Advantech Releases New COM Modules that Support COM 2.0

By DE Editors

Advantech has announced a new series of COM modules that support the new COM 2.0 specification. The newly introduced COM Express COM.0 Revision 2.0 by the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG) enables computer-on-modules to have smaller footprints and expanded pin-outs.

The COM.0 Revision 2.0 specification has dropped legacy interface and adopted two new pin-outs. Legacy digital signaling like Parallel ATA and PCI are phased out to increase more I/O connects for Digital Displays,  Serial ATA, PCI Express, USB 3.0 and other interface types.

For flexible display connection, COM Revision 2.0 leaves dedicated pins for new DDI (digital display interfaces). Without additional signal processing, DDI eliminates cable disorder and provides better anti-noise and exquisite resolution, compared with traditional analog signal interfaces,  according to the company. Multi-display requirements could be further extended by up to 3 DDI links through type 6 pin-outs. Aside from I/O extensions, power efficiency has improved bringing the benefit of reduced maximum input power to 137 watt for types 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 68 watt for type 1, and 10. This allows re-use of some additional power pins for the above I/O extensions. Carrier boards that need to work with COM Revision 1.0 modules need to address this change during the design.

A new software extension has also been introduced with COM.0 Revision 2.0: EAPI (Embedded Application Programming Interface). This new embedded API is a uniform software interface for module configuration and management and was defined in version 1.0 from the PICMG group to unify various software interfaces from different COM suppliers. Based on EAPI 1.0 standard, Advantech has developed an API utility called iManager, which allows easier interoperability of COM products, enabling users to manage System Information,  Watchdog Timer, I2C Bus, Flat Panel Brightness Control, User Storage Area, GPIO Access and more features, providing better service to the embedded market. Advantech plans to launch a series of products compliant with COM 2.0 specifications over the next few months

For more information, visit Advantech.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.