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#1 2009<br />
newsletter from data respons<br />
CASE: medotech<br />
Outsourcing provides faster<br />
development of medicaltechnical<br />
solution<br />
04<br />
10<br />
12<br />
Low power, high performance<br />
– enter Intel Atom<br />
Nex<strong>com</strong> Atom solutions<br />
in vertical markets<br />
Test-drive a hand-picked<br />
team from Data Respons<br />
1
LOCAL NEWS<br />
Embedded World<br />
Visit Data Respons at the Embedded<br />
World exhibition in Nuremberg in<br />
Germany on 3–5 March 2009.<br />
We will be exhibiting a number of exciting<br />
new developments at this event. It will be<br />
well worth while dropping by, and we will<br />
be glad to provide advice and guidance.<br />
You will find us in hall 9, on stand 231.<br />
Survey: Embedded<br />
operating systems<br />
Data Respons is carrying out an informal<br />
survey about the use of various<br />
embedded operating systems.<br />
Do you use Embedded Windows,<br />
Embedded Linux or<br />
other operating systems Fill<br />
in our survey, and you’ll be entered<br />
in the draw for an iPod<br />
Touch.<br />
Take part at:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/eo<br />
Sylog wins Gasellaward<br />
Embedded Networking in Stavanger<br />
We have the pleasure of inviting you to the Embedded Networking event at<br />
Data Respons’ new offices in Stavanger.<br />
Embedded Networking is both a technical<br />
and a social event, and the target<br />
group is freelancers and small<br />
<strong>com</strong>panies in the Stavanger region<br />
who want to know more<br />
about the advantages of getting<br />
involved in Data Respons’<br />
Embedded Pool. More<br />
information about Embedded<br />
Pool is available at<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/pool<br />
Location: Data Respons Stavanger,<br />
Chr. August Thoringsvei 7 (Forus)<br />
Date: Thursday, 19 February 2009<br />
Time: 4.30–6.30 p.m. CET<br />
registration and questions<br />
To register for the event, or if you have any<br />
questions, please e-mail cse@datarespons.no.<br />
NB: The number of places available is limited. First <strong>com</strong>e, first served!<br />
Syrén Software AB be<strong>com</strong>es part of<br />
Data Respons<br />
In January 2009, Syrén Software AB became an integrated part of<br />
the Data Respons group.<br />
This integration means that customers and other contacts will no longer see<br />
the name Syrén Software; all sales, consultancy and the organisation as a<br />
whole will continue under the name Data Respons Sweden.<br />
The Data Respons <strong>com</strong>pany Sylog has<br />
received the DI Gasell award for the<br />
Stockholm region.<br />
DI Gasell is an annual<br />
event arranged by the<br />
largest Swedish business<br />
paper, Dagens<br />
Industri (DI). For a <strong>com</strong>pany to be awarded<br />
a “Gasell” a number of criteria must be<br />
met, most importantly organic growth. Sylog<br />
has achieved an impressive growth of<br />
1703 per cent over the past four years.<br />
i n t e r r u p t<br />
Publisher: Data Respons ASA<br />
Editor: Svend Thürmer<br />
Text and design: Data Respons ASA<br />
Foto: Getty, iStock, Medotech<br />
Web: http://interrupt.datarespons.<strong>com</strong><br />
a b o u t d a t a r e s p o n s<br />
Data Respons ASA is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange<br />
(ticker: DAT) and has offices in Denmark, Finland, Norway,<br />
Sweden, Germany and Taiwan. Data Respons<br />
supplies Embedded Solutions to leading OEM <strong>com</strong>panies<br />
within defence, offshore, tele<strong>com</strong>s and industry.<br />
i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y r i g h t s<br />
You may quote from Interrupt and the web edition<br />
of Interrupt as long as the source is clearly<br />
indicated. Data Respons shall not be held liable<br />
for any inaccuracies in the texts.<br />
2<br />
DATA RESPONS | INTERRUPT #1 2009
SERVICES<br />
C-by-C makes it hard to make errors<br />
In development processes, any errors be<strong>com</strong>e more expensive to correct the later they are discovered. C by-C (Correctness<br />
by Construction) is a method which is based on the idea that it should be difficult to make errors – irrespective<br />
of the step in the process, from project start right through to delivery.<br />
“Debugging and verification are expensive in terms of both time<br />
and personnel, and it is also very difficult to estimate the duration of<br />
these processes,” explains Mattias Sjösvärd of Data Respons.<br />
“In C-by-C the aim is to try to reduce the number of errors to a<br />
minimum by verifying each developmental step. The time spent<br />
testing is normally considerably shorter than in traditional projects,<br />
since fewer errors make it through to the running and verification<br />
phases.”<br />
traceability and consequence analysis<br />
A fundamental premise within development is that there will always<br />
be changes, and so requirements, design, implementation<br />
and testing must be carried out in a traceable manner, in order to<br />
allow the consequences of any change to be predicted. Consequence<br />
analyses are always run at as high a level as possible, and<br />
should of course be <strong>com</strong>pleted at one level before proceeding<br />
to the next. This is simplified by developing iteratively in small<br />
steps.<br />
no repetitions<br />
The goal is always to keep the system information free of repetitions.<br />
If something is described in a requirements specification,<br />
it should not be repeated in the underlying construction documents.<br />
The design documentation is developed in a way that aims<br />
to simplify consequence analysis and future maintenance.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/581<br />
Consultant matching: need meets expertise<br />
When customers want to include developers or specialists in their development teams,<br />
Data Respons is able to match candidates up with the customers’ specific needs.<br />
Needs and requirements often<br />
exist at different levels, and the<br />
best-suited consultant is identified<br />
through a number of steps,<br />
from the initial contact between<br />
the customer and Data Respons’<br />
sales representative to a more<br />
fine-meshed selection of the correct<br />
candidate in Data Respons’<br />
consultancy department. Taking the customer’s needs as a starting<br />
point, the consultancy department draws up a shortlist, including<br />
detailed profiles of the candidates, and presents this to<br />
the customer. The shortlist is based on the consultants’ technical<br />
expertise, project experience and personal qualities.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/582<br />
Mechatronics – mechanisms for embedded solutions<br />
Mechanisms are visible and tangible. They are exposed to wear and tear and<br />
are subject to environmental forces such as heat, cold, vibrations, humidity<br />
and dust. This means that the choice of materials and design is critical.<br />
Experience shows that when a solution’s<br />
mechanical functionality is included as an<br />
integral part of the development process,<br />
the end result is more robust and userfriendly<br />
and the development time is reduced.<br />
Together with hardware designers,<br />
circuit-board layout specialists and, if necessary,<br />
end users, Data Respons develops<br />
the solution’s mechanical parts, including<br />
the construction and encapsulation with<br />
regard to cooling, shape, ingress protection<br />
(IP classes 30–54) and durability (fall test).<br />
Data Respons has extensive expertise in all<br />
the relevant 3-D CAD tools:<br />
•Pro/ENGINEER<br />
•UniGraphics<br />
•SolidWorks<br />
•AutoCAD<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/583<br />
DATA RESPONS | INTERRUPT #1 2009<br />
3
SERVICES<br />
Expertise in digital signal processing<br />
Over the years, the Data Respons <strong>com</strong>pany Lundinova has acquired a reputation as a specialist in the field of digital<br />
signal processing, or DSP, primarily of sound. This expertise is often put to use in connection with mobile telephony,<br />
but DSP and electronics from Lundinova are also found in new developments in the field of medical technology.<br />
The hand-held sound monitor intended to replace stethoscopes.<br />
Lundinova has considerable experience in electronics development<br />
and has built up particular expertise in DSP. In addition to<br />
a dedicated team of specialists in this area, the <strong>com</strong>pany also has<br />
a sound laboratory, where new technologies and new products<br />
are developed and tested. Examples include manipulating sound<br />
from an inexpensive miniature loudspeaker so that it produces<br />
hi-fi sound, or <strong>com</strong>pressing speech data to make it suitable for<br />
narrow bandwidths. In the past, most of the projects related to<br />
processing, measuring, interpreting, amplifying or manipulating<br />
sound signals for the mobile-phone industry. However, the<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany is now receiving an increasing number of enquiries from<br />
other industries, especially from <strong>com</strong>panies working in the field of<br />
medical technology.<br />
Lundinova recently received a <strong>com</strong>mission from Cometech to develop<br />
and build the electronics to be used in a diagnostic product<br />
for a medical-technology <strong>com</strong>pany. Cometech has developed and<br />
patented a new diagnostic technology based on sound processing.<br />
The product is a hand-held sound monitor that is intended to replace<br />
today’s stethoscopes, which often have limited functionality<br />
and poor sound quality. The monitor is equipped with a display as<br />
well as functions for the processing and transmission of measurement<br />
data, and it can be linked to electronic patient record systems.<br />
Thanks to its advanced microelectronics and software, along<br />
with the built-in amplifier and loudspeaker, this apparatus will be<br />
both functionally superior and more precise than the equipment<br />
currently in use.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/584<br />
Design kit for better FPGA development<br />
Most FPGA-based projects could be more efficient: bugs could be detected<br />
earlier, and product quality could be significantly better. Digitas offers an FPGA<br />
Design Quality Assurance kit that helps customers address these issues.<br />
Most FPGA quality problems are caused<br />
by poor coding, lack of structure, clock domain<br />
crossings, and timing, interfacing and<br />
integration issues. Digitas’ FPGA Design<br />
Quality Assurance kit (QA kit) includes coding<br />
conventions and design checklists that<br />
provide a structured approach to handling<br />
these problem areas.<br />
vhdl conventions<br />
Experience shows that many design bugs<br />
and iterations could have been avoided<br />
with proper use of basic design support.<br />
Digitas’ VHDL conventions cover standard<br />
coding issues, but also take an important<br />
step further in providing guidance for the<br />
designer. Conventions for error-prone coding<br />
aspects (like asynchronous inputs), rules<br />
for type usage (e.g. integer and unsigned)<br />
and re<strong>com</strong>mendations for safe coding and<br />
readability have been added – all linking to<br />
explanations, reasoning and examples in a<br />
separate appendix.<br />
checklist<br />
An FPGA design checklist is a very useful<br />
tool for any FPGA designer, and is really<br />
vital for designers who do not yet have a<br />
full overview of clocking, timing, spikes,<br />
structure, synthesis, P&R, etc. This document<br />
can be used as a pre-qualified input<br />
to a review, a checklist for any designer or<br />
as a list of issues to be aware of for a less<br />
experienced designer.<br />
digitas fpga design<br />
quality assurance kit<br />
Digitas’ VHDL conventions and design<br />
checklist are the most important parts of<br />
the QA kit. Most customers do however<br />
also appreciate the included overviews for<br />
type conversions and various operations<br />
on IEEE’s numeric std package. Digitas’ QA<br />
kit includes a four-hour VHDL conventions<br />
walkthrough that in many ways is a session<br />
on VHDL coding best practices. The QA kit<br />
is offered as a separate product or bundled<br />
with Digitas’ Verification kit.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/585<br />
4 DATA RESPONS | INTERRUPT #1 2009
FOCUS<br />
Low power, high performance – enter Intel Atom<br />
Low power, high performance, a small form factor, a high level of integration and a lifetime of up to seven years<br />
make the Intel Atom processor an interesting option for embedded solutions. Intel has chosen Data Respons as its<br />
strategic partner in the Nordic region.<br />
Kurt Godsk<br />
Technical Director, Data Respons A/S<br />
+45 88 32 75 50<br />
kgo@datarespons.dk<br />
Long-term market leader in PC processors,<br />
Intel, is now making a strong entrance into<br />
the low-power embedded market. The muchhyped<br />
x86-based Atom processor is sure to<br />
make a difference.<br />
“The demand for small-form-factor and lowpower<br />
devices in the embedded <strong>com</strong>puting<br />
market is increasing, and the design of the solutions<br />
is getting more <strong>com</strong>plex, which makes<br />
Data Respons an excellent partner to address<br />
these new market segment opportunities,”<br />
says Rod O’Shea, EMEA embedded sales director<br />
at Intel.<br />
The Atom processor is based on 45 nm highk<br />
metal gate transistor technology with improved<br />
transistor density and up to 20 per<br />
cent increased transistor switching speed.<br />
The design also reduces the transistor switching<br />
power by approximately 30 per cent and<br />
provides a reduction in the gate oxide leakage<br />
power.<br />
The demand for embedded <strong>com</strong>puting is<br />
growing stronger as the world be<strong>com</strong>es more<br />
connected. Bringing the x86 experience to<br />
handhelds and consumer electronics will be a<br />
key factor in the years to <strong>com</strong>e.<br />
the road ahead<br />
Future low-power devices from Intel in the<br />
embedded market are likely to offer even<br />
lower-power and higher-performance silicon,<br />
<strong>com</strong>bined once again with a small form factor<br />
and even higher levels of silicon integration.<br />
This, <strong>com</strong>bined with a <strong>com</strong>mitment to deliver<br />
processors with a lifetime of up to seven years,<br />
means that Intel offers an attractive option for<br />
embedded solutions, and in order to penetrate<br />
the market, Intel has made a strategic decision<br />
to enter partnerships with established<br />
development <strong>com</strong>panies on the embedded<br />
market.<br />
partnership with data respons<br />
Intel has been looking for a partner in the<br />
Nordic embedded market for some time. After<br />
long deliberation and rigorous reviews, Intel<br />
finally chose Data Respons as their partner in<br />
the Nordic region.<br />
“We chose Data Respons as our partner on the Nordic market because of the<br />
brand awareness they bring and their technical capabilities. They have a significant<br />
customer base and have shown strong growth,” says Philip van de Mortel,<br />
Nordics sales manager.<br />
DATA RESPONS | INTERRUPT #1 2009<br />
5
6 DATA RESPONS | INTERRUPT #1 2009
CASE: MEDOTECH<br />
Outsourcing provides<br />
faster development of<br />
medical-technical solution<br />
With the help of Data Respons as development partner, Medotech’s new medicaltechnical<br />
device Grindcare has set a new speed record for its time-to-market. This<br />
new model for development collaboration bodes well for the possibilities of realising<br />
profitable high-tech business ideas worldwide.<br />
Development of the<br />
third generation<br />
Data Respons has developed<br />
the third generation of Grindcare.<br />
With a view to getting the<br />
product certified for medical use<br />
in Europe, the USA and elsewhere,<br />
Data Respons has redesigned<br />
the hardware, software<br />
and mechanics.<br />
Data Respons has also carried<br />
out the project management<br />
and worked closely with industrial<br />
designers and manufacturing<br />
partners in order to achieve<br />
gradual changeovers from development<br />
to production.<br />
Vagn Rasmussen<br />
Sales Director<br />
+45 88327520<br />
vra@datarespons.dk<br />
The Danish founding <strong>com</strong>pany, Medotech<br />
A/S, has considerable expertise in the field<br />
of the development and design of medicaltechnical<br />
equipment. Medotech’s core expertise<br />
is in the development of equipment<br />
adapted for the customer, which utilises a<br />
biofeedback system to register and analyse<br />
signals from the human body. Medotech’s<br />
main product, Grindcare, is an apparatus<br />
for the diagnosis and treatment of bruxism<br />
(grinding the teeth) which an estimated 5<br />
per cent or more of the population of the<br />
western world suffer from.<br />
a necessary redesign<br />
Grindcare was developed in collaboration<br />
with the Danish Technology Institute and<br />
the School of Dentistry at Aarhus University<br />
in Denmark. Based on their experience<br />
with versions 1 and 2, Medotech<br />
were suddenly faced with the need to<br />
<strong>com</strong>pletely redesign Grindcare’s printed<br />
circuit board, software and mechanism.<br />
“Because we wanted to launch onto the<br />
international market, a <strong>com</strong>plete redesign<br />
became necessary, and everything had to<br />
be done by the book,” says CEO Troels<br />
Bierman Mortensen. “We were aware of<br />
the teething problems from versions 1 and<br />
2, and we certainly know the potential for<br />
biofeedback technology. From the users’<br />
point of view, we are aware of the functionality<br />
requirements. We know the price level<br />
for which we need to develop the product,<br />
and – no less importantly – we know<br />
>><br />
DATA RESPONS | INTERRUPT #1 2009<br />
7
CASE: MEDOTECH<br />
the documentation and manufacturing<br />
requirements which the European and<br />
American authorities place on medicaltechnical<br />
products,” he explains, regarding<br />
the challenges involved in a <strong>com</strong>plete<br />
redesign.<br />
outsourcing more efficient<br />
Since Medotech is neither a financial giant<br />
nor an organisational heavyweight, the<br />
decision to outsource the development<br />
work was both obvious and necessary.<br />
ABOUT<br />
medotech a/s<br />
Medotech develops and designs medical-technical equipment which registers<br />
and analyses signals from the human body. The results of the analyses<br />
are then sent back to the body in the form of biofeedback.<br />
Medotech’s main product Grindcare, which is based on biofeedback, treats<br />
bruxism by stimulating the muscles in the jaw to stop grinding the teeth.<br />
Learn more at www.medotech.<strong>com</strong><br />
“We made a conscious decision to choose<br />
a total contract – in other words, we<br />
wanted to have as much as possible of the<br />
technological and financial risk located in<br />
one contract,” says Mortensen.<br />
Therefore, Medotech chose one development<br />
<strong>com</strong>pany and one manufacturer under<br />
one contract.<br />
“We wanted the development <strong>com</strong>pany<br />
to work closely with the manufacturer, so<br />
as to avoid ending up in a situation where<br />
we received a product which would be<br />
difficult and expensive to manufacture,”<br />
explains Mortensen about the solution.<br />
advantages of a single contract<br />
Mortensen can see many new possibilities<br />
in manufacturers whose expertise covers<br />
the whole value chain and the entire design<br />
process.<br />
“We have just the one contract, no matter<br />
how many sub-suppliers end up involved.<br />
This means that everyone works according<br />
to one overall project plan, with one<br />
schedule and one <strong>com</strong>mon ownership. If<br />
one sub-supplier is able to provide expertise<br />
in embedded software, electronics,<br />
printed circuit board layout, mechanics,<br />
design and law, we avoid having to deal<br />
with individual contracts for every aspect<br />
and stage in the process.”<br />
benefits of a gradual changeover<br />
Upscaling – the point when one goes from<br />
a plastic prototype to the start of largescale<br />
production – is often a critical point<br />
in the product-development process. The<br />
integrated development process has also<br />
helped here, by making this step smoother.<br />
“We have saved a lot of time in the realisation<br />
of Grindcare, because we have had<br />
a gradual changeover between development<br />
and production. Traditionally we<br />
would have handed over a prototype<br />
to Medotech on a given date, and they<br />
would then have taken that on to a manufacturer.<br />
However, rigid dividing lines<br />
would have split up the development<br />
process and unnecessarily delayed the entire<br />
project,” says Vagn Rasmussen, sales<br />
director of Data Respons in Denmark.<br />
“Having a single development and manufacturing<br />
partner has given Medotech the<br />
benefit of a gradual changeover without<br />
technological limitations or time-consuming<br />
handovers. Altogether, we have saved<br />
both time and money, because the production<br />
consequences were known at an<br />
early date – before it became too late to<br />
change them,” continues Rasmussen.<br />
At the same time, proximity to its development<br />
partner has allowed Medotech to<br />
save a great deal of time.<br />
“Every time we want to change something<br />
in China, it takes three months. When we<br />
do it locally, it takes three days – or three<br />
hours. This is an extremely valuable difference,<br />
and as a result it allows us to produce<br />
medical equipment for a <strong>com</strong>pletely<br />
different price segment,” emphasises<br />
Mortensen.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/586<br />
Every time we want to change something<br />
in China, it takes three months.<br />
When we do it locally, it takes three<br />
days – or three hours.<br />
Troels Bierman Mortensen,<br />
Managing Director, Medotech<br />
8<br />
DATA RESPONS | INTERRUPT #1 2009
PRODUCTS<br />
SSD module designed for spaceconstrained<br />
applications<br />
SMART Modular Technologies announces<br />
its new Xceed iSATA embedded<br />
solid-state drive (SSD).<br />
Featuring a four-channel 3 Gb/s SATA-II<br />
module-level interface which offers improved<br />
data transfer speed <strong>com</strong>pared<br />
to other embedded storage solutions,<br />
the Xceed iSATA is the latest addition to<br />
SMART’s Xceed embedded Flash product<br />
line. This new drive is well suited<br />
for industrial-grade servers, single-board<br />
<strong>com</strong>puters, storage cache/accelerators,<br />
networking, data <strong>com</strong>munications, mobile<br />
and embedded <strong>com</strong>puting, and<br />
medical, automotive, and industrial applications.<br />
The industrial-grade Xceed iSATA SSD<br />
is designed specifically for space-constrained<br />
embedded applications where<br />
traditional 1.8” and 2.5” hard disc drives<br />
(HDDs) and SSDs are too large.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/587<br />
Safety with isolated power supplies<br />
Isolated power supplies from Winmate improve safety, reliability and durability.<br />
Some industrial regulations require products to have isolated power. It is not a standard,<br />
but an option, so customers can order products with an isolated power supply if they<br />
require it.<br />
Isolating the power supply:<br />
•Protects expensive equipment<br />
•Protects the user<br />
•Protects the data<br />
•Improves the noise immunity<br />
•Removes ground loops<br />
•Increases <strong>com</strong>mon-mode voltage rejection<br />
A special feature of the use of isolated power products<br />
is the wide input range of 8–36 V DC, which<br />
allows customers to connect to any 12 or 24 V<br />
car or boat battery without additional equipment.<br />
This makes the technology a very efficient<br />
and <strong>com</strong>pact solution that is most<br />
widely used in the marine market.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/588<br />
Full IP65<br />
stainless-steel<br />
LCDs and<br />
panel PCs<br />
Winmate releases a new full IP65<br />
product line for LCDs and Panel<br />
PCs with stainless-steel chassis.<br />
Winmate launches two product lines<br />
for rugged LCDs and Panel PCs. The<br />
products have a fully closed stainless-steel<br />
housing with protective<br />
glass or a touchscreen. The product<br />
lines <strong>com</strong>bine Winmate’s knowhow<br />
on fanless and energy-efficient<br />
design, IP65 sealing and housing<br />
design. The products can be used in<br />
harsh environments and where the<br />
LCD needs to be cleaned every day<br />
– for example in the food or chemical<br />
industries, where a clean environment<br />
is essential.<br />
With the wide-temperature-range<br />
option, the products can even be<br />
used in many outdoor applications,<br />
such as access control, digital<br />
signage, harbour control, building<br />
automation, in the food industry<br />
(frozen rooms) and more. The 15”,<br />
17” and 19” LCDs and Panel PCs are<br />
available now. Larger sizes are available<br />
on special request.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/589<br />
DATA RESPONS | INTERRUPT #1 2009<br />
9
PRODUCTS<br />
Low-cost COM<br />
Express module<br />
ADLINK Technology announces<br />
the Express-AT, measuring just<br />
125 x 95 mm and fully COM<br />
Express type 2 <strong>com</strong>patible.<br />
The Express-AT delivers full functionality,<br />
low power consumption,<br />
and a guaranteed production life of<br />
seven years at a very modest price.<br />
The Express-AT is based on an Intel ®<br />
Atom Processor N270 at 1.6 GHz<br />
supporting Intel ® SpeedStep and<br />
Hyper-Threading technologies. The<br />
cost-effective Mobile Intel ® 945GSE<br />
Express chipset <strong>com</strong>plements the<br />
functional core of the module with a<br />
very <strong>com</strong>plete feature set.<br />
The Express-AT is positioned as an<br />
entry-level COM Express module<br />
for systems that require a full set<br />
of graphics features. The module<br />
<strong>com</strong>es with integrated support for<br />
high-resolution CRT, single/dualchannel<br />
LVDS and TV-out (SDTV<br />
and HDTV).<br />
Primary focuses for application areas<br />
are medical diagnostics and medical<br />
imaging, gaming, industrial automation,<br />
test and measurement,<br />
video pre-processing and industrial<br />
control.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/590<br />
Nex<strong>com</strong> Atom solutions<br />
in vertical markets<br />
Nex<strong>com</strong> introduces the<br />
NISE2000 industrial fanless<br />
<strong>com</strong>puter and VTC6000 invehicle<br />
<strong>com</strong>puter based<br />
on Intel Atom processors<br />
for space-critical,<br />
harsh industrial and<br />
mobile applications.<br />
Owing to the low power<br />
consumption and small<br />
packaging of the Atom<br />
processor, the NISE2000 and VTC6000<br />
have a revolutionary <strong>com</strong>pact design and<br />
robust performance for industrial and vehicle<br />
requirements where space is limited<br />
and the environment is harsh.<br />
The NISE2000 features Intel’s Atom<br />
N270. The Atom N270 is <strong>com</strong>patible<br />
with the 945GSE chipset and is poweroptimised<br />
for cost-effective embedded<br />
solutions. With long lifetime support,<br />
power-efficient graphics, and rich I/O<br />
capabilities, the Atom N270 is an excellent<br />
choice for embedded vertical<br />
markets ranging from industrial control,<br />
digital signage, kiosks and point of sales.<br />
The VTC6000 is based on the ultra-lowpower<br />
Intel Atom Z5xx series. Taking<br />
advantage of the Atom Z5xx series’ low<br />
power capabilities and small packaging,<br />
the VTC6000 allows a wide temperature<br />
range in use in a more <strong>com</strong>pact design.<br />
Nex<strong>com</strong> also offers a <strong>com</strong>plete range of<br />
Atom solutions, including the NDiS120<br />
digital signage player, MRC2100 tablet<br />
PC, EBC540 5.25” board, EBC340 3.5”<br />
board, and ICES170 ETX and ICES270<br />
COMExpress modules.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/591<br />
High-density analogue I/O solution<br />
Tews Technologies increases its range of high-density analogue I/O solutions<br />
with the introduction of the TPMC553.<br />
The Data Respons partner Tews Technologies is a solutions<br />
provider of embedded I/O and CPU products based on<br />
open architecture standards such as PMC, IndustryPack<br />
(IP), CompactPCI, standard PCI, and VME.<br />
The standard single-width 32-bit PMC module provides 32<br />
or 16 channels of 16-bit analogue outputs. The TPMC553<br />
is ideal for applications in industrial, transportation, and<br />
aerospace/defence COTS fields. All signals are accessible<br />
through an HD68 SCSI-3 type front I/O connector.<br />
The software-selectable output voltage ranges are 0–5 V,<br />
0–10 V, 0–10.8 V, ±5 V, ±10 V or ±10.8 V. The output voltage<br />
range can be individually set per channel. The conversion<br />
time is typically 10 µs and the DAC outputs are able to<br />
drive a load of 2 kΩ, with a capacitance up to 4000 pF.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/592<br />
10 DATA RESPONS | INTERRUPT #1 2009
PRODUCTS<br />
MAGMA: the next frontier for<br />
Embedded Computing<br />
In recent years, it has be<strong>com</strong>e increasingly difficult to identify applications<br />
without a <strong>com</strong>munications <strong>com</strong>ponent. From data gathering, processing<br />
and reporting to data management, the necessity for <strong>com</strong>munications applications<br />
has grown across all industries.<br />
Recognising the potential for the rapid expansion<br />
of the embedded ecosystem, the<br />
Embedded Computing business of Emerson<br />
Network Power has kicked off its MAGMA<br />
(Military, Aerospace, Government, Medical<br />
and Automation) initiative to encourage the<br />
adoption of embedded <strong>com</strong>puting solutions<br />
into markets beyond the wireless and<br />
wireline tele<strong>com</strong>s business, where Emerson<br />
is already an acknowledged leader. Because<br />
each of these five areas represents such a<br />
significant market, it is critical to focus upon<br />
areas where embedded <strong>com</strong>puting is an integral<br />
part of a network-centric application.<br />
For example, the doctrine in the military is<br />
to ultimately connect every <strong>com</strong>batant in<br />
the theatre of operations to provide realtime<br />
reconnaissance data, engagement<br />
scenarios and battle-readiness. Similarly in<br />
healthcare, diagnostic equipment is moving<br />
outward from central hospitals toward rural<br />
clinics, shopping malls and even the home,<br />
thereby making <strong>com</strong>munications essential.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/593<br />
AAEON’s Intel Atom based series of products<br />
AAEON announces the debut of a series of Intel ® Atom<br />
processor-based products available in the most popular embedded<br />
form factors such as Mini-ITX, EPIC, SubCompact<br />
3.5” (ECX), XTX and COM CPU modules, as well as PC/104.<br />
The debut of the Intel Atom processor ushers in a new era of<br />
mobile <strong>com</strong>puting, with AAEON leading the way into vertical<br />
market segments previously dominated by RISC technology.<br />
AAEON is releasing eight new products for the embedded<br />
market: COM-U15, NanoCOM-U15,<br />
COM-945GSE, XTX-945GSE, PFM-945C,<br />
GENE-9455, EPIC-9457, and EMB-<br />
9459T. These products all adopt Intel<br />
Atom processors and have a wide application<br />
range.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/594<br />
Use of displays in challenging environments<br />
As the capabilities of technology increase, GE Fanuc want their solutions to<br />
perform new tasks – and to perform those new tasks in locations and environments<br />
that were previously unthinkable.<br />
Perhaps the primary example is in military<br />
applications, where <strong>com</strong>puting is<br />
widely deployed in tanks, in aircraft, in<br />
submarines and in helicopters, in environments<br />
that are subject to harsh<br />
extremes of temperature, pressure, vibration<br />
and so on as well as the ingress<br />
of moisture and particles. It is not just<br />
the military that requires this kind of<br />
rugged <strong>com</strong>puting, however: it is also<br />
widely deployed for applications such<br />
as energy exploration – oil and gas –<br />
where the environment is often a rough<br />
ocean or an inhospitable desert.<br />
These environments make particular demands<br />
of display systems and flat-panel<br />
<strong>com</strong>puters. They must be resistant to corrosion<br />
from the atmosphere, as well as to<br />
dirt, dust, sand, spray, sleet, snow and so<br />
on. In many cases, they must be capable<br />
of being operated by a gloved hand. In<br />
specific environments, they must even<br />
be explosion-proof. In very cold environments,<br />
they need to be equipped with heaters<br />
in order to maintain operation.<br />
more information:<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/595<br />
11
STANDARD or custom<br />
solution<br />
PANEL PC or separate<br />
<strong>com</strong>puter and display<br />
INTEL ATOM or arm<br />
architecture<br />
wired or wireless<br />
<strong>com</strong>munication<br />
PASSIVe or active<br />
mechanical cooling<br />
FPGA or CPU<br />
solution<br />
ROTating hard disc<br />
or SOLID-STATE Drive<br />
EMBEDDED LINUX or<br />
WINDOWS EMBEDDED<br />
Get Ahead<br />
Book a test drive with a handpicked<br />
team from Data Respons<br />
We will mobilise our best people according to your specific<br />
needs or challenges. Call one of our sales representatives on +47<br />
67 11 20 00 or send an e-mail to test-drive@datarespons.<strong>com</strong><br />
to book a meeting with Data Respons.<br />
WIN A DREAM DAY AT<br />
THE RACE TRACK!<br />
We will randomly pick one of the<br />
meeting bookings and invite<br />
the winners to a professional<br />
one-day motor-racing<br />
course. The course will<br />
cover theory, safety, techniques<br />
and race driving.<br />
www.datarespons.<strong>com</strong>/test-drive