|
FeaturePak gets SUMIT-ISM adapter, I/O module
2010-04-28 Article Rating:  / 1
Diamond Systems announced a SUMIT-ISM adapter board and a digital I/O module compatible with the recently minted FeaturePak expansion standard. The SUMIT/FP adapter lets FeaturePak modules work with systems providing SUMIT-ISM expansion, while the FP-GPIO96 offers 96 buffered digital I/O lines, the company says.
Announced last month, the FeaturePak expansion standard employs a low-cost MXM (mobile PCI Express module) connector and expansion modules "three-fifths the size of a credit card." It's said the modules are intended mainly for SBCs (single board computer), COMs (computer on modules), and other embedded products, but could come to future netbooks and notebooks as well. According to Diamond Systems -- which originated FeaturePak but has attracted support for it from Arbor, Cogent, Congatec, Connect Tech, Douglas, Hectronic, and IXXAT -- the standard defines application-oriented I/O modules measuring 2.55 x 1.70 inches. As pictured below, FeaturePak modules are designed to snap into low-cost, low-profile sockets on host devices, the company adds.
Diamond's newly announced SUMIT/FP adapter (below) allows the use of FeaturePak modules in systems that provide SUMIT-ISM expansion stack locations, the company says. The adapter is said to route a PCI Express x1 lane, USB, SMBus, and power/ground from a SUMIT-ISM module's SUMIT-A bus connector to the FeaturePak socket. Providing pass-through connectors for SUMIT-ISM's SUMIT-B bus and PC/104 (ISA), the device also "provides a pair of 50-pin I/O headers for convenient access to all FeaturePak I/O, the company adds.   Diamond's SUMIT/FP adapter without (left) and with (right) a FeaturePak module on board (Click either to enlarge) Meanwhile, Diamond says, its new FP-GPIO96 (below left) is a FeaturePak module integrating 96 buffered, programmable digital I/O lines with byte-wide and bit-wide port direction control, eight 32-bit counter/timers, four 24-bit pulse-width modulation circuits, and a watchdog timer with system reset capability. The FP-GPIO96 ships with the standard "personality" diagrammed below right, but alternate personalities may be downloaded from the Diamond website at no charge and programmed into the board's onboard FPGA, according to the company.   Diamond's FP-GPIO96 (left) and its standard personality (right) (Click either to enlarge) Background on FeaturePak According to FeaturePak.org, a website created by Diamond to promote the new standard, FeaturePak sockets and modules will be applicable to a wide variety of embedded products, including:
Diamond says FeaturePak uses the same low-cost MXM (mobile PCI Express module) connector -- originally designed for notebook graphics modules -- as the Qseven COM specification. Utilization of the 230-position "golden finger" interface is different, however, and includes the following three groups, according to the company:
But, Lehrbaum added, it's certainly possible FeaturePak modules will host their own processors, enabling distributed processing under the guidance of a host's CPU. (Note: Lehrbaum created the PC/104 spec while he was CTO of SBC vendor Ampro, and later went on to found both LinuxDevices.com and its sister publication WindowsForDevices.com , though he now has no formal connection with either site.) Initial products Four FeaturePak-related products were announced concurrently with the new standard. Diamond itself fielded the Magellan, a COM Express form-factor boardset, plus the FP-DAQ1616 data acquisition I/O module pictured below left. The latter device offers sixteen 16-bit A/D inputs, sixteen 16-bit A/D outputs, and seven eight-bit digital I/O ports, among other features, the company says.  Diamond Systems' FP-DAQ1616 (left) and Connect Tech's XtremeFP (Click either to enlarge) Connect Tech, meanwhile, announced two products, including the XtremeFP (above right), a FeaturePak that includes four high-speed RS232 ports and 26 digital I/Os. The company's PCI Express to FeaturePak adapter board, meanwhile, lets users install a FeaturePak module into any PCI Express slot, the company says. Background on SUMIT-ISM SUMIT-ISM, initially dubbed Express104, was devised by the SFF-SIG (Small Form Factor Special Interest Group) in 2008. The term refers to two different things: first, the use of two 52-pin SUMIT expansion connectors, and second, the use of an ISM (industry standard module) form factor. Availability The SUMIT/FP adapter will be available in 60 days for $190, Diamond Systems says. A product page for the device may be found here. The FP-GPIO96 module will be available in 60 days for $150. A product page for the device may be found here. Extensive information on FeaturePak may be found at the FeaturePak.org website, here. Background on SUMIT-ISM may be downloaded in PDF format, here. Data sheets in PDF format for Diamond Systems' Magellan and FP-DAQ1616, plus Connect Tech's XtremeFP and PCI Express to FeaturePak adapter board, may be found here, here, here, and here, respectively. Related stories:
|
news feed
