Huge Price Slash for Embedded mainboard

Acrosser Technology Co. Ltd, global professional industrial and Embedded Computer provider, announces the new Atom series solutions which include AMB-D255T1 Mini-ITX industrial mainboard and AMB-N280S1 fanless 3.5-inch single board computer. AMB-D255T1 is equipped with an Intel D2550 Atom processor. AMB-N280S1 is equipped with an Intel N2800 Atom. Both have a 5~7 year product warranty.

AMB-D255T1 features powerful graphic performance via VGA and HDMI output, one DDR3 SO-DIMM socket, mSATA socket with USB signals and SIM slot, and a +12V DC jack for easy power input. AMB-D255T1 also provides complete I/O such as 4 x COM ports, 6 x USB2.0 ports, 1 x GbE RJ-45 port, 1 x SATA port with power connector.

AMB-N280S1 has a variety of I/O ports, such as 5 x serial ports (one is RS-232/422/485 selectable), 4 x USB2.0, 2 x GbE RJ-45 ports, and one Mini-PCIe expansion. It also offers 1 x SATA interface and power connector for customers desiring large storage capacity. AMB-N280S1 has one HDMI port and one VGA output and can support two maximum resolution displays of 1920 x 1200. It also offers a 18-bit LVDS interface for small size LCD panels.

Acrosser is providing a special price for these two boards to make them available for customers sooner. Please contact your local sales for more information.

Product information：
AMB-D255T1
http://www.acrosser.com/Products/Single-Board-Computer/Mini-ITX-&-others/AMB-D255T1 (Mini-ITX-)/Intel-Atom-D2550-AMB-D255T1-(Mini-ITX)-.html

AMB-N280S1
http://www.acrosser.com/Products/Single-Board-Computer/3．5’’-SBC/AMB-N280S1/Single-Board-Computer-AMB-N280S1.html

Contact：
http://www.acrosser.com/inquiry.html

Embedded computer rocks!

Curtiss-Wright’s mission computer subsystem continues to power smart flight training

Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions (www.cwcontrols.com) recently received a follow-on contract from embedded computer to provide a fully integrated open architecture-based mission computer subsystem for use in its PC-21 NextGen Trainer aircraft. Over the lifetime of this PC-21 program, this contract is valued at more embedded computer than $11 million. Under the contract, Curtiss-Wright will provide Pilatus with its rugged
MPMC-9350 processing subsystem. Shipments under the new contract began in October 2012, and are scheduled to continue through August 2014.

refer to: http://vita-technologies.com/articles/embedded-trends-high-flying-design-wins/

Search fo ideal embedded technology

Chopper stabilization is an ideal embedded technology for latching sensors in BLDC motors

Truth: Although chopper stabilization can offer high sensitivity and more magnetic stability, it has several drawbacks including slower response time, accuracy error (due to sampling), and electrical noise generation.

Hall effect sensors are operated by a magnetic field from a permanent magnet or an electromagnet responding to North and South Poles. These magnetic sensors measure the change in magnetic field and communicate the position of the motor shaft to a logic unit, which uses this information to determine when the current should be applied to the motor coils to make the magnets rotate at the correct orientation.

refer to: http://industrial-embedded.com/articles/busting-three-myths-chopper-stabilization/

Muliple appiclations on embedded tactics

With Linux has further opened up the possibilities with safety-critical operations and multimedia communications. Hardware companies have followed suit with more IVI functions built onto a single piece of silicon, improving security and performance.

The available power of multicore[] SoC hardware hosting a Linux operating system is fueling rapid expansion in vehicle software in the area of telematics. In Europe, for example, by 2015, all new cars must be equipped with the eCall system, to automatically alert emergency services in the event of a collision. Services such as insurance tracking, stolen vehicle notification, real-time cloud data (traffic, weather, road conditions ahead), car-to-car communication, driverless car, diagnostics, and servicing are also made available via embedded in-car Internet services. To operate in this space, IVI hardware needs to have multicore processor support, GPU/high-performance graphics with multiple video outputs, Internet connectivity, and compatibility with existing in-car networks such as CAN, MOST, and AVB. Several components are already on the market, and the future potential is exciting.

Consolidating multiple functions into a single Linux-based Electronic Control Unit (ECU) allows for a reduction in component count, thereby reducing overall vehicle costs. Maintenance becomes easier. And the wire harness costs are reduced as the total ECU count drops. As Linux becomes more widespread in vehicles, additional technologies will consolidate – for example, instrument clusters and AUTOSAR-based ECUs may coexist with infotainment stacks. It’s also important to realize that the complexity of software and the amount of software code used will only increase as these new technologies become standard. Already more than 100 million lines of code are used in the infotainment system of the S-Class Mercedes-Benz and according to Linuxinsider.com, and that number is projected to triple by 2015.

 

refer to: http://embedded-computing.com/articles/automotive-source-drives-innovation/#at_pco=cfd-1.0





ACROSSER has provided innovative embedded computer solutions and quality products to over thousands customers on helping them reduce the time-to-market to gain the higher competence and to win the market.

Network capacity and performance

 IT managers are under increasing pressure to boost network capacity and performance to cope with the data deluge. Networking systems are under a similar form of stress with their performance degrading as new capabilities are added in software. The solution to both needs is next-generation System-on-Chip (SoC) communications processors that combine multiple cores with multiple hardware acceleration engines.

The data deluge, with its massive growth in both mobile and enterprise network traffic, is driving substantial changes in the architectures of base stations, routers, gateways, and other networking systems. To maintain high performance as traffic volume and velocity continue to grow, next-generation communications processors combine multicore processors with specialized hardware acceleration engines in SoC ICs.

refer:http://embedded-computing.com/articles/next-generation-architectures-tomorrows-communications-networks/

About Real-time and general-purpose operating issue

 Virtualization for embedded systems has many implementations in which two or more operating systems coexist to gain the benefits of each. One approach puts Microsoft Windows and a Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) together.

 

Much is being said about virtualization these days in the softwareworld. Simply stated, virtualization is about getting multiple OSs to run on the same computing platform at the same time. Virtualization has been cited as a key technology for getting the most performance out of the newest multicore processors. But just as not all computing applications are the same, not all virtualization approaches are appropriate for all applications.
Embedded systems have a key requirement that doesn’t normally apply to office and server computers: the need for deterministic response to real-time events. To support the requirement for determinism, embedded applications typically use RTOSs. Embedded applications also employ general-purpose OSs to handle operator interfaces, databases, and general-purpose computing tasks.
In the past, because OSs couldn’t successfully co-reside on computing platforms, system developers employed multiple processing platforms using one or more to support real-time functions and others to handle general-purpose processing. System designers that can combine both types of processing on the same platform can save costs by eliminating redundant computing hardware. The advent of multicore processors supports this premise because it is possible to dedicate processor cores to different computing environments; however, the software issues posed by consolidating such environments require special consideration. Combining real-time and general-purpose operating environments on the same platform (Figure 1) places some stringent requirements on how virtualization is implemented.
1.Paravirtualization
2.Server virtualization
3.Hardware-aided embedded virtualization     
4.Leveraging Intel Architecture
5.Embedded virtualization saves costs

refer: http://embedded-computing.com/articles/real-time-general-purpose-unite-via-virtualization/

Communication strategie in embedded technology

 

Although embedded devices destined for industrial applications have a wide range of design requirements due to the diverse environments in which they are deployed, almost all systems need some form of wired or wireless communications capabilities. Stand-alone industrial embedded devices are relatively rare, as users now demand remote access for data collection, management, maintenance, troubleshooting, software updates, and system security. For example, businesses need to monitor and collect real-time operational or throughput statistics from individual devices to evaluate the performance of manufacturing systems and methods.
Complex embedded systems can automatically run maintenance and diagnostic routines to evaluate reductions in performance and remotely schedule hardware updates. Many remote systems also require some type of security or surveillance features to detect and possibly prevent physical or virtual attacks. The challenge for embedded designers is to find the right communications technologythat delivers reliable, high-performance connectivity in an industrial environment with possible noise, extended temperatures, shock/vibration, and interference.
In this issue of Industrial Embedded Systems, we asked contributors to take a look at the principal issues and trends affecting contemporary embedded design for industrial applications and found that connectivity was a major topic in most of the articles and interviews. For example, in the Computing section, Mike Holt of Semitech Semiconductor illustrates techniques to optimize power line communications for Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications such as automatic meter reading or control and management of streetlights, vending machines, or solar panels. In the same section, Lantronix VP of engineering Daryl Miller offers suggestions for making smart grids smarter by integrating M2M communications features into legacy equipment to enable remote access, control, and troubleshooting capabilities. Andreas Johannsen of Vincotech describes another important design requirement for industrial equipment, especially systems that operate 24 hours a day: power efficiency. Andreas shows how electronic commutated motor drives contained in an integrated power module can be up to 90 percent more efficient than conventional motor drives in industrial applications.
In the Networking/Sensing section, connectivity is a central theme in discussions on applications ranging from building automation to smart parking technology. In a Q&A session, HomePlug Powerline Alliance President Rob Ranck explains the current state of broadband networking over existing AC wiring within the home and outlines new standards that support smart gridapplications, electric vehicle charging stations, and HD streaming for movies or gaming. In a technical article targeting Building Automation Systems (BAS), Louis-Nicolas Hamer, VP at SCL Elements, describes the industry’s slow progress due to poor interoperability among multiple automation protocols and highlights a new all-in-one embedded gateway controller that can solve this BAS divergence. Citing unprecedented grown in the M2M industry, Mike Ueland, VP and general manager at Telit Wireless Solutions North America, shows how companies are deploying remote monitoring to increase efficiency and cut costs in managing industrial assets and systems. And finally, in a completely different connectivity application, Alicia Asín of Libelium offers a unique solution for automobile parking management that could potentially eliminate billions of hours of lost productivity along with billions of gallons of wasted fuel due to motorists cruising around searching for parking spaces.
REFER:
http://industrial-embedded.com/articles/communication-reshape-embedded-technology/