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Atom-powered PC targets in-vehicle signage
2009-10-21 Article Rating:  / 0
Rave Computer announced an Atom-powered vehicle computer with GPS, hard disk and CompactFlash storage, and a PCI-104 expansion slot. The RCV 6100 supports DVI-D, VGA, and LVDS displays, has two Mini PCIe sockets, and features optional GSM or WCDMA cellular modules, the company says.
According to Rave, its new RCV 6100 runs fanlessly, meets MIL-STD-810F standards for resisting shock and vibration, and is optionally available with an IP60 kit that adds dust and splash resistance. In compliance with European E-mark standards for vehicle electronics, the device is said to accept input voltages from 6VDC to 36VDC. Low-power protection, selectable boot-up and shut-down voltages, S3 suspend mode, and automatic startup delay all help make the computer suitable for car, truck, and boat use, the company says. Intriguingly, the RCV 6100 is touted as being applicable for "in-vehicle signage," thanks to its three video outputs. The device's rear panel (below) includes a VGA output, a DVI-D port, and a DB26 port for LVDS displays. The latter supplies 12VDC power for backlights and USB 2.0 signals, Rave adds.  The rear panel of Rave's RCV 6100 Also on the rear panel are two USB 2.0 ports, three serial ports (two RS232, one RS232/485 with auto flow control), a gigabit Ethernet port, a microphone jack, and a line audio output. Additionally present: a GPS antenna connector, and a GPIO connector with four inputs and four outputs.  The front panel of Rave's RCV 6100 Meanwhile, the RCV6100's front panel (above) includes four antenna connectors (for wireless networking, wide area networking, and Bluetooth), plus another USB port. The panel also provides LED indicators for monitoring standby, WLAN/HSDPA, and GPIO status, as well as additional microphone and line audio jacks. In addition, the front panel features a SIM slot, in recognition of the fact that the computer is optionally available with GSM or WCDMA cellular modules, according to Rave. Rave says the RCV 6100 uses the Intel Atom N270, familiar from dozens of netbooks, along with the 945GSE northbridge and ICH7M southbridge. As usual in such cases, maximum random access memory is limited to 2GB. Mass storage, meanwhile, is supplied by either a 2.5-inch hard disk drive or a CompactFlash slot, according to the company. According to Rave, the RCV 6100 has an internal PCI-104 expansion slot, plus two Mini PCI Express slots. Bluetooth and 802.11b/g/n wireless networking are both said to be optional, though Rave did not say whether their inclusion makes the Mini PCIe slots unavailable for other uses. Features and specifications listed by Rave Computer for the RCV 6100 include the following:
Rave Computer did not cite availability or operating system support for the RCV 6100. Given the device's standard Intel processor and chipset, however, the device should be compatible with Linux, Windows CE, Windows XP Embedded, Windows Embedded Standard, and most other operating systems. A data sheet for the RCV 6100 may be downloaded from the company's website, here [PDF link]. Related Stories:
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