| Rugged transportation boards run Linux |
Mar. 09, 2005
 MEN Micro demonstrated two mezzanine card systems at the Embedded Systems Conference this week in San Francisco, as well as a 3U compactPCI card system. The MEN systems feature PowerPC and Intel processors, and target rugged applications such as transportation.
MEN calls its mezzanine card systems "Embedded System Modules" (ESMs). The company demonstrated the EM01, based on a 384 MHz MPC5200 PowerPC processor from Freescale Semiconductor, and the EM07, based on an Intel Celeron or Pentium III processor. Both boards feature an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) designed to enable OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) to quickly implement application-specific functionality such as custom hardware functions, MEN says.
MEN additionally demonstrated a system with an 8-port Ethernet switch built on a 3U Compact PCI card.
EM01
 The EM01 was designed for transportation applications. It supports an operating temperature range of ‑40 to +85 degrees C, and is available with a conformal coating for protection from moisture and chemicals. It has no socketed devices (memory is soldered), and all components in ball grid array (BGA) packages are underfilled to keep out harmful contaminants, MEN says.
The EM01 is based on the MPC5200, part of Freescale’s series of processors for automotive applications. It includes a telematics communications unit (TCU), a floating point unit (FPU), memory management unit (MMU), dynamic random access memory (DRAM) controller, and the BestComm/Direct Memory Access controller for several industrial interfaces including CAN, USB, Fast Ethernet, SPI, and others. The MPC5200 itself consumes less than 850 milliWatts (mW) of power, while the entire EM01 requires only 2.5 Watts, MEN claims.
The EM01’s FPGA, which is also routed to the carrier card, adds flexibility to the ESM’s I/O capabilities. For example, additional CAN controllers, graphics controllers or other I/O can be configured in the FPGA, MEN says. Developers can assemble core functionality from MEN Micro’s function library or from other sources. The FPGA behaves like other standard PCI components. Functionality that executes out of the FPGA is loaded when the system is booted, and is available in less than 200 microseconds. In addition, the FPGA can be updated dynamically while the EM01 is operating.
The EM01’s resources include up to 256 MB of SDRAM memory, one GB of NAND flash, two MB of nonvolatile static memory and 16 MB of graphics memory. A real-time clock and watchdog monitor complete the EM01’s functionality.
Ernest Godsey, president of MEN Micro, Inc. "The EM01 consumes very little power and can operate over the entire industrial temperature range. And its FPGA lets designers quickly deploy I/O that’s specific to the application without designing a new hardware platform."
The EM01 is available now, priced at $648 for single units. It supports Linux or VxWorks, as well as MEN's CANopen firmware, which is based on Vector Informatik's protocol stack.
EM07
 MEN's EM07 is based on a passively cooled Celeron or Pentium III processor, clocked from 400 to 933 MHz. The board features two Fast Ethernet ports, one or two serial RS232 interfaces (with either RJ45 or D-Sub connectors on the front panel), and slots for an SO-DIMM memory module and CompactFlash memory.
Functions provided by the EM07’s chipset, such as graphics, as well as additional I/O configured in the on-board FPGA are routed to the module's carrier board and its J2 rear I/O connector. Examples of added I/O that could be configured in the Cyclone FPGA include serial communications ports, an (E)IDE interface, USB ports, LPC and a CODEC (coder/decoder) connection for AC’97 audio.
Because of its on-board FPGA, the EM07 can be configured with a variety of application-specific functions without the addition of other hardware components. For example, capabilities often associated with PCs, such as serial communications channels, CAN controllers, touch screen controllers and other functions can be loaded into the EM07’s Cyclone FPGA and routed to its carrier board. System developers can assemble core functionality from MEN Micro’s function library or from other sources. MEN’s FPGA functional cores are described in VHDL and are connected internally via the standard wishbone bus. Externally, the Cyclone is connected to the processor’s PCI bus.
The EM07 downloads the contents of the FPGA from boot flash memory before the system is booted up. The FPGA can be reconfigured while the EM07 is operating, but these updates do not become operational until the system is rebooted.
A starter kit is available to facilitate an evaluation of the EM07. The starter kit includes an EM07 with a preconfigured Cyclone FPGA, a carrier board with I/O connectors, an external power supply and an adapter for assembling the EM07 with PCI-104 modules.
"With its low power consumption and operating capabilities over an extended temperature range, the EM07 is a great solution for embedded industrial applications that need PC-caliber performance," said Ernest Godsey, president of MEN Micro, Inc.
The EM07 is available now, priced at $857 for single units.
F301
 MEN's F301 is an embedded system based on a 3U compact PCI card, and featuring an integrated 8-port Ethernet switch. It has a doublewide (8U) front panel with eight RJ45 Ethernet connectors, or optionally with six 9-pin D-sub connectors. The F301 operates as an unmanaged device. It drows power from the cPCI backplane, but is not recognized by other cPCI devices on the bus.
The F301 can operate over the industrial temperature range of -40 to 85 degrees C, and is available with conformal coating. It is currently available, priced at $475 in single units.
Ernest Godsey, president of MEN, said, "The F301 was specifically designed for tough transportation applications like railways. It meets the demanding requirements of the European railway standard, EN 50155.”
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