Wired and Wireless Connectivity on One Single-Board Computer

WinSystems (Arlington, TX) has introduced the LBC-GX500, a singleboard computer based on the AMD GX500@1W processor, designed for machine-to-machine connectivity. The board is a Pentium-class CPU with an x86- native instruction set and 32KB of integrated L1 cache that runs Windows CE/XP Embedded, as well as Linux, VxWorks, and QNX. It features various wired and wireless connectivity options such as 802.11 wireless Ethernet, GSM/ GPRS cellular modem, CDMA cellular modem, and a ZigBee wireless RF module. It also includes a 10/100 wired Ethernet port, global- compliant dial-up modem, six USB ports, and six COM channels. The LBC-GX500 measures 5.75 × 8" and provides an open platform for management of geographically distributed machinery and sensors that operates over an industrial temperature range from -40º to 85ºC.

The SBC includes a variety of onboard peripherals that eliminate the need for other I/O cards, including 48 parallel digital I/O lines, CRT and digital flat-panel video controller and interface, keyboard controller, PS/2 mouse support, LPT port, and an optional 12- bit A/D converter. Additional I/O expansion is possible by self-stacking modules plugged onto the PC/104 and PC/104-Plus connectors. The board offers support for rotational and solid-state disks. Two floppy disk drives and two UltraDMA 66 IDE drives can be connected. A socket for bootable Type I and II CompactFlash cards and a socket for an M-Systems DiskOnChip™ is included. The SBC is suitable for use in industrial automation, transportation, test and measurement, petrochemical, MIL/COTS, medical/ diagnostic equipment, communication gateways/routers, and homeland security.