MEN Micro's New Generatoin of ESMexpress Modules with the Intel Core 2 Duo

The ESMexpress specification, currently in development as the ANSI-VITA 59 Standard, combines advanced cooling techniques, the latest serial buses and rugged components with the SOMs model (also known as Computers-on-Modules or COMs). SOMs are complete computers on a mezzanine board that use a standard CPU with I/O configuration only required on a carrier board to allow for individual functionality tailored to a specific application.

 

ESMexpress is designed for extreme resistance against shock and vibration. Modules are firmly secured to the board with eight screws and come with rugged connectors supporting high frequency and differential signals. All ESMexpress modules support a single 95 mm x 125 mm form factor. ESMexpress modules can be used on COM Express carrier boards and vice versa, accomplished via an adapter board that complies with the COM.0 Basic Form Factor Type 2 and which adapts the mechanics and pin-out.

 

Back in 2008, MEN Micro Inc. (the U.S. presence of Germany’s MEN Mikro Electronik), a major provider of embedded computing and I/O solutions for demanding industrial, mobile and harsh environment applications, introduced the ESMexpress SOM Standard, which, as mentioned previously, may one day become the ANSI-VITA 59 (RSE Rugged System-On-Module Express) Standard. ESMexpress brings the cost and time savings of SOMs/COMs technology to rugged, harsh and mission-critical environments. The XM1, one of the first available ESMexpress products from MEN Micro, featured the first-generation Intel (News - Alert) Atom processor (Z530 at 1.6 GHz or Z510 at 1.1 GHz) built with 45 nanometer feature size technology, teamed with 1 GB of soldered DDR2 SDRAM, enabling space-saving, low power, designs at reduced cost.

 

Later, the XM50 appeared as a PowerPC-based member of System-On-Module (SOM) family for harsh environments and safety-critical applications in the embedded market. With a PowerQUICC III processor and a variety of integrated interfaces, the XM50 found a home in communication intensive applications for railways, avionics, medical engineering and industrial automation markets. As MEN’s first PowerPC-based ESMexpress module, the XM50 used Freescale’s MPC8548 or MPC8543 from the PowerQUICC III family with clock frequencies between 800 MHz and 1.5 GHz. This power-saving processor has an e500 core, MMU, FPU and 512 KB L2 cache comes with a number of high-performance communication interfaces that are all integrated into a single chip.

 

 

And now, MEN Micro has begun to unveil their next generation of ESMexpress products, starting with the new XM2, based on the latest Intel Core 2 Duo SP9300 processor with a clock frequency of up to 2.26 GHz — a processor which furnished levels of processing speed and data integrity never before seen on competing SOMs. By combining this advanced Intel processor with ruggedization and the low development costs of the ESMexpress standard, the resulting XM2 design makes an extremely cost-effective choice for various harsh, mobile and mission-critical environments.

 

The XM2 is also equipped with the new Intel GS45 graphics controller that provides a x16 PCI Express graphics link or up to two SDVO interfaces, a DisplayPort or two HDMI ports. The new Core 2 Duo-based module also features a host of I/O functions, including four x1 or one x4 PCI Express links as well as two Gigabit Ethernet ports, eight USB ports, three SATA ports and one HD audio port.

 

The XM2’s standard 4 GB of DDR3 DRAM memory combined with other memory capacities, such as USB Flash on the carrier board, creates a huge space for data storage. Screened operating temperature is 0°C to +60°C (+32°F to +140°F) for both convection and conduction cooling.

 

The XM2 dissipates up to 40 Watts via an advanced fanless cooling system defined by the ESMexpress standard. Because the populated printed circuit board is mounted to a frame and completely enclosed in an aluminum housing, the board provides 100 percent EMI protection.

 

The fixed pin assignment guarantees that ESMexpress modules remain interchangeable. A board management controller supervises temperature and power consumption. The included Insyde H2O EFI BIOS is configurable for the final application.

 

Pricing for the XM2 ESMexpress module starts at US$1,911. Delivery is six weeks ARO.