x86
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FPGAs: Tough to program, but key for embedded computing
Embedded computing designers continue to look at ways to cost-effectively integrate FPGAs into their PC/104 and other small form factor designs while battling the time-consuming and difficult task of programming the devices.
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Standard and custom peripheral cards: A hallmark of the PC/104 architecture
As anyone in this business knows, there is no single embedded architecture that can serve all applications with appropriate solutions. Tradeoffs are abundant, and it is not even the industry that defines an architecture’s applicability; rather, that decision is made by the application and level of detail an OEM has time to consider.
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COM Express mini, Qseven, SMARC meet at the crossroads of an evolving processor landscape
COM Express Type 10, Qseven, and SMARC are all vying for position as ARM-based processors take hold in SFFs.
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Considerations for the embedded ARM paradigm
Although defining the "embedded" market can be a point of contention, the 2000s saw significant growth of ARM-based products in a range of vertical industries. In many cases, ARM-based processors are now head-to-head with their x86 counterparts in the embedded segment, with the Small Form Factor (SFF) Computer-On-Module (COM) market being no exception. As ARM expands into promising markets such as the Internet of Things (IoT), it is also growing in the embedded development arena.
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Rugged transportation designs evolve with low-power x86 advances
New processors blend x86 and Computers-on-Module (COMs) for power-optimized Small Form Factor (SFF) options.
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SFF market fragmentation continues, x86 and ARM set to square off
Analysts offer insight on the financials of the merchant board market.
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Achieving ultra-compact, multi-display digital signage systems with high-performance Accelerated Processing Units
Designers of digital signage systems have long been challenged to achieve high-end graphics and video performance with conventional CPU- and discrete GPU-based embedded boards that present board area and cooling challenges. With the advent of Accelerated Processing Units (APUs), however, digital signage system designers are equipped to achieve new levels of multimedia performance and visual immersion while striking a balance of form and function in small form factor, power-efficient solutions.
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Inside Intel's Open Pluggable Specification - Interview with James Tan, Intel
As we continue the march into the age of intelligent systems, digital signage platforms will play a large part in the evolution of the commercial and retail markets. Noticing fragmentation in the digital signage space, Intel released the Open Pluggable Specification (OPS) in 2010, defining a modular, integrated hardware architecture that could link digital signage media players and their corresponding displays to create cost-efficient intelligent signage platforms that use EPIC and smaller sized boards. In this PC/104 and Small Form Factors interview, spec author James Tan describes how the OPS is enabling intelligent and connected digital signage deployment. Edited excerpts follow.
Brandon Lewis, Technology Editor
