PC/104 Embedded Consortium agrees to govern the EBX specification
MARCH 30--The PC/104 Consortium (San Francisco, CA) has reached agreement with Motorola Computer Group and Ampro Computers to become the governing standards body for the EBX specification.
MARCH 30--The PC/104 Consortium (San Francisco, CA) has reached agreement with Motorola Computer Group and Ampro Computers to become the governing standards body for the EBX specification. EBX is a 5.75 x 8.0-in. embedded single-board computer (SBC) format that supports PC/104 and PC/104-Plus as part of its specification.
The EBX standard was introduced by Motorola Computer Group and Ampro in 1997 and has become popular with embedded SBC manufacturers because of its size. Its larger form factor provides the required space for larger CPU chips and chips sets as well as expanded connector space. Jeff Milde, executive director of the PC/104 Consortium, explains, "The Consortium welcomes the opportunity to oversee a specification that supports PC/104 since it is complementary with our charter. We see this as an opportunity to offer PC/104 manufacturers and users a path that encourages the use of PC/104 as an I/O bus. Additionally, the EBX form factor is an excellent footprint for embedded users to adopt when designing their own I/O boards and want to ensure plug on CPU choices for their design into the future. This is a win/win relationship."
It is estimated there are currently more than 25 manufacturers of EBX embedded board products. Additionally, there are more than 90 manufacturers who provide PC/104 CPU and I/O boards that can plug into the PC/104 and PC/104-Plus connectors on EBX boards. The EBX specification is available on the Consortium's Web site: www.pc104.org.
The PC/104 Consortium and standard were established in 1992. PC/104, in use since 1987, is a small-form-factor, embedded PC physical and electrical interface standard. It provides embedded system designers with an architecture that is dense, cost-effective, and based on proven, practical technology. PC/104-Plus, an extension that was added to the standard in 1995, incorporates PCI technology. A PCI only version, PCI-104 was incorporated into the specification in 2004.
Longevity is one of the hallmarks of the PC/104 technology. Because customers require stable, long-term supply, PC/104 module vendors typically offer products that do not change specifications as fast as commercial PC vendors. PC/104 proven reliability is valued by thousands of OEMs in application areas such as industrial control and instrumentation, military and aerospace, and medical.
For more information on PC/104 and PC/104-Plus specification, see the Imaging Board Directory in the May 2004 issue of Vision Systems Design.
