ADLINK, Ampro and congatec Form COM Express Plug-and-Play Initiative, Define Common Carrier Board Spec, Offer Free Designers’ Guide
Taipei, San Jose, Deggendorf, April 10, 2007 – Key embedded computing suppliers ADLINK, Ampro and congatec have joined in supporting a common implementation strategy for COM Express™ modules and carrier boards. The companies have jointly created and today are announcing the availability of a free design guide enabling easy exchange by embedded system engineers of COM Express components to help avoid risks of vendor-related technical incompatibilities. Complete documentation is available immediately at no cost to all interested parties at www.comexpress-pnp.org
COM Express is a well-defined PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) standard for Computer-On-Modules (COM). It offers great flexibility for many embedded computing applications. The specification defines two module sizes and five different pin-out types.
The PICMG standard allows the implementation of COM Express solutions with certain freedom in power sequencing, IO definition and other criteria. These choices are often a limitation for the interchangeability from one vendor to the other. Without applying the PnP implementation guide some features simply might not work when using a third party COM or carrier board.
The COM Express PnP implementation, initiated by congatec, is available as a design guide that fully details the circuitry needed by system OEMs to achieve module interchangeability. System companies need to create carrier boards that truly support multiple module vendors’ products. The design guide includes the implementation of all available COM Express interfaces. All schematics for a full featured carrier board are also provided. The complete set of documentation is available immediately at no cost to all interested parties at www.comexpress-pnp.org
COM Express suppliers and system integrators supporting this PnP implementation are welcome to a free company listing on the COM Express website. Additionally, module vendors and system integrators are welcome to join the COM Express Plug-and-Play Initiative. Please send an e-mail request to
info@comexpress-pnp.org
About ADLINK
ADLINK Technology Inc. specializes in embedded computing, improving and advancing test & measurement, industrial automation, and communication technology. ADLINK provides high quality and long term solutions for telecoms, intelligent transportation systems, and electronic manufacturing industries. ADLINK is an ISO-9001, ISO-14001 and TL9000 certified manufacturer and maintains its leadership position in quality by utilizing 6 Sigma statistical analysis tools. ADLINK has received several Taiwan Symbol of Excellence awards for its products, is an associate member of the Intel® Communications Alliance, an Executive Member of PICMG, a Sponsor Member of PXI Systems Alliance and has a seat on Board of Directors, and joined LXI Consortium. ADLINK's CTO, Jeff Munch, is Chair of the AdvancedTCA subcommittee. ADLINK has operations in America, Singapore, and China, and is a publicly traded company listed on the TAIEX, Taiwan Stock Exchange, under the number "6166."
About Ampro Computers, Inc.Ampro Computers, Inc. is the leading global provider of modular embedded computing solutions for OEM applications. Ampro's mission is to provide time saving solutions for embedded systems designers that accelerate the product deployment process. Ampro pioneered the embedded PC industry creating the popular PC/104 and EBX standards, and recently co-invented the new EPIC and EPIC Express standards. Ampro offers the ReadySystem, ReadyPanel, and MightySystem Computers as complete turn-key industrial computer solutions, ETX and XTX Computer-on-Modules, PC/104 compatible CoreModule CPUs and MiniModule I/O expansion products, EBX form factor LittleBoard single-board computers (SBCs), EPIC form factor ReadyBoard SBCs, and Mini-ITX form factor MightyBoard SBCs. For more information about Ampro Computers, please visit www.ampro.com.
About congatec AG:
congatec is an innovative and experienced manufacturer of COM Express, XTX and ETX embedded computer boards. The highly skilled employees have more than 200-manpower years of experience in the fast growing embedded computer industry. Based in Deggendorf Germany, the company’s objective is to engineer and market industrial computer modules based on standard form factors. congatec's products are available for all business segments and industries. Customers can be found in industrial control, medical, automotive supplies, aircraft and transportation fields. Typical applications are machine control, vending machines and visualization terminals. congatec's main know-how includes the support of our embedded BIOS features, excellent driver support as well as full-featured board support packages. Customers receive complete product lifecycle support starting early during the design-in stage. congatec products are manufactured by specialized contract manufacturers who fulfill the latest quality standards. Reach congatec at: www.congatec.com
About PICMGPICMG is a consortium of over 450 companies who collaboratively develop open specifications for high performance telecommunications and industrial computing applications. The members of the consortium have a long history of developing leading edge products for these industries.Founded in 1994, PICMG's original mission was to extend the PCI standard, from the PCI Special Interest Group for use in non-traditional computer markets such as Industrial Automation, Medical, Military and Telecom. With the advent of fabric based transports PICMG specs have continued to evolve. This has resulted in a series of specifications that include CompactPCI®, AdvancedTCA®, AdvancedMC™, CompactPCI Express™, COM Express™ and SHB Express™. Each specification has a unique PICMG identifier. Details on each specification, including those under development can be found in our Specifications Directory. These specifications are represented by many leading edge products from PICMG member companies, details of which can be found in our Product Directory.
About COM Express
COM Express modules are highly integrated off-the-shelf building blocks based on a PCI Express bus architecture that plugs into custom made, application-specific carrier boards. COM Express basic modules measure just 95 mm x 125 mm and include generic functions such as video, audio, Ethernet, storage interfaces and USB ports that are needed for most applications. A custom designed carrier board complements the COM Express core module with the additional functionality required for specific applications.
COM Express, a PICMG specification, is a result of the convergence of the latest technology standards based on serial differential signaling such as PCI Express, USB 2.0, Serial ATA, LVDS and Serial DVO implemented on an extremely compact Computer on Module. Moving from parallel buses such as PCI and IDE to serial buses such as PCI Express and SATA is a change on a scale of which has not been seen since PCI replaced ISA.
Reader Inquiries:
congatec AG
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Mail info@congatec.com
Tel. +49(991)2700-0
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www.congatec.com
Press Contact:
congatec AG
Christian Eder
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Mail christian.eder@congatec.com
Tel. +49(991)2700-146
Fax. +49(991)2700-222
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