PECM Issue 18 2016 | Page 13

The PC/104 standard - a rich and enduring eco-system of I/O for industrial systems designers S ystems destined for industrial control and other real-world processing applications often need to be compact and rugged – yet to be competitive, they should be built from components that are easy to configure into cost-effective solutions. This reflects the original and continuing motivation behind the PC/104 form factor and standard. These were developed for embedded systems designers who have always needed to handle real-world inputs and outputs, often in large quantities and different types, and always in applicationspecific mixes. Additionally, the central processor was required to benefit from the same economies of scale and proven design standards that desktop PCs enjoy. Perhaps even more importantly, is the vibrant eco-system of PC/104 peripheral and I/O products H264ULL Encoder available that enable the industrial control solution provider to quickly and costeffectively integrate and deploy complex solutions. Although historically based on the PC ISA bus, the standard has never stopped evolving, and continues to do so today, supporting multiple PCI Express links and the latest multi-core CPUs. PC/104 offers ever-improving performance together with denser functionality, while retaining the small form factor, stackable board concept that eliminates the bulk, cost and connectivity issues of a backplane. Internal view of train controls PC/104’s steady evolution has been highlighted by new bus standards that have exploited advancing chip developments as they have appeared; PC/104-Plus, PCI104, PCIe-104 and PC/104Express. Further cost and space savings have become possible through OneBank, a smaller, lower cost version of the PC/104 connector. Advanced Micro Peripherals offers a wide range of PC/104 peripheral and I/O card products with functions including video capture and processing, communications, networking, sensor processing, etc. These PC/104 products facilitate rapid development and deployment of powerful, robust and compact industrial control solutions. The hardware is backed by RSVP, an OEM development environment that takes designers from concept to deployment in record time and at minimal cost. PC104 Modules Stacked Advanced Micro Peripherals Ltd. is an ISO9001 registered designer and supplier of high performance, rugged, low power PC/104 products and embedded solutions For further information, contact AMP on +44 1353 659 500 or via email: [email protected] or visit the AMP website at www.ampltd.com Issue 18 PECM 13