Computer/Embedded Technology


CompactPCI SBC with embedded Windows NT

8 November 2000 Computer/Embedded Technology

The cPC200, a versatile and powerful CompactPCI SBC from BVM, is now available with Windows NT embedded in on-board flash. The OS is stripped down to its essentials: including network and graphics drivers it requires only 16 MB of flash memory. The OS is tailored to the application, so, while the control panel folder is present, it will normally be empty as there are no user-definable options. However, if required, alternatives can be provided, so that, for instance, different printers can be selected at the point of use.

Development work can be carried out on a desktop machine running a full NT OS using any widely-available standard tool; the final software is then downloaded to the flash disk on a chip. The cPC200 can be fitted with up to 288 MB of flash, giving an extremely reliable unit for remote applications where mechanical disk drives are to be avoided when ultra high availability is an important consideration.

The unit is suitable for diverse applications. Although not 'true realtime', a low-cost embedded processor running NT can often be more than adequate for process control. Retail POS systems benefit from being able to store data locally in a format that is remotely accessible by a chain's main systems. For instance, daily product sales can be stored in an Excel database that is interrogated overnight.

The cPC200 is a 6U single slot SBC, available with up to 256 MB of DRAM factory fitted on-board, expandable to 512 MB via a standard 144-pin DIMM socket. Conforming to the Rev 3.0 CompactPCI specification, the cPC200 uses a Super Socket 7 enabling it to be supplied with processors from a number of different manufacturers. Intel Pentium, AMD K6-III and K6-2 mobile and Cyrix are all supported; the board is suitable for processor clock speeds up to 550 MHz and bus speeds of 66, 75, 83 or 100 MHz can be selected.

10Base-T and 100Base-TX networking is implemented on-board using the Intel 82559 single chip controller, with the RJ-45 outlet on the front panel. Also on the front panel are standard PS-2 mouse and keyboard ports, and two USB ports, both supporting 12 and 1,5 Mbps.



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