April 2015
30
E
MBEDDED
C
OMPUTING
Processor
Cores
Cache
[MB]
Clock [GHz]
TDP [W]
Intel
®
Celeron
™
N2930
4
2
2.00
7.5
Intel
®
Atom
®
E3845
4
2
1.91
10.0
Intel
®
Atom
®
E3827
2
1
1.75
8.0
Intel
®
Atom
®
E3815
1
0.5
1.46
5.0
Table 1. Processor choices for the conga-PA3 Pico-ITX SBC
Figure 2. Block diagram showing implementation details of conga-PA3 Pico-ITX with Intel Atom
E3800 series
processor, a total of up to 4GB DDR3L-1666
is available. e I/O panel provides two USB
2.0 ports, an RJ-45 connector for 10/100/1000
GB of Ethernet plus a 12V DC power supply.
Also integrated are an additional USB 2.0
port, a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed port, a backlight
connector for the LVDS socket, fan control,
HDA audio, two COM ports (1x RS232, 1x
RS232/485/422), a SATA connection, a half-
size slot for shared mSATA/miniPCIe plus
another half-size miniPCIe slot and various
feature connectors. ACPI 5.0, I2C bus and
LPC bus allow easy integration of legacy I/O
interfaces. A real-time clock (RTC) and Intel
High De nition Audio complete the feature
set. Supported operating systems include Mic-
roso Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit), Mic-
roso Windows 8.X, Microso Windows
Embedded Standard 7 (WES7), Microso
Windows Embedded Standard 8 (WES8),
Microso Windows Embedded Compact
2013 (WEC2013) and Linux. For additional
operating systems, particularly real-time sys-
tems, congatec o ers support for the develop-
ment of speci c driver BSPs (board support
packages). e compact design with a foot-
print of 70x102mm makes the systems highly
versatile. Real-time capability and support of
multiple operating systems allow use in even
the most demanding industrial applications
such as mechanical engineering or automa-
tion and control systems; the Atom version
is also suitable for use in the extended indus-
trial temperature range. anks to their low
power consumption with a TDP of between
5 and 10 watts, the single-chip Bay Trail solu-
tions are particularly well suited for passively
cooled and enclosed systems that can be used
in harsh environments. If there is no need for
high-performance graphics with extensive
3-D capabilities, and if two independent dis-
plays with full HD resolution are enough, this
is a reliable and cost-e ective solution. Typical
applications include control of large machines
with decentralized, distributed intelligence,
robotics, all types of intelligent measurement
and analysis devices, and high-performance
IoT computers with low power consumption.
With the conga-PA3, a powerful, low-power
SBC with embedded qualities was released.
e widespread and highly compact Pico-ITX
form factor plus the convincing AiO con-
cept with additional embedded features and
proven legacy interfaces such as COM and
LVDS enable high volumes at low prices. For
a moderate premium compared to the cost
of standard mass-produced goods, the cus-
tomer can acquire robust computer boards
with a guaranteed long-term availability of
at least 7 years. e versions with an Atom
processor are all suitable for 24/7 operation
in harsh environments. Optional versions for
the extended industrial temperature range of
-40° to +85° C are also available.
e customer bene ts from congatec experi-
ence as a manufacturer of high-quality com-
puter modules. Synergies reduce development
time and costs; existing know-how and proven
infrastructure allow outsourcing of individ-
ual developments and solutions to the man-
ufacturer where necessary. is way, a single
supplier can cater for the complete spectrum
from low-cost standard solutions to individ-
ual EDMS projects (embedded design and
manufacturer services), while also covering
a wide variety of technology platforms with
form factors ranging from computer modules
to complete single-board computers.
TQ: ARM Cortex-A8 module for cost-intensive designs with
high quality demands
With the TQMa335L, TQ-Systems has developed a smallMinimodule with
high processing power which can be directly soldered to the base board.
is module, which is based on the ARM processor family AM335x from
Texas Instruments, is ideal for device developments where high quality is
also required in addition to a low price. e ARM Cortex-A8 module is
based on LGA technology: Here the connections of themodules are placed
on the base in the form of a chessboard style grid (grid array) of interfaces
(land). is allows the module to be soldered to the motherboard cheaply,
without requiring a plug-in connector, using a quali ed welding process.
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