microETXexpress-PM: Kontron's First COM in the New ETXexpress Compact Format

Especially small Computer-On-Module intended for mobile applications

Eching, Germany, 22 March, 2006 – Kontron introduces the 95 mm x 95 mm microETXexpress-PM, the first COM (Computer-On-Module) based on the new microETXexpress form factor introduced in the fall. microETXexpress is 100 % compliant to the ETXexpress form factor, which is COM Express (PICMG) conform, because the plug design and pinout are identical, only the size has been reduced. The RoHS-compliant Kontron COM is equipped with Intel® Pentium® M or Intel Celeron® M and offers many new and state-of-the-art features. microETXexpress is the entry-level model for ETXexpress / COM Express and offers full PCI support and simple scalability up to ETXexpress with PCI and PCI Express; and all of this on the smallest available form factor (module size: compact in accordance with COM Express standard from PICMG). The Kontron microETXexpress performs comparably to ETX modules on a smaller footprint and has significantly farther reaching long-term prospects. In particular, this is provided by the high-speed plug to the baseboard, but also the new PICMG standard COM Express / COM.0. Moreover, ETXexpress/COM Express and increasingly microETXexpress are supported by leading Computer-On-Module manufacturers. Thanks to its compact size, the microETXexpress is destined for mobile applications.

Features
The new Kontron microETXexpress-PM module is based on the Intel Pentium M or Intel Celeron M processors and is equipped with the Intel 855GME chipset. The first versions are manufactured with Intel 800 MHz, 0KB L2 cache up to Intel Pentium M 738 LV (1.4 GHz). The COM supports the Pentium M featured Enhanced Speed Step™ technology and offers up to 1GB of DDR-SDRAM, so that memory bandwidth no longer represents a performance bottleneck. The integrated Intel Extreme Graphics 2 Video Controller with 2D and 3D accelerator supports resolutions up to 2048 x1536 pixels and Dual Independent Graphics Support. Thanks to the standardized JILI Display Interface Technology, video controller parameters can be set automatically according to the connected LCD panel. Standard interfaces include 2x SerialATA II, 6 x USB 2.0, Ethernet, PCI 2.1, IDE and Audio. Versions with additional PCI Express and SATA are available on the previously introduced Kontron ETXexpess-PM COM and will soon be available in the microETXexpress / Compact COM Express format. Software support is offered for all standard versions of Windows – including Windows CE – and Linux.

Baseboard designs included as needed
OEMs who not only want to use COMs from Kontron, but also want to outsource the entire hardware design, can rely on the “boards & MORE” custom solutions and services from Kontron. Experienced developers deal with the implementation of the latest interface technology on baseboards for COMs as well as the development of customized single board computers. Hundreds of layouts have been successfully implemented in recent years and mass produced, so that in many cases design risks can be avoided in advance and customer-specific designs can be made ready for production significantly faster. Confident familiarity with COMs, for example in signal sequencing on the baseboard, is just as much a matter of course for the developers as realizing economical designs on the smallest space or the consistent use of components with long-term availability. Professional project management from requirements specification to serial production and, in part, free redesign in the framework of the lifecycle management round out the range of offers.

ETX and ETXexpress
Computer-On-Modules such as ETX and, most recently, ETXexpress (based on COM Express) are implemented in embedded systems tailored to meet customer needs. The advantages: concentration on core competences, fast time to market, low design risk and freely scalable performance. ETX modules with PCI bus are geared toward applications with low to medium performance. High-end applications are implemented with PCI-Express bus-based ETXexpress modules. In the future, the standard ETX will also undergo further development in scalability and performance, because PCI will be used in embedded systems for just as long as the older ISA bus used today.