Thursday 23 June 2016

AAEON Takes “EPIC” Steps Beyond the Standard

                
                                                

  


AAEON Takes “EPIC” Steps Beyond the Standard



EPIC: An Introduction
In 2004, the PC/104 Embedded Consortium released the standard for Embedded Platform for Industrial Computing, more commonly referred to as EPIC. This standard for SBCs was intended to fill the gap that existed between the small, stackable PC/104 solutions and the larger EBX solutions. According to the PC/104 Embedded Consortium, “the purpose of this specification is to define a physical platform for the mid-sized embedded Single Board Computer (SBC) with multiple I/O expansion options. Its size is midway between the industry standard PC/104 stackable format and EBX SBC format. The added space allows for combining features on an SBC which would normally be found on multiple PC/104 modules”


As noted by the PC/104 Consortium, the EPIC standard defines a board that has x and y dimensions well- suited for smaller embedded industrial PC systems. With more board level real estate, EPIC systems can accommodate greater I/O integration as compared to its sister PC/104 standard that would require more stack-on peripheral boards. The dimensional increase also allows for the use of higher performance processor that often call for advanced heat dissipation. Take note of this issue of heat dissipation.

Reduced Total Cost of Ownership
AAEON’s EPIC products are fully tested for compatibility and equips a comprehensive set of core functionalities that render additional modules unnecessary (less expansion), effectively lowering the total cost of ownership (TCO) by 10 ~ 20%.

Legacy I/Os Expandability
In computing, looking back is as important as looking forward. In that regard, AAEON’s EPIC products are designed to support legacy systems with the inclusion of the PC/104, PCI-104 (or PCIe) for prolonged use of tried-and-true systems while future-proofing it with newer, more modern technologies.

CPU Solder up Design
Since the Cedar View platforms, aka EPIC-CV07, EPIC-BT07, EPIC-QM77, EPIC-BDU7, AAEON’s EPIC products have boosted the “Solder up” design that places the CPU at the solder side of the PCB. Aiming to take the hassle out of thermal management, the design allows users to adopt a broader range of coolers (even making the idea of treating the chassis as a heat sink possible) without altering the layout of the components, saving development and system integration costs.



Wide Voltage Solution
Depending on the situation for which the solution is deployed, voltage can be a major hurdle to overcome. With this idea in mind. AAEON’s EPIC products are built to support a wide voltage range of 9-24V design to reduce the possibility of damaging the onboard components in the event a DC to DC converter module is used. In addition, the extended voltage range grants enhanced adoptability as up to 80% of today’s industrial requirements can be adequately satisfied, without the need for additional power modules.
Flexible System Assembly 
The EPIC standard is exceptionally well-suited for smaller embedded industrial PC applications with its generous dimensions, offering a compact system with I/Os most conducive in today’s industrial use. AAEON’s EPIC board offers has on them up to six USB ports (USB 2.0/ 3.0), eight COM ports (RS-232/422/485), and two Mini-PCIe slots to satisfy the needs for extra components without assembling additional I/O modules.



“EPIC” Technology in Action
The AAEON family of EPIC SBCs offers a line of versatile solutions. These highly integrated SBCs can be found serving the requirements of various industry segments from mobile infotainment to industrial automation, and even in the retail space. Due to the fact that AAEON has made these EPIC SBCs much like a component in terms of mechanical and thermal consideration, the benefits they bring to application developers are truly “EPIC” and considerably minimize the limitations for implementation.


EPIC-SKS7
The EPIC-SKS7 is the latest and most advanced member of AAEON’s EPIC product family with a 6th Generation Intel® Core™ processor. The enhanced performance delivered by the chips came in form of support for up to 16 GB of DDR4 memory and clearer, higher resolution video output, making it viable in demanding applications such as high resolution machine vision equipment or mini-servers. The board also sports a CPU socket allowing for greater flexibility.

EPIC-BDU7
Based on the Broadwell platform, the EPIC-BDU7 carries a U-series CPU that lowers power consumption to 15 W, while still delivering impressive performance for 4K resolution media content or triple independent displays. The abovementioned solder up design is featured on this board in addition to the inclusion of the PCI-104 interface, two features that place the board in an ideal position for applications where legacy systems are in place and convenient thermal management is required, namely industrial automation and certain military equipment.


EPIC-BT07
While the Intel® Core™ series is deemed overpowered for certain applications, such as industrial HMIs, the EPIC-BT07 will be up to the task with its lower grade, but less power hungry Intel® Atom™ CPU. Still sporting a solder up design, the board is capable of dual displays as well as wide voltage support of 9 ~ 24V with a healthy set of I/Os, including six USB ports, two RJ-25 ports, and as many as six COM ports. Similar to its Broadwell counterpart, the EPIC-BT07 also uses a fanless thermal solution.

EPIC-CV07 & EPIC-QM57
The most mature and seasoned platform among the AAEON EPIC product family, the EPIC-CV07 and EPIC-QM57 have been the staples of the product line and ideally suited in applications ranging from industrial machinery to intelligent transport. Support for legacy systems are highlighted with the boards’ PCI-104 and PCIe interface as well as older operating systems such as Windows XP. In addition, the EPIC-CV07 carries as many as eight COM ports while the EPIC-QM57 sports a CPU socket for greater flexibility. 


About AAEON
AAEON is a leading manufacturer of advanced industrial and embedded computing platforms. Committed to innovative engineering, AAEON provides integrated solutions, hardware and services for premier OEM/ODMs and system integrators worldwide. Reliable and high quality computing platforms include industrial motherboards and systems, industrial displays, rugged tablets, PC/104 modules, PICMG half-size and full-size boards and COM modules, embedded SBCs, embedded controllers and related accessories.

AAEON also offers customized end-to-end services from initial product conceptualization and product development on through after-sales service programs. 

AAEON is a GSA contract holder (#GS-35F-0470Y) serving the Federal, State & Local government sectors. AAEON is also an Associate member of the Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance. From modular components to market-ready systems, Intel and the 400+ global member companies of the Alliance provide scalable, interoperable solutions that accelerate deployment of intelligent devices and end-to-end analytics. Close collaboration with Intel enables Alliance members to innovate with the latest technologies, helping developers deliver state-of-the-art, first-to-market solutions. 


More information can be found regarding all of AAEON’s product lines at http://www.review-displays.co.uk or call us on 01959 563 345

 
                            
















Friday 17 June 2016

Introducing the Wide Temperature C353W full HD PCI Express Mini Video Capture Card.




Now available from RDS, the AVerMedia C353W DarkCrystal HD Capture Mini-PCIe solution is a PCI Express mini video capture card based on H.264 hardware compression delivering high definition recording and low CPU consumption. With the addition of an adaptor daughter board, capturing and receiving of additional HDMI or VGA input sources provides greater flexibility and possibilities for monitoring, archiving or analysing HD video content. The DarkCrystal HD offers stable operation in extreme environments under temperatures ranging from -40°C to 85°C (-40°F to 185°F).

Features:
Hardware H.264 Compression
Wide temp range of -40°C ~ 85°C (-40°F ~ 185°F)
PCI Express Mini Card form factor
HDMI/ VGA input interface
Max capturing 1920 x 1080 60fps
Up to 60Mbps encoding capability
Low power consumption (1.5 Watts)



Module Type
PCI Express Minicard
Input
HDMI
VGA(D-Sub)
DVI (HDMI Adaptor, optional)
Video Resolution
Max. Input Resolution -1080p60
Max. Resolution Captured – 1080p30
VESA Resolution Supported
Captured Video Output
H.264 Transport Stream
RAW Video (YV12 4:2:0)
Color Adjustment
VGA: Brightness, Contrast, Hue (NTSC only), Saturation
HDMI: not supported
Operating Environment
Temperature: -40°C to +85°C
Humidity: 0 to 80% RHNC
Storage Environment
Temperature: -40°C to +85°C
Humidity: 0 to 90% RHNC
Power Requirement
2.5W
Dimensions (mm)
50.8 x 29.85
System Requirements
CPU
Intel® Core™2 Duo 2.4GHz
AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core 2.8GHz
Intel® Core™ i5-2500(4 cores/3.3GHz) or above is required for WMV format recording
Memory
2GB RAM
AVI Format Recording Requirement
SSD is required for AVI format recording:
- Read: 200MB/s (or above)
- Write: 200MB/s (or above)
- System AHCI function needs to be activated
- SATA III interface on motherboard is required
VGA
VGA card with support for DirectX9.0c or above
Standalone graphics card is recommended for HD video capturing
Sound Card
Yes
Operating System
Windows® 8/7 (32/64-Bit)


Call RDS on 01959 563 345 for more details.


Thursday 9 June 2016

AMT and RDS at Computex Taipei 2016



Computex Taipei and SID Display Week 2016 both wrapped up recently. AMT took advantage of these two exhibitions to display a number of new products and is happy to report on our success on the show floor. We would also like to thank all our customers and good friends who were able to take time out of their busy schedule to visit our booths. It was truly a pleasure seeing you again. This year, AMT's continuing innovation and technical expertise further differentiated its products from the competition. In this issue of AMT News, we will share with you the unique performance of AMT products.
In terms of projected capacitive (PCI or PCAP) touch features, our standard PenMount PCI controller firmware supports both gloved touch operation and advanced water handling modes simultaneously. In fact, one of the highlights of AMTouch USA's SID booth was a AMT 21.5" PCI touch solution featuring a 15mm thick cover lens which supports gloved touch and water handling at the same time. These three superior functions lead competing PCI touch solutions. Our PCI touch products do not have to choose between using "gloved touch operation" and "water handling." In other words, we have integrated "gloves," "water," and "thick glass" to allow our customers to operate a PCI touch panel with a thick cover lens normally while gloved and protected from false touch points caused by water on the PCI touch surface. This is also the utility and convenience in real world environments we have envisioned for our customers. PenMount had integrated these features into one firmware during initial design to facilitate customer adoption and use.

PenMount recently released its latest utility called PenMount PCIUtility. By integrating three current utilities (PCIMSet, PMUpdate, PCIScan), PCIUtility offers a new intuitive interface that facilitates the easy adjustment of commonly used parameters, diagnostics of touch functions, and controller firmware updates. PenMount PCIUtility gives customers unprecedented control at the press of a button. Our utility does not require complex parameter adjustment and can reduce the associated time and resources required of engineers. This kind of increased user-friendliness and interaction allows the simple and convenient setting and adjustment of PCI touch panels.
Review Display systems is the UK leading supplier of AMT touch screens. If you need any information or would like to discuss any new projects you have then please get in touch.
09159 563 345
Daniel Burke
Sales and Marketing.