What is an Embedded Processing Unit (EPU) ?

Embedded Processing Unit

Definition - Fully assembled and tested x86 embedded computer based on COM Express form factor.

The EPU concept is based on the flexibility of a 2-board set forming a complete embedded computer product. When you combine two completely separate CPU and I/O modules, tightly sandwiched together, the final product provide a huge range of advantages and a much smaller footprint than equivalent single board computers.

VersaLogic's family of rugged EPU products are designed around the COM Express form factor, and are delivered as fully assembled and tested units (including heat plate).



What's Inside

 

EPUs offer a long list of advantages over other embedded computer board products, including:

• Fast time-to-market 
• Smaller footprint 
•  -40° to +85°C operation 
• Fully tested 
• Available off-the-shelf!

There is also often the added complication of designing a custom carrier card for COM Express modules. EPUs eliminate the effort needed to design with high speed signals, validate the I/O circuits to make sure they work properly, create testing methods for the finished units, etc. The expertise required to create software drivers, BIOS customisation, and API code for the on-board I/O is also removed for easy integration.

EPU modules are almost obsolescence proof. The industry standard form factor means it's really easy to migrate to an EPU with a newer CPU module, but keep your existing I/O configuration and connectors for drop-in compatibility. This is combined with VersaLogic's standard 5-year availability guarantee and Product Life Extension programs for almost completely future-proof technology solutions.

Have a look at the EPU Product Overview to find out more.

If you think one of VersaLogic's rugged, off-the-shelf EPU embedded computer models might be a good fit for your application please give one of our experienced engineers to discuss your requirements.

T: 01672 511166
E: info@sarsen.net  

VersaLogic Releases Intel Skylake-based Rugged Embedded Computer in COM Express Basic Form Factor

Blackbird from VersaLogic is a very high performance embedded computer built around Intel's Skylake processor.

Blackbird is the latest member of the growing family of VersaLogic's EPU (Embedded Processing Unit) format computers. EPUs combine processor, memory, video, and system I/O into a compact fully functioning embedded computer. Supplied fully assembled and tested these computers are based on COM Express standards. Available in dual- and quad-core versions, the Blackbird provides extreme CPU processing and video performance for its compact size.

See Datasheet

At 95 x 125 x 37mm the Blackbird is a small, ultra-rugged embedded x86 computer, combining the new 6th generation Intel® Core "Skylake" processor, with system interfaces and I/O features, in a configuration designed to withstand extreme temperature, impact, and vibration.

Depending on the selected configuration the Blackbird provides up to six times the processing power of Intel's Bay Trail processors, while keeping power consumption as low as 15 Watts. The Blackbird provides compatibility with a broad range of standard x86 application development tools for reduced development time.


"The Blackbird's i5 and i7 Skylake processors deliver amazing compute and video performance, at power levels that are very manageable. The on-board power supply, which accepts 8 to 30 VDC, makes it an easy match for fixed or mobile 12 and 24-volt systems." said Len Crane, President of VersaLogic. "The on-board TPM security chip, USB 3.0 ports, analog inputs and output, and other I/O, make the Blackbird a perfect fit for higher-performance systems."

Built-In Security
The on-board Trusted Platform Module (TPM) security chip can be used to block unauthorised hardware and software access. Additional security support is provided through built-in AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) processor instructions.

Powerful Video Processing
Intel's HD graphics 500 system provides superior graphics performance and is capable of supporting up to two 4K UHD monitors at once. The Skylake GPU can also transcode a 4K video up to 20 percent faster than the previous generation of CPU's. It also supports other graphic technologies such as OpenCL 2.0, DirectX 12, Open GL 4.4, HEVC/H.265 encoding and decoding, and H.264 encoder.
Dual DisplayPort outputs and a single/dual-channel LVDS display output is available.

High Performance I/O Capabilities
On-board I/O includes eight channels of 12-bit programmable Analog Inputs, four channels of 12-bit Analog Output, twenty four Digital I/O lines, I2C and SPI. Also included are two Gigabit Ethernet ports with network boot capability, two USB 3.0, four USB 2.0 host ports, and four serial ports. Two SATA III interfaces support high-capacity rotating or solid-state drives.

Three Mini PCIe sockets provide easy system expansion using plug-in Wi-Fi modems, GPS receivers, MIL-STD-1553, Ethernet, Firewire, and other mini PCIe cards. These sockets, one with mSATA capabilities, also provide flexible solid-state drive (SSD) options.

Designed, Manufactured and Tested for Extreme Environments
Blackbird is designed and tested for extended temperature (-40° to +85°C) operation and meets MIL-STD-202G specifications for high impact and vibration. The Blackbird is fully compatible with 12 or 24V vehicle applications, and the on-board power regulation supports inputs of 8 to 30 volts to simplify system power supply requirements. Reverse Voltage Protection, and Over Voltage Protection enhances field durability and reliability.

Long-term Availability
The Blackbird is covered by VersaLogic's 5+ year availability guarantee and a 5-year product warranty. VersaLogic's Life Extension programs typically keep products available for 10+ years.

For more information please contact Sarsen Technology.

Embedded World 2017

Date: 14-16 March 2017
Location: Nuremberg, Germany
Visit: www.embedded-world.de

Whether your business is IT security for electronic systems, distributed intelligence, the Internet of Things or e-mobility and energy efficiency – the Embedded World Trade Fair in Nuremberg enables you to experience the whole world of embedded systems.

Over 930 exhibitors and numerous speakers from 42 countries will be presenting on a diverse selection of topics, ranging from construction elements through modules and full systems, operating systems, hard and software to services. The show is likely to welcome more than 30,000 trade visitors and approximately 1,700 conference participants from 73 countries.

Christos Flouris from Sarsen Technology will be at the show on 15th March, and will be supporting VersaLogic and DAVE Embedded Systems on their respective stands. Selwyn Henriques from EIZO Rugged Solutions will also be there throughout the show, and will be available to discuss your embedded video and graphics requirements.

DAVE Embedded Systems - Hall 4 - Stand 481: ARM Cortex, PowerPC and FPGA based embedded solutions for the future of industrial IoT.
VersaLogic - Hall 3 - Stand 259: State-of-the-art x86 COTS embedded computers based on PC/104 architecture.

If you'd like to meet with Christos, Selwyn or anyone from VersaLogic or DAVE Embedded Systems please get in touch to secure a time.

info@sarsen.net
+44 1672 511166

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.

EE Journal Feature Article - The x86 Moat: Can Intel Defend the Data Center?

A Data Centre is a dedicated space for housing computer systems and associated components,

including telecoms and storage systems. Data centres stem from the days of the huge computer rooms of the early ages of the computing industry. This arrangement was largely unaffected by the steady reduction in size of the computer as the functionality requirements increased to such an extent that the systems still required the same amount of space. 

During the 1990s, the challenge was deploying enough processing power to meet the rapidly growing web audience. Considering Intel's market share for this industry today, x86-based servers didn't actually exist until the late 90s. But within a decade x86 processors were in the majority of servers being deployed in data centres.


Kevin Morris has written a really interesting article for EE Journal, looking at the role of FPGAs and their potential impact on the EDA industry.


May 31, 2016
The x86 Moat - Can Intel Defend the Data Center?
By Kevin Morris

Read the full article 

Excerpt:

Intel’s data center fortress is defended by the x86 moat.

The single factor that most locks Intel’s hardware into the sockets that sit on the blades that slip into the racks that line the rows of just about every data center on the planet is the x86 moat. Just about every piece of software in the universe was written and optimised for the x86 architecture. There are billions and billions of lines of code out there working every day that have been debugged and tested and proven to work reliably (well, as reliably as software gets, anyway) on Intel’s architecture.

Before any attacker can hope to displace the incumbent supplier, they have to convince the customer that changing processor architectures is really not that big a deal.

Well-designed fortresses are very good at protecting against the expected. For the fortress to be truly at risk - for Intel’s position in the data center to be realistically challenged in a meaningful way - we would need to see a sea change - an event that profoundly alters the nature of the game - a discontinuity.

FPGA-based acceleration is that discontinuity.

If the creation of heterogeneous processors with von Neumann machines sharing the workload with FPGA-based accelerators can improve energy efficiency in the data center by orders of magnitude, we have a compelling event worth an incredible amount of money - and trouble.

End of excerpt


FPGA Hardware
Sarsen Technology supplies and supports a wide range of hardware based on both Xilinx and Altera FPGAs, and can also supply a full range of software development tools and software drivers to get your FPGA system to market on-time and on-budget - www.sarsen.net
For more information please contact Sarsen Technology on +44 1672 511166, or send us an email: info@sarsen.net

WEAF Technology Showcase - April 2016

The West of England Aerospace Forum (WEAF) is a membership trade association that supports the interests of the aerospace and defence industry in the South West of England. WEAF collaborates with partners like UKTI to provide critical support services such as export and marketing opportunities at major international trade exhibitions, like Farnborough and Paris. It also enjoys close links with the MOD.

The WEAF Technology Showcase events are a rare opportunity to get to know who the innovators are, what they are doing and to identify opportunities for your own organisation. If you are seeking the answers to one or more of these questions the Technology Showcase could be for you.

Tony represented Sarsen Technology at the lastest Technology Showcase, held at Renishaw Plc.  It was a great opportunity to learn about new technological developments in the sector, understand how other companies have maximised the benefit of their innovation, and allowed us to showcase selected product lines to developers and engineers who may not have been aware of them before.

Our display included the TRC2008 2U chassis from Trenton Systems, a selection of x86 boards from VersaLogic including the new Bengal 'Bay Trail' based module, and the Lumineq and BORA working model from DAVE Embedded Systems.

Check out the photos from the day below.

For more information on any of the products on display, or if you'd like to know more about WEAF please contact Tony Seal - tony.seal@sarsen.net or give us a call - 01672 511166.

VersaLogic EBX Single Board Computers - The Next Generation

Author - Laura

As part of their ongoing mission to provide reliable, cutting edge Single Board Computers (SBC) for the most demanding applications, VersaLogic has introduced two new EBX format boards.

Designed as a migration path for the Mamba, Python and Sidewinder boards, which are all now in the End of Life phase of their life cycle, the Anaconda and the Copperhead both offer a variety of I/O interfaces, multiple expansions buses, and thermal management options providing systems designers with flexibility and lower overall system cost.

VersaLogic's embedded computers are designed for the most demanding applications. From ultra small (credit card size) to industry-standard PC/104, EPIC and EBX format boards, their x86 compatible computers are used whenever reliability counts. They thrive in the harshest environments including temperature extremes (-40° to +85°C), shock, vibration, and humidity.

All VersaLogic computers are x86 compatible, allowing you to use standard Windows or Linux operating systems and your familiar development tools to create applications. Careful design and parts selection enables VersaLogic to manufacture most products for 5 to 10 years. VersaLogic backs every product with a 5-year minimum production life guarantee, as well as an industry leading 5 year warranty on all SBCs and expansion modules.

For more information please contact Sarsen Technology on +44 1672 511166 or send us an email.

DAVE Embedded Systems Gets a Facelift

Author - Laura

The team over at DAVE Embedded Systems have just unveiled their shiny new website, and it’s pretty impressive. With new graphics and clean, simple lines the new site provides a more streamlined user experience, without losing any of the familiar DAVE branding. 

 

With an emphasis on technical support the site now links directly to the DAVEWiki;
a fantastic archive full of documentation, user guides and software tools that provides developers with everything they need to get started.


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Check out their efforts by going to the all-new DAVE Embedded Systems website – www.dave.eu

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DAVE Embedded Systems is a well-established and constantly growing Italian company, focused on designing, manufacturing and selling of miniaturised embedded systems solutions. Since its foundation, back in 1998, DAVE Embedded Systems has developed its business and now provides CPU modules solutions or System-On-Module (SoM) based on the latest technologies including Multi-Core ARM Cortex, PowerPC, X86 and FPGA.

High Reliability Mini PCIe Modules - Expansion Designed for Extreme Environments

Author - Laura Biddiscombe

PCI Express Mini Card (also known as Mini PCI Express, Mini PCIe,  and mPCIe), based on PCI Express, is a replacement for the Mini PCI form factor, supporting both PCI Express and USB 2.0 connectivity. Each card may use either standard. Mini PCIe modules provide an economical and standardised way to add I/O and storage functions to embedded computer products. Unlike typical expansion boards, Mini PCIe allows additional functions to be added to a system with almost no increase in overall package size.

MiniPCIe cards are 30mm × 50.95mm. There is a 52-pin edge connector, consisting of two staggered rows on a 0.8 mm pitch, and each row has eight contacts, a gap equivalent to four contacts, then a further 18 contacts. The PCB itself has a thickness of just 1mm, excluding the components.

VersaLogic's new MiniPCIe modules are all designed for high reliability in demanding environments. They are all rated for operation across the full industrial temperature range (-40º to +85ºC), and for high shock and vibration (MIL-STD-202G).

VersaLogic's Mini PCIe modules are RoHS compliant and include VersaLogic's renowned 5+ year product life guarantee for long lifecycle applications. Customisation options include conformal coating, IPC Class 3 assembly, application-specific testing, BOM revision locks, etc.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The latest product to join the MiniPCIe family is the VL-MPEe-V5 - a video expansion module which provides an easy and economical way to add VGA and LVDS display outputs to an embedded computing solution.

The VL-MPEe-V5 is compatible with a variety of popular x86 operating systems including Windows, Windows Embedded, and Linux.

Pricing starts at $218 for up to 49pcs.

Contact Sarsen Technology for more information - info@sarsen.net

XMC/PMC and Rugged COM Express modules for high-temperature environments introduced by X-ES

Author - Laura Biddiscombe

We have a little treat for you - the brand new XPedite8101 Express Mezzanine Card and PCI Mezzanine Card (XMC/PMC) and XPedite8150 Rugged COM Express modules from Extreme Engineering Solutions (X-ES) have been featured in an article written by the editor of Military & Aerospace Electronics, John Keller.

Based on the Intel Atom E3800 processor family (formerly Bay Trail-I) these embedded computing modules are designed and tested for maximum reliability in the most demanding environments and applications that require long life cycles.

Read the full article

X-ES supports the Atom E3800 processor in industry-standard XMC/PMC and Rugged COM Express modules, enabling system integrators to develop a single x86-based application on modular hardware solutions that can be tailored for the performance and environmental constraints of each platform.

The XPedite8150 Rugged COM Express Module from Extreme Engineering Solutions

For more information or to request a quote please contact Sarsen Technology on +44 1672 511166, or drop us an email.

Embedded Systems 'R' Us!

Here at Sarsen embedded systems are just what we do. They are our core business, and we’ve got a crack team of manufacturing partners that enable us to help you, the lovely customer, find solutions for your embedded computing requirements. It can be a challenge, so we offer a wide range of high quality, high reliability products that support a lot of different market sectors.

One of our newest additions to the product line, Dave, has risen to the challenge of embedded product development by designing and manufacturing complete devices, including both software and hardware. The result is a complete line of CPU modules, covering x86, ARM and PowerPC architectures, with high-end and entry level models.

Dave’s aim is to help customers save development time and engineering costs, which is why each CPU is available with its own evaluation board and development kit, so you can easily test all the features on the module.

The BORA is the newest high performance CPU module from DAVE, powered by the Dual Cortex-A9 with the FPGA "Zynq" XC7Z010 / XC7Z020 application processor from Xilinx. The BoraEVB-Lite is a carrier board designed to host the Bora system-on-module.
Features Include -

• 10/100/1000 Ethernet
• 1x USB OTG
• Serial port (RS232)
• 1x MicroSD
• External DDR3 SDRAM bank
• +12V power connector
• JTAG
• 2.54mm-pitch pin-strip connectors for Bora PS and PL configurable peripherals (MIO and EMIO interfaces, GPIOs, custom IPs ..)

For more information about the development kits from Dave, or evaluations for any of our products, please get in touch with our wonderful sales team on +44 1672 511166, or email us – info@sarsen.net

Have a great weekend!

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

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.

VersaLogic launches BRAND NEW family of Embedded Single Board Computers

Roughly the size of a credit card and less than one inch thick, the Falcon is the industry’s smallest, lightest weight, and lowest power x86 rugged, embedded computer. 

The new Falcon EPU release from VersaLogic means we are talking to people about all kids of applications, including Mil-Aero, Medical, Security, R&D and Robotics. It’s a really compact board, (weighing under 40g) so it’s also a brilliant solution for use in for portable applications and unmanned systems where Size, Weight and Power consumption (SWaP) are critical design elements. 

It’s the first in a new family of VersaLogic Embedded Processing Units. EPUs combine processor, memory, video, and numerous system interfaces into an extremely compact embedded computer. 

Standard on-board features include up to 2 GB soldered-on RAM and a microSD socket. The standard Type 10 pin-out provides SDVO, LVDS, GbE, SATA, seven USB ports, three x1 PCIe lanes, two COM interfaces, HD audio, LPC, SDIO, GPIO, SMBus, and I2C to the baseboard. VersaLogic also offer an auxiliary board-to-board connector providing two additional COM interfaces, two GPIO lines, and one CAN interface. The Falcon is compatible with most x86 operating systems including Windows, Windows Embedded, Linux, and VxWorks. 

In a departure from their well-established high reliability PC/104 based product line, VersaLogic have applied the same strict quality and manufacturing practices to the PICMG Com Express form factor. Plus, offering a 5+ year availability guarantee and a 2 year warranty as standard on board level products you know your project is in safe hands. 

VersaLogic offer a 45 day evaluation scheme where you can 'try before you buy'. Evals are limited to single quantities of a specific product (including memory and development peripherals) and an evaluation survey needs to be completed before the product can be returned. 

If you would like more information on this exciting new product, or if you'd like to get your name on the list for an evaluation board please give us a call on +44 1672 511166, or email us - info@sarsen.net .