VersaLogic Releases 'Raven' - Embedded SFF Computer based on Intel Bay Trail Processor

The team at VersaLogic has just announced the release of the Raven - a compact and rugged embedded x86 computer built around the Intel Bay Trail processor.

See Raven datasheet (pdf)

This is VersaLogic's fourth product released in the Embedded Processing Unit (EPU) format. EPU's combine processor, memory, video, and system I/O into an extremely compact full function embedded computer.

The Raven, equipped with an Intel Atom 38xx processor, is designed to withstand extreme temperature, impact, and vibration. It has been engineered and tested to meet the military and medical industries' evolving requirements to develop smaller, lighter, and lower power embedded systems while adhering to stringent regulatory standards.

Available in single-, dual-, and quad-core versions, the Raven provides great performance and I/O features, moderate power consumption (6 to 8W typical depending on model), and a compact package. The Raven provides compatibility with a broad range of standard x86 application development tools for reduced development time.

Features

• Wide Range Voltage Input
  Accepts 8 to 30 volts DC with OVP, reverse polarity protection, and RF noise filtering.
• High-performance Video
  Integrated Intel Gen 7 graphics core supports DirectX 11, OpenGL 4, and H.264, MPEG-2 encoding/decoding. Mini DisplayPort and LVDS video outputs. LVDS backlight control.
• Network
  Dual Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) with remote boot support.
• SATA
  3 Gb/s SATA port supports bootable SATA hard drive.
• Mini PCIe Card Sockets
  Dual full-sized sockets. Supports A/D, Wi-Fi modems, GPS, MIL-STD-1553, Ethernet, flash data storage with auto-detect mSATA flash storage support, and other mini PCIe modules.
• MicroSD Socket
  Supports removable microSD card solid-state drives.
• Industrial I/O
  One USB 3.0 port and four USB 2.0 ports support keyboard, mouse, and other devices. Four RS-232/422/485 serial ports, three 8254 timer/counters, and I2C support.
• Analog + Digital I/O
  On-board data acquisition support. Eight multi-range analog inputs and eight 3.3V digital I/O lines.
• SPI Interface
  Supports SPI and SPX devices, including low cost analog and digital modules.
• Intel Atom "Bay Trail" Processor
  Up to 1.9 GHz clock rate. Quad-, dual-, or single-core options. Low power consumption.
• Fanless Operation
  No moving parts required for CPU cooling in most configurations.
• Trusted Platform Module
  On-board TPM security chip can lock out unauthorised hardware and software.
• RAM
  Up to 4 GB soldered-down DDR3L RAM.
• FLASH
  Up to 8 GB of on-board eMMC flash storage.
• Industrial Temperature Operation
  -40° to +85°C operation for harsh environments
• MIL-STD-202G
  Qualified for high shock/vibration environments.
• Software Support
  Compatible with a variety of popular x86 operating systems including Windows, Windows Embedded, Linux, and VxWorks.

The Raven is a newly released product. It may be available in limited quantities. Please contact Sarsen for more details.

DAVE Embedded Systems Now ISO 13485 Certified for Medical Applications

Author: Laura Biddiscombe

We are pleased to share some exciting news with you - DAVE Embedded Systems has just been certified ISO 13485.

ISO 13485 2003 is the quality management standard for medical devices which specifies requirements for a quality management system where an organization needs to demonstrate its ability to provide medical devices and related services that consistently meet both customer requirements and regulatory requirements applicable to medical devices and related services.

The ISO 13485 standard was developed to facilitate harmonized medical device regulatory requirements for quality management systems. In Europe, ISO 13485 (or EN ISO 13485) is seen as the standard for the medical device industry. Based on the ISO 9001 standard, ISO 13485 was first introduced in Europe in 1996. Although ISO 13485 certification is voluntary, achieving it allows you to meet the quality system requirements of various medical directives with much less difficulty.

Download the DAVE Embedded Systems ISO 13485 declaration in PDF format - DOWNLOAD

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The DIVA  is a CPU module based on the Texas Instruments "Sitara" AM335x Cortex-A8 application processor. It is built with SO-DIMM 204 pin form factor and it offers lots of graphics, processing, peripherals and industrial interface options, allowing customer to implement cost-effective designs.

• ARM Cortex-A8 architecture @ up to 720 MHz
• NEON Multimedia Coprocessor and PowerVR® SGX Graphics Engine
• Dual Programmable Real-Time Unit and Industrial Communication Subsystem
• Crypto Hardware Accelerator
• Interfaces including Dual CAN and Ethernet

Download DIVA Datasheet 
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DAVE Embedded Systems Hosts First Partners Meeting

Last week Nigel and Alberto made the short hop across Europe to north-west Italy to visit our friends at DAVE Embedded Systems.

DAVE invited their partners to their headquarters in Porcia to take part in the very first 'Daving' event - a three day training session designed to share information, news and future plans for DAVE Embedded Systems and their partners.

The three days, which lasted from the 29th of May to the 31 of May 2014, were packed full of presentations, team building exercises and training sessions. But it wasn't all work and no play...

There was plenty of opportunity to build relationships and have some fun!

About DAVE Embedded Systems - DAVE Embedded Systems is a well-established Italian company, focussed on the design of highly complex miniaturised embedded electronic systems. They offer a complete line of CPU modules covering ARM and PowerPC architectures, from entry level models right through to high end ruggedised boards. DAVE Embedded Systems modules are suitable for applications in the industrial, transportation, home automation, medical, networking, smart grid and telecom markets.

Sarsen Technology Adds to the Obesity Crisis

We really do work with some lovely people....

The exceptionally nice folks at Sema4 have sent over a box of goodies today, and of course it would be rude not to open it and share the contents.

Yes, thats right, share. "One for me, one for you. One for me, one for me, one for me.... one for you!"

Thanks very much for reminding us that diets are over-rated and that biscuits are way better!

In the Spotlight - Trenton Systems Medical Imaging Technology

'Medical Imaging' is the process used to create images of the human body to reveal, diagnose, or examine disease or injury. There are a variety of types, each using specific technology to generate a different image.

Sarsen Technology supplies high speed data acquisition and powerful embedded computing hardware for these kinds of applications -

• Computed Tomography (CT Scanning)
• Digital Radiography
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Nuclear Medicine Imaging
• Medical Image Processing
• Cardiovascular X-ray

Advances in medical imaging technology mean image quality and rendering speed are always being improved. X86 multi-core processor innovations supply increased processing power while reducing cost and size, which allows departments like Ultrasound, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Nuclear Medicine Imaging (NMI) and Cardiovascular X-ray to benefit from advances in high performance computing and image processing.

Medical system technology also has very demanding support requirements. Once stringent medical equipment approvals are in place, customers rely on their suppliers for long-term product supply and support.

To meet the needs of the medical industry, Trenton Systems designs products with longevity and reliability in mind, using processors with 7 year availability and offering a 5 year factory warranty on single board computers, backplanes and embedded motherboards. Using dual Intel multi-core processors in conjunction with PCI Express Gen 2 bus technology means these platforms can easily satisfy high-bandwidth medical imaging applications.

For more information on the work that Trenton are doing in the medical technology market place please get in touch, either by phone +44 1672 511166 or email us - info@sarsen.net

Cytometry – BittWare Have It Sorted!

Cytometers are instruments that measure the properties of single cells, one cell at a time. They can measure cell size, cell granularity, and the amounts of cell components such as DNA and proteins.

Flow cytometers take in a suspension of cells and run them single file past a laser beam. The laser is used to count different cell populations based on the light that their specific labels emit.

Biological cell classification is a highly complex process, made possible by digital signal processing. In the past, flow cytometry and cell sorting systems have used complex, custom analog circuitry that has remained unchanged for years. BittWare has worked with customers to develop systems that use both DSPs and FPGAs working together to provide the processing. This has created intelligent systems that also provide a high level of flexibility and re-programmability, enabling them to be somewhat general purpose, yet capable of being tailored to the requirements of specific, in this case, medical applications.

BittWare were approached by a customer with a very specific requirement. Their challenge was to provide a very high system throughput - 64 channels of 105 MHz ADC, real-time processing of unpredictable and changing data, a very high level of flexibility for rapid adaptation and updating, along with extended precision and dynamic range.

When the customer started designing their prototype they used DSP, which worked but didn’t give them the flexibility they needed. BittWare took over and created a hybrid signal processing design – DSP + FPGA, which lowered costs and increased flexibility.

Adding an FPGA to the mix meant the number of DSPs could be halved, significantly reducing the overall system cost. The hybrid solution provided the best of both worlds with the DSPs satisfying the need for sustained, low-latency, high-throughput processing, and the FPGAs providing fast, repetitive front-end processing and system flexibility.

For more information on DSP and FPGA technology from BittWare please get in touch - info@sarsen.net.

Have a great weekend!

It's Medical March!

So we've had Green January and Financial February.... Now it's Medical March! We'll be bringing you all the coolest tech available from Sarsen, as well as application stories and innovations from this market sector.

Pretty exciting stuff I know!

Many of our manufacturers have products that are specifically designed with medical applications in mind. There are many factors that designers need to take into consideration when designing an embedded system for medical use, and one of the most important is long term availability. Once a product is designed in, and has undergone rigorous testing and approval processes, it could be in production or need support for upwards of 10 years.

 

VersaLogic Corp design a range of embedded computer products with guaranteed long term availability, as well as offering product life-cycle management to help eliminate product redesigns.

The Falcon EPU module from VersaLogic is an extremely small and rugged embedded computer, which been engineered and tested to meet the Medical industrys evolving requirements to develop smaller, lighter, and lower power embedded systems while adhering to stringent regulatory standards.

It's one of the smallest boards on the market, around the size of a credit card, and it's less than 1" thick so it is a great option for space constrained high reliability applications in the medical sector.

VL-EPU-2610 'Falcon' from VersaLogic

For more information get in touch with the sales team here at Sarsen. You can call the office on +44 1672 511166, or drop us an email - info@sarsen.net.

Embedded Medical Systems from Sarsen Technology Ltd

Medical systems often have very demanding technology and support requirements.

MRI scanners, CT scanners and ultrasound imaging systems typically require powerful data acquisition, digital signal processing and data recording solutions. Sarsen understand that medical customers have special requirements, so we supply high speed data acquisition and powerful embedded computing hardware, specifically for these kinds of applications.

Sarsen Technology represents a range of US manufacturers with a proven track record in supplying high reliability solutions to the medical industry.

Conduant’s  Big River™ RTX16 Digital Recording System is configured to provide clients with StreamStor ® high-speed recording and play-back technology, built into a heavy-duty industrial 19” rack-mount chassis that includes a PCI backplane for COTS component flexibility, a set of individually removable hard disk drives for data storage and an onboard Dual Core Xeon Server that can be used to handle command and control as well as data manipulation. The Big River™ RTX16 recording chassis configurations provide clients with 16 removable hard disk drives for multiple terabytes of data storage capacity and can be used to support a variety of data streaming applications such as medical imaging. 

BittWare’s hybrid signal processing boards provide an ideal solution for medical imaging systems designers. These boards provide the programming flexibility of an FPGA with the number-crunching power of a DSP, integrated by an innovative architecture – BittWare’s ATLANTiS Framework, allowing system designers to use both to their full advantage to get their products to market quickly and cost-effectively.

United Electronic Industries (UEI) has worked with NASA, supplying the UEIPAC Cube to perform an essential role in controlling the COLBERT treadmill in the new space station exercise facility. The astronauts need the treadmill both for exercise and for maintaining bone density in a gravity-free environment. Some of the functions monitored by the UEIPAC are characteristics of the astronaut’s gait and foot impact forces while exercising on the treadmill. This is determined by sensing data of various types from accelerometers and load cells in the treadmill and associated restraining equipment.

The COLBERT treadmill tested during a zero-gravity flight

For more information on how Sarsen can help you find the right solution for your medical application please call us on +44 1672 511166, or drop us an email: info@sarsen.net.

HOT OFF THE PRESS!!! Brand New Board from VersaLogic

Is it a Bird?

Is it a Plane?

No!

FALCON

(VL-EPU-2610-E***) 

A brand new

complete embedded computer from

VersaLogic!

The new 'Falcon' Embedded Processing Unit (EPU) combines processor, memory, video, and system I/O into an extremely compact embedded computer. Despite its diminutive size it packs a lot into a tiny space.

The Falcon is around the size of a credit card (a mere 55 mm x 84 mm), and only 22mm thick, making it a great choice for a range of applications, including Mil-Aero, Medical, Security, R&D and Robotics; industries that are always looking for smaller, lighter and lower power embedded systems, that still offer exceptional high reliability and long term availability.

Tipping the scales at under 115g, which is about the same as a smartphone, it’s also a seriously good solution for use in for portable applications and unmanned systems where Size, Weight and Power consumption (SWaP) are critical design elements.

The Falcon is VERY rugged - designed to withstand extreme temperature (-40º to +85ºC), it also meets MIL-STD-202G specifications for shock and vibration. Soldered-on RAM and latching SATA, Ethernet, power, and main I/O connectors provide additional ruggedisation for use in the corners of the world where us mere mortals will never venture......

The spec sheet reads like an engineer's wish list -

• Industrial Temperature Operation - -40º to +85ºC operation for harsh environments.
• Fanless Operation - No moving parts for CPU cooling.
• Wide Input Voltage Range - Accepts 8 to 17 volts (12V typ.).
• High Performance Video - Graphics core supports MPEG-4/H.264 and MPEG-2 encoding and decoding.
• Network - Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) with remote boot support.
• RAM - Up to 2Gb soldered-on DDR2 RAM.
• SATA - Supports SATA hard drives and mSATA flash storage options.
• Mini PCIe Card Socket - Supports Wi-Fi modems , GPS, MIL-STD-1553, Ethernet, Solid State storage and other plug in devices.
• Device I/O - Four serial ports, four USB ports, Intel Hi-Def Audio

Check out the Falcon datasheet here for a complete run down of spec and capabilities!

The Falcon will be available from stock starting in September of 2012. 

We are anticipating a lot of demand for this board, so register your interest now by contacting us at info@sarsen.net or visit www.sarsen.net for more information.

When is a Tiger not a cat...?

...When it's a VersaLogic PC/104-Plus SBC

VL Tiger (VL-EPM-24) 

Species - VersaLogic PC/104-Plus SBC

Size/Weight - PC/104-Plus: 114 mm x 96 mm (4.49” x 3.78”) and 0.286 lbs (0.129 kg) at its heaviest.

Diet - Intel Atom Z5xx Processor Up to 1.6 GHz performance with very low power consumption 6W typ (while executing code)

Habitat - The Tiger is an ideal choice for space, weight, and power (SWaP) constrained embedded applications. Based on the industry standard PC/104-Plus form factor, this compact and rugged SBC is an excellent solution for industrial, energy, defence/aerospace, medical, and robotics applications where a small footprint, low power draw (6W typical), and fanless operation are crucial design factors.

Description - Based on the PC/104-Plus industry standard form factor, the Tiger supports both PC/104 and PC/104-Plus stackable expansion boards. Tiger’s standard on-board features include gigabit Ethernet with network boot capability, SO-DIMM socket for up to 2 GB DDR2 RAM, seven USB 2.0 ports, four serial ports, IDE controller with support for two devices, HD audio, and a Disk on Module (DOM) socket for removable flash storage.

Life span - From application design-in support to its 5+ year production life guarantee, the Tiger provides a durable embedded computer solution with an excellent cost of ownership.

Population status - The VersaLogic Tiger is available from stock now. Contact Sarsen Technology on +44 1672 511166 or info@sarsen.net for more information.