Embedded Software
Automotive Software, Commercial Software, Consumer Software, Embedded Wireless Software, M2M Software, Medical, Rugged Computers, Smart Energy, Defense, Telehealth, Transportation
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Small-form-factor solutions revolutionize system architectures
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.
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History of the PC/104 Consortium
The PC/104 Consortium was established in February 1992 by 12 companies with a common vision of adapting desktop computer technology for embedded applications. This consortium has had a tremendous, positive effect on the embedded computer marketplace. The initial release of the PC/104 specification in March of 1992 was an open design offering the power and flexibility of an IBM compatible personal computer in a size ideally suited for embedding. Simple and elegant in design, while small but rugged in performance, PC/104 technology bridged the successes of the past with the promises of future innovations.
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PC/104: A fresh look in its 25th year
Let's take a moment to recall the significance of 1987 - thirty years ago. You may immediately think, "Yes. 1987. A fantastic year for the birth of tennis stars: Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic, and Sara Errani were all born in '87." But I imagine your second thought is about PC/104, right? Well, it could be if you know your PC/104 history: 1987 marks the year that Ampro introduced the Little Board/PC single-board computer - one of the earliest seeds of the PC/104 ecosystem. Early collaborators such as Real Time Devices (now RTD Embedded Technologies) and Diamond Systems began developing compatible products as interest grew in the modular building block concept. By 1989, an innovative plug-in mezzanine concept was introduced; it was perhaps the first look at a stackable bus structure that could eliminate the need for a backplane. As the form and function of the 3.775-inch by 3.550-inch stackable PC architecture began to take shape, Ampro made the industry-changing decision to spin its proprietary form factor into an open standard. In 1992, twelve trailblazing companies would join together to establish the PC/104 specification and the consortium that bears its name. Stackable expansion buses, corner mounting holes, and a compact footprint proved to be a winning combination which quickly found popularity among embedded system designers. (Note: Many thanks to Rick Lehrbaum for his previous publications chronicling the early history of PC/104.)
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CompactPCI Serial reaches out into space
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.
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PCIe/104 - The "fishal" recognition revolution in fish counting
Fish-count surveys are vital in ensuring the conservation and management of fish stocks in our increasingly overfished seas. The accuracy of those surveys is critical in providing evidence of overfishing to drive restorative and preventative legislation. Traditional fish-counting is inherently manual, relying on fishing trawlers casting enormous nets into the ocean, pulling aboard as many fish as possible to manually count and develop the trawl survey.
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Version 2.0: The evolution of SMARC module specification
Earlier this year, the Standardization Group for Embedded Technologies (SGET) updated its Smart Mobility Architecture (SMARC) embedded computing format to the 2.0 specification. Since its inception three years ago, the SMARC small-form-factor module has given developers an innovation boost for the ultra-low-power embedded market. Due to its widespread adoption and successful application, SGET members determined that Version 2.0 was needed to support next-generation design requirements.
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UAS payloads, radar best bets for military electronics market
"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.
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PC/104 architecture maintains relevance in a competitive field
PC/104 is into its third decade, standing the test of time, while myriad form factors of yesteryear have faded into irrelevance. So why is PC/104 so persistent? How has it survived? The simple answer for me is the tireless work of the consortium that lies behind its continued success. A collaboration of companies with a common vision, it was formed in 1992 with 12 members but now has almost triple that. The PC/104 Consortium ensures PC/104's continued relevance. The spine of a PC/104 stack is the desktop-derived peripheral bus, arguably the key evolution since 1992 (Figure 1).
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FPGA coprocessors for acceleration of shape recognition algorithms in hybrid VPX HPEC systems
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.
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Unmanned aircraft leverage PC/104, COM Express, and other small form factors
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.
Rodger Hosking, Pentek, Inc.
Stephen St. Amant, PC/104 Consortium President
Rory Dear, European Editor/Technical Contributor
John McHale, Editorial Director
