripheral slotssupporting PCI Express x8. The rack features a pre-wired 460 W ATX wide-rangefront and two 12V fans at its bottom for cooling. An optional slim-line DVDdrive can be integrated. The G20 includes an InsydeH2O EFI BIOS speciallydeveloped for embedded applications. Different watchdogs for monitoring theprocessor and board temperature complete the functionality of the SBC, which isshipped with board support packages for Windows and Linux. VxWorks andQNX are available upon request.

The rugged board holds DIN, EN andIEC certifications to enable its use in harsh environments. It comescoated for use in humid and dusty environments and has a guaranteed minimumstandard availability of seven years. The SBC's fast serial data transfers makeit useful for monitoring, vision and control systems as well as test andmeasurement applications found in a variety of markets including industrialautomation, multimedia, traffic and transportation, aerospace, shipbuilding,medical engineering and robotics.

CompactPCI Serial Single-Board Computer