Whitepaper: How to Keep Your ISA Devices Running

Posted by Michael on Aug 1, 2011 in Articles, Rackmount PCs | 0 comments

To continue with our ISA Series of technical articles, DuroPC has released a whitepaper explaining the process of configuring a new rackmount pc to support legacy ISA devices.

Click to download our free whitepaper:

Whitepaper-How to Keep Your ISA Devices Running.pdf

PICMG 1.3 with ISA Support

Posted by Michael on Jul 13, 2011 in News, Rackmount PCs | 0 comments

Our in-house engineering team just informed me that PICMG 1.3 ISA support has been tested and confirmed. We believe our configuration to be one of the only ISA-supporting PICMG 1.3 systems on the market. We’re offering configured PICMG 1.3 systems to customers that will support legacy ISA devices, allowing ISA users to take advantage of PICMG 1.3 backplane specs and powerful Single Board Computing (SBC) options.

Both DuroPC PICMG 1.3 ISA-Compatible systems have long-term availability.

View our ISA-Compatible PICMG 1.3 SBC Systems here: PICMG 1.3 ISA Computers here:

DuroPC RAC243
-4-ISA, 4-PCI, 4-PCIEx1, 1-PCIEx16, SBC Core i3, i5, i7 series with PICMG 1.3 Backplane

DuroPC RAC161
-4-ISA, 4-PCI, 4-PCIEx1, 1-PCIEx16, SBC Core 2 Duo with PICMG 1.3 Backplane

IRQ Settings & Conflicts Part 2

Posted by Michael on Jul 13, 2011 in Articles, Rackmount PCs | 0 comments

We’ve put together a simple, printable chart of default IRQ assignments as a continuation from our first IRQ blog post.

IRQ Assignments Guide – DuroPC.com

New 4U Chassis with HDD Hold-Downs or Temp Monitoring: Comparison

Posted by Michael on Jun 16, 2011 in News, Rackmount PCs, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Here’s a quick comparison of our latest 4U chassis offerings. The 105564 offers a short-depth chassis with HDD hold-down clamps. The 205112 offers a temperature monitoring system. Call us today to discuss systems designed with these chassis.

Chassis Spec	105564	205112
Image
Width	19″ (482.6mm)	19″ (487.7mm)
Depth	17.7″ (450mm)	21.2″ (537.6mm)
Height	7″ (177mm)	7″ (177mm)
Front Panel	2x USB, 1 PS2	1x USB, 1 PS2
HDD	Exposed 3 x 5.25″, 1 x 3.5″ drive Internal 1 x 3.5″ drive	Exposed 3 x 5.25″, 1 x 3.5″ drive Internal 5 x 3.5″ drive
Hold-down Clamp	Height adjustable clamps with rubber cushions	NA
Temp Monitoring	NA	Built-in thermal management module to System detect temperature, and voltage fans
Addtl Fans?	2 Fans with Removable Filters	1 Fan with Removable Filter
Schematics (Click for large)

Industrial SSD Storage: SLC vs. MLC

Posted by Michael on May 18, 2011 in Articles, Rackmount PCs | 0 comments

Untitled Document
There are several advantages to incorporating Solid State Hard Drives (SSDs) into your next

Industrial Computer System:

• Environmental Ruggedness
• Vibration Tolerance
• Less Heat Generated compared to Traditional HDD
• Low Power Consumption
• Shorter Access Times, Faster Boot Times and Application Launches
• No moving parts

What many do not know is that SSDs themselves come in two types of Flash Cell Configurations: Single-Level Cell (SLC) & Multi-Level Cell (MLC).

• SLC is the preferred SSD for Industrial Applications, and offers the highest MTBF. It’s useful for rugged Embedded applications.
• MLC offers higher capacities and lower cost

The RAC242 2U Rackmount Computer offers Industrial SSD in both options.

ISA Slots Are Still Alive – Expert Article

Posted by Michael on Mar 28, 2011 in Articles, Uncategorized | 0 comments

In an effort to share our expertise, DuroPC regularly shares technical articles on EZineArticles.com

Here’s a preview of a recent ISA Slot article:

It is easily understood that you assume your custom ISA Slot-compatible devices are ready to kick the bucket. Its true PCI and PCIe have all but taken over the consumer and industrial markets and developers offer less native ISA support, but I can tell you that it’s not over yet! The big hardware companies have been actively pushing the ISA bus out for over a decade in favor of new technology but they aren’t offering to support your legacy ISA cards.

SoM System on Modules

Posted by Michael on Mar 17, 2011 in Articles, Uncategorized | 0 comments

To meet the customization and flexibility demands of PC-based embedded solutions, DuroPC provides two form factors to match various market segment; COM Express and STX. COM Express is initiated and defined by PICMG to give the most updated bus interface support; that is PCI Express. Compared to STX which supports both legacy PCI and ISA buses, the COM Express is focused on ISA-free architecture applications.

Download our System on Module Technical PDF

DuroPC’s Com Express and STX System on Modules function by connecting to a Development baseboard, pictured below.

Com Expressâ„¢ Photos:

COM Expressâ„¢ Development Baseboard

Com Expressâ„¢ Type II SoM-Front

Com Expressâ„¢ Type II SoM -Rear

Overview for the Com Expressâ„¢ Module Base

A Computer-On-Module, or COM, is a module with all components necessary for a bootable host computer, packaged as a super component. A COM requires a Carrier Board to bring out I/O and to power up. COMs are used to build single board computer solutions and offer OEMs fast time-to-market with reduced development cost. Like integrated circuits, they provide OEMs with significant freedom in meeting form-fit-function requirements. For all these reasons the COM methodology has gained much popularity with OEMs in the embedded industry.

COM Expressâ„¢ is an open industry standard for Computer-On-Modules. It is designed to be future proof and to provide a smooth transition path from legacy parallel interfaces to LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signaling) interfaces. These include the PCI bus and parallel ATA on the one hand and PCI Express and Serial ATA on the other.

Key features include:

• Rich complement of contemporary high bandwidth serial interfaces, including PCI Express, Serial ATA, USB 2.0, and Gigabit Ethernet
• 32-bit PCI, LPC and Parallel ATA options preserved for easy interface to a range of peripherals
• Extended power-management capabilities
• Robust thermal and mechanical concept
• Cost-effective design
• Legacy-free design (no Super I/O, PS2 keyboard or mouse)
• Compact module size with two footprint options to satisfy a range of performance requirements
• High-performance mezzanine connector with several pin-out types to satisfy a range of applications

The COM Expressâ„¢ specification has been created to appeal to a range of vertical embedded markets. It has also been formulated to be applicable to a broad range of form factors, from floor installed to bench-top to handheld.

Markets and applications include:

• Healthcare – clinical diagnostic imaging systems, patient bedside monitors, etc.
• Retail & advertising – electronic shopping carts, billboards, kiosks, POS systems, etc.
• Test & measurement – scientific and industrial test and measurement instruments
• Gaming & entertainment – simulators, slot machines, etc.
• Industrial automation – industrial robots, vision systems, etc.
• Security – digital CCTV, luggage scanners, intrusion detectors, etc.
• Defense & government – unmanned vehicles, rugged laptops, wearable computers, etc.

Contact Us today to inquire about DuroPC System on Modules.