COM Express-based SBCs boast high feature density

Designed in the COM Express Basic form factor (125x95mm), the Vega family offers performance scalability with three COM Express processor options: 2.1GHz Intel Core i7-3612QE, 1.7GHz Intel Core i7-3517UE and 1.4GHz Intel Celeron 827E CPU. The use of interchangeable COM Express modules helps extend product lifecycles or keep up with new market needs, by making it easy to replace an obsolete CPU or increase processing performance simply by replacing the COM module. Vega is therefore suitable for applications with expected lifetimes of 10 years or more.

Vega’s two-board COM + baseboard construction yields the highest feature density possible in a given footprint. Vega utilises a highly integrated baseboard with a wide range of I/O, including a full data acquisition circuit that normally calls for a separate I/O board. Standard PC-type I/O includes a VGA and a dual-channel LVDS interface, four USB 2.0 ports, four RS-232/422/485 ports, dual Gigabit Ethernet, SATA, and HD audio. Vega SBCs also feature a 7-36V wide range high-efficiency power supply, making them compatible with most common vehicle and industrial power supply voltages.

The integrated data acquisition includes 16-bit ADC and DAC, digital I/O, and counter/timers, all supported by Diamond’s free Universal Driver data acquisition programming library. An interactive graphical control panel for Windows and Linux is also provided to control all data acquisition features.

Vega SBCs support stackable I/O expansion with EMX I/O modules as well as a dual-use PCIe MiniCard / mSATA socket for additional I/O expansion. I/O modules featuring serial ports, Ethernet, analogue I/O, digital I/O, CAN, and WiFi are available from Diamond and other vendors in the PCIe MiniCard form factor, providing low-cost, compact I/O expansion without increasing the total height of the system. For rugged applications, wide temperature mSATA disk modules in either SLC or MLC technologies are available with up to 64GB capacity.

EMX (EmbeddedXpress) is an industry standard form factor for embedded computers that offers highly efficient and rugged stackable I/O expansion. EMX incorporates the best of previous stackable I/O systems and extends them to better fit today’s technologies and customer needs. The EMX bus connector is compact and low cost, helping to improve overall product cost efficiency as well as feature density compared to other stackable I/O form factors on the market today. EMX supports all of today’s most popular expansion buses while reserving sufficient pins for future definition, making it both applicable to today’s needs and capable of supporting tomorrow’s requirements.

Vega’s built-in heat spreader efficiently removes heat from the SBC directly to the system enclosure and helps keep the interior cooler for improved reliability. The novel bottom-side mounting configuration of the heat spreader provides a convenient mounting system for the board. It also simplifies the installation of I/O expansion modules by eliminating interference or airflow problems that can occur with traditional heat sinks.