Roy Keeler ADLINK Technology

Common wisdom is clear: Don’t fix what isn’t broken. For decades, the PC/104 form factor has spanned many generations of processors and interfaces, always with the goal of making computing solutions as compact, modular, and enduring as possible. PC/104 remains the favored small form factor (SFF) for embedded solutions in markets where vibration, fluctuating power, granular debris, and round-the-clock use can’t be allowed to interrupt critical application uptime.

George Hilliard, WinSystems

Megatrends such as the Internet of Things, robotics, and the latest industrial innovations are escalating demand for electronic components. Inadequate raw materials and manufacturer capacity are also adding to the shortfall. As a result, OEMs are looking for ways to extend the life of their existing products by either performing workarounds or making bigger purchases [...]

ADLINK Technology Staff

The adage that “bigger is better” pervades many areas, but in computing, greater size is almost always a liability. Large configurations demand power and create heat, consuming precious space and potentially crowding out other vital systems. Even in a 60-ton armored tank, size, weight, and power (SWaP) remain at a premium. Such environments demand the sort of small-form-factor (SFF) solutions that have dominated embedded computing initiatives for decades.

PC/104 Consortium

Reliability and performance still matter for industrial embedded computing applications, which is why the PC/104 standard remains the first choice for those solutions requiring small form factors that can operate reliably in harsh industrial environments. While designers still choose PC/104 for rugged industrial applications, they are also opting for the time-tested architecture in newer technology [...]

Mariana Iriarte, Technology Editor

Reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP) and increased standardization requirements for applications from unmanned aircraft to ground vehicles to portable communications systems are driving military power supply designs. Meanwhile, innovations such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) are improving efficiencies.

Rodger Hosking, Pentek, Inc.

Radar, communications, and SIGINT [signals intelligence] systems have traditionally combined sensor processing, data conversion, and signal processing hardware within single enclosures or equipment racks. Analog signals for antennas, transducers and other sensors were connected through cables, often causing loss and interference along the way. However, enabled by new data converter and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) technology and evolving open embedded computing standards, system designers can now deploy small-form-factor (SFF) subsystems at each sensor site for distributed signal acquisition and preprocessing. Digitized signals are then delivered through optical cables, providing higher signal quality over longer connection distances while reducing size, weight, cost, and maintenance.

Manfred Schmitz MEN Mikro Elektronik

Recently, the U.S.-based Internet service provider OneWeb ordered 900 satellites to provide additional global broadband. Knowing that this volume is more than half of the total 1,400 satellites already in orbit, and knowing that the cost for sending one into space is about $100 million, the industry needs to start thinking about new technologies that could help manage the mass of satellites that must be produced every year.

John McHale, Editorial Director

"Uncertainty" best describes the current outlook for the U.S. military market, with the next president's positions still somewhat unclear, as is the nation's future defense outlook.Regardless of inertia or doubt in Washington, military program managers and industry engineers must continue to keep the current defense electronics systems in air, ground, and sea platforms running efficiently to ensure continuing military readiness. Moreover, key radar, unmanned, electronic warfare, and other systems must still be modernized. All of this means that opportunities still exist for embedded electronics suppliers.

Thierry Wastiaux Interface Concept

To reach the level of performance requested by the latest military specifications, electronic warfare (EW) systems designers rely more and more on VPX high-performance embedded computing (HPEC) platforms. To handle the global IP traffic growth - predicted to reach 132 exabytes (EB) per month in 2018, according to Cisco's Visual Network Index - electronic systems must manage the data flow in and out of the semiconductor devices. Designers of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have developed devices offering high bandwidth and performance with very high-speed interfaces that can bring superior parallel processing power. This reality enables the design of high-performance hybrid HPEC systems that can be used for such demanding applications as ultrafast shape-recognition systems.

John McHale, Editorial Director

Unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) continue to shrink in size, as do their payloads, requiring system designers to leverage small-form-factor, embedded-computing standards like PC/104, COM Express, and others.