NEWS - CONSORTIUM

PC/104 Embedded Consortium Approves Changes
March 30, 2009

Sacramento, March 30, 2009 - The PC/104 Embedded Consortium� has added two Universal Serial Bus (USB) connections to the stackable PCI/104-Express and PCIe/104 specifications. Since its adoption a year ago, more and more manufactures are embracing the PCI/104-Express and PCIe/104 specifications and are producing products with varying functionality including, SBCs, CPUs, serial ports, Gigabit Ethernet ports, frame grabbers, analog and digital I/O, power supplies, bridge cards, express over cables, SATA, FireWire, video, ExpressCard, MiniCard adapters, PCIe slot card adapters, and others with more to come.

The addition of the industry standard USB bus provides quick connectivity for add-on modules that have USB driven devices. Combine this with four x1 PCIe links, one x16 PCIe link that can be configured as multiple x4 links or x8 links or SDVO links, an SMBus, ATX power control, and suitable power, manufactures and users have a powerful tool from which it can develop any embedded application.

As with all specifications maintained by the Consortium these revisions can be downloaded on the Consortium website (www.pc104.org) for free.

Longevity is one of the hallmarks of the PC/104 Embedded Consortium�s technology and many customers require the stable, long-term supply that PC/104 module vendors offer. PC/104�s reliability is valued by thousands of OEMs in application areas such as industrial control and instrumentation, military and aerospace, and medical. Whether you are looking for low power solutions, high end computing solutions or need ruggedized product the breadth and depth of products available within the PC/104 Embedded Community is sure to meet your needs.

About the PC/104 Embedded Consortium:

The consortium is the focal point for the entire PC/104 industry including manufactures and OEMs. It provides a place for information on current specifications, product offerings, news, and events and a place to advance and develop specifications that are consistent and stable for long-term use.

The PC/104 Consortium and standard were established in 1992. PC/104, in use since 1987, is a small form factor, embedded PC physical and electrical interface standard. It provides embedded system designers with an architecture that is dense, cost effective and based on proven, practical technology. PC/104-Plus, an extension that was added to the standard in 1995, incorporates PCI technology. A PCI only version, PCI-104 was incorporated into the specification in 2003. Stackable PCI Express was added to the PC/104 architecture in early 2008 with the PCI/104-Express & PCIe/104 specification. The EBX form factor, a full-size format created in 1997, was adopted by the Consortium in early 2005. EPIC form factor, a mid-sized format that supports PC/104 and PC/104-Plus was adopted in early 2005. For more technical information on PC/104, PC/104-Plus, PCI-104, PCI/104-Express, PCIe/104, EBX, EPIC, and EPIC Express specifications, please visit www.pc104.org.

Click here for more information