Via unveils Mobile-ITX COM form factor

By Jonathan Angel
2009-12-01

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Via announced a COM (computer on module) specification touted as the industry's most compact, with potential power consumption ranging from 12 Watts to below one Watt, depending on conditions. Measuring just 2.36 x 2.36 inches, "Mobile-ITX" modules and related baseboards will be available during the first quarter of 2010, says the company.

Mobile-ITX is the latest in a series of form factors created by Via, which have included 2001's Mini-ITX (below left), 2004's Nano-ITX (below middle), and 2007's Pico-ITX (below right). As our image shows, each of these form factors had half the surface area of the one that came before it, and Mobile-ITX continues that tradition, occupying just 36 square centimeters, according to Via.

Some of the previous form factors devised by Via
(Click to enlarge)

Mobile-ITX (pictured at left) appears to be fundamentally different from its predecessors, however, in that each of these constituted a complete motherboard, with real-world connectors or at least pin headers. The new form factor, on the other hand, adopts COM technology, and, in Via's words, is designed so "developers ... can simply drop in the CPU module to a custom designed, application specific carrier board, negating lengthy developmental design and testing phases."

A Mobile-ITX module and its carrier board

As such, Mobile-ITX competes directly with existing COM formats such as Qseven, PC/104, and COM Express. Releasing the chart below, Via claimed Mobile-ITX is "the smallest available form factor on the market."

	Maximum width (mm)	Maximum depth (mm)	Maximum area (sq. mm)	% larger than Mobile-ITX
Mobile-ITX	60	60	3,600	--
Qseven	70	70	4,900	36%
PC/104	95.9	90.2	8,650	140%
COM Express	125	95	11,875	230%

COM Dimensions Chart
Source: Via

According to Via, Mobile-ITX -- which naturally will make its debut with the company's own CPUs and chipsets -- was made possible in part by a version of the C7-M ULV, which, in its new "mobileBGA" package, measures just 6 x 6mm. This CPU will be complemented by the VX820, an apparently new northbridge/southbridge that measures 21 x 21mm.

Like other miniaturized COMs -- Qseven, for example -- Mobile-ITX modules will employ soldered-on memory. (Via's initial Mobile-ITX reference module, about which we provide more details later in this story, sports 512MB). And, similarly, they'll relay all I/O signals and receive 5VDC port through a pair of 120-pin connectors.

Via claims these high-density, low-profile connectors require only 3mm of distance between the CPU module and the baseboard, making Mobile-ITX "ideal for ultra-slim system designs." It's said the connectors can also withstand vibrations of up to 5G, making industrial machining and in-vehicle-applications possible.

Sample Mobile-ITX carrier board designs
(Click either to enlarge)

Releasing diagrams (above) of sample Mobile-ITX carrier board designs, Via also provided details of a CPU module reference design (below) it apparently plans to offer as a product next year, though no model number was cited. The reference module includes the C7-M ULV processor, VX820 northbridge/southbridge, 512MB of DDR2 memory, and a variety of I/O, as listed below.

Via's Mobile-ITX CPU module reference design

Features and specifications listed by Via for its Mobile-ITX CPU module reference design include:

Processor -- Via C7-M ULV, in 6 x 6mm mobileBGA package
Chipset --- VX820 northbridge/southbridge, with 400MHz frontside bus, in 21 x 21mm package
Memory -- 512MB of DDR2 RAM
Expansion:
- PCI Express 1.0a support, offering 1 x1 lane port
- SDIO host controller
Graphics:
- VIA Chrome9 HC3 integrated graphics processor with 2D/3D video controllers
- Supports 64/128/256/512MB frame buffers
- 250MHz clock speed
- CRT display interface, supporting resolutions up to 1920 x 1440 pixels
- 18-bit TTL interface for LCD panels
- 12-bit/16-bit/20-bit interface to external TV encoder for NTSC or PAL TV or HDTV displays
- 12-bit DVI transmitter interface
Other I/O:
- LPC interface
- SMbus interface
- PS/2 keyboard/mouse
- 5 x USB 2.0
- GPIO
- High definition audio with mic in, line in, line out support
- EIDE, supporting 2 devices
- Video capture interface
Power -- Supports single 5VDC power input
Dimensions -- 2.36 x 2.36 inches (60 x 60mm)

Daniel Wu, VP of Via's embedded platform division, stated, "With Mobile-ITX we have again pushed back the barriers that limit just how small an embedded industrial PC can be. Mobile-ITX enables the creation of a new breed of ultra-compact, portable networked devices suitable for a range of applications, particularly in modern medical and military segments."

Availability

Via says products based on Mobile-ITX will be released during the first quarter of 2010. More information may be found on the company's website, here.

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