• Hardware
• Software

High Tech Talk

Hardware

Korenix JetBox series is a total solution of embedded computer. It is a RISC or X86 CPU based computer with versatile peripheral interfaces, communication capabilities and storage expansibilities. Ready-to-use is the key point while embedded computer hardware becomes more standardized. Built-in OS (Linux,

WinCE, or Windows XP embedded), supporting services and daemons and providing application development tools for users to develop their own applications are the advantage of Korenix. All SW functions like OS, drivers, and middleware are ready in one CF card for better system integration.

CPU

CPU is the core part of embedded computer hardware. Today's embedded applications demand a unique set of features, packaging, product life cycle and performance.

Intel Xscale PXA270

The Intel PXA270 processor is packaged specifically for the embedded market and is ideal for the low-power framework of battery-powered devices. Designed from the ground up, the Intel PXA270 processor redefines what an embedded device can do by incorporating innovative new features and enhancements from the world of the PC.

• The first Intel XScale® technology-based processor to include Intel® Wireless MMXT technology. This enables high-performance multimedia acceleration with an industry proven instruction set.
• Intel® Quick Capture technology provides one of the industry's most flexible and powerful camera interfaces for capturing digital images and video.  
• The new capabilities of Wireless Intel SpeedStep ® Power Manager Technology provide a quantum leap forward in low power operation, while maintaining the highest levels of performance.
•  Embedded Features: Temperature ranges are extended to -40 ~ 85°C ambient to meet the specific requirements of the embedded market and a life cycle is anticipated as 5 years.

AMD Geode LX800

The AMD GeodeT LX 800@0.9W* brings x86 power and versatility to applications for entertainment, business, education, and embedded markets. The AMD Geode LX processors' integrated and innovative architecture delivers the most performance per watt available in the industry today, and can lead to longer battery life and enable small form-factor designs.

• The most performance per watt available in the industry today

1. Low power x86 performance

2. 1.8W Typical (3.9W TDP) @ 500MHz

3. GeodeLink active hardware power management

• Natively run all Windows and Linux based applications
• Full Internet browser experience on portable devices

CPU specifications

Watchdog timer

The most common use of watchdog timers is in embedded systems, where this specialized timer is often a built-in unit of a microcontroller. A watchdog timer is a computer hardware timing device that triggers a system reset if the main program, due to some faults condition, such as a hang, neglects to regularly service. The intention is to bring the system back from the hung state into normal operation. And it is useful function in industrial applications to keep the system stable and recover from fault condition soon.

Expansibility: CompactFlash card (CF card)

CompactFlash® is a small, removable mass storage device. They provide complete PCMCIA-ATA functionality and compatibility. Flash memory devices are non-volatile and solid state, and thus are more robust than disk drives, and consume around 5% of the power required by small disk drives, and yet still have good transfer speeds (up to 40 MB/s write and 40 MB/s read for the SanDisk Extreme IV). CF cards with flash memory are able to cope with extremely rapid changes in temperature. Industrial versions of flash memory cards can operate at a range of -45 to 85°C. Flash based SSDs (Solid State Disk) have several unique advantages:

•  Faster startup
•  Faster read time
•  Low read and write latency (seek) time
•  Faster boot and application launch time
•  Lower power consumption and heat production
•  No noise
•  Better mechanical reliability
•  Lower but improving read-write lifetime
•  Security
•  Deterministic performance
•  Lower weight and (depending upon type) size

Technical Details

There are two main subdivisions of CF cards, Type I and the thicker Type II (CF2) cards. The CF Type II slot is used by Microdrives and some other devices. There are four main speeds of cards including the original CF, CF High Speed (using CF+/CF2.0, 16Mbyte/s data-transfer), a faster CF 3.0 standard (max. 66 Mbyte/s) and a yet faster CF 4.0 standard (max. 133MB/s) that is being adopted as of 2007.