RadiSys announces long-life EPM-1 Pentium processor-based module for embedded designs: Field-proven EPM-1 module reduces complexity of embedded Pentium processor designs; EPC-43 board offers reference design

Business Wire, April 29, 1997

HILLSBORO, Oregon.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 29, 1997--RadiSys Corporation today announced the EPM-1 long-life Embedded Processor Module based on the Intel Pentium(R) processor.

The EPM-1 reduces the complexity of Pentium processor-based embedded designs by separating the processor/chipset core from the application-specific portion of the design. This isolates the I/O circuitry from the high speed electronics associated with Pentium processor designs and protects the I/O portion of the design from being affected by future changes in processor architectures. RadiSys is committed to produce the EPM-1 for an extended number of years to support embedded applications that require long production lifetimes.

"The EPM-1 will be particularly valuable for OEMs who need the power of a Pentium processor, but who may not be prepared to deal with the complexity of building a Pentium processor-based design from scratch," said Charlie Crawford, director of marketing for RadiSys' Integrated Products Division.

"By designing around the EPM-1, OEMs can improve time to market and be assured of a long-life solution that is independent of processor evolution. Additionally, the modular architecture makes it very simple to upgrade designs with faster processors, which is an advantage for those customers who expect to have a large installed base of systems in the field."

"OEMs mare making use of the power and performance of a Pentium processor in a wide variety of applications and form factors," said Steve Maxwell, product marketing manager for Intel's Embedded Microcomputer Division. "It is our goal to ensure that every OEM can find a Pentium processor option that fits their design requirements. By providing the processor and related circuitry and firmware on a module, RadiSys is making the Pentium chip more accessible for embedded system designers."

Module Designed Specifically for Embedded Applications

The EPM-1 is a compact, integrated 4.2 inch x 5.3 inch (107 x 135mm) Pentium processor-based CPU board that is available with a choice of 100MHz STD, 133MHz VRT, 166MHz VRE or 200 MHz Pentium processor with MMX(TM) technology (MT).

EPM-1 has all the essential elements of the core of a computer, including the Intel 430HX PCIset with the PIIX PCI/ISA accelerator, SODIMM sockets accommodating up to 256MB of DRAM, 82C42PE keyboard/mouse controller, processor power supply, L2 cache memory, Real Time Clock (RTC), battery backed CMOS RAM and clock synthesizer and flash-based configurable Phoenix BIOS.

The EPM-1 interfaces to a specially designed I/O baseboard via four connectors for the PCI, ISA and IDE buses. This reduces interface to the I/O baseboard to a set of well-defined low speed signals, the fastest of which the PCI bus, runs at 33 MHz and is designed to work across bus connector interfaces. The EPM-1 is designed to stand high enough above the I/O board that circuitry can be laid on the board below it, allowing for compact baseboard design.

The EPM-1 can be used by OEMs to develop a custom embedded computer, or is available from RadiSys as part of a wide range of embedded computer architectures, including the EPC(R)-43 single board computer, EPC-9 VME board and EPC-100 CompactPCI computer, as well as RadiSys-designed custom products in any of these form factors.

"RadiSys' approach to processor module design differs from other companies because of our commitment to the embedded system designer," added Crawford. "For instance, we included DRAM on the module instead of on the I/O baseboard to help preserve the long-life of the design. This way, we protect the embedded designer from undefined high-speed interfaces between the module and the I/O board, which would otherwise need to be adapted to match future DRAM changes."

Reference Design Available

The EPM-1 is supported by the RadiSys EPC-43-DEV reference design, a fully configured embedded computer that includes a 166MHz Pentium processor, 16MB memory, 10/100 BaseT Ethernet, CardBus interface, Sound Blaster compatible sound support, two USBs, four serial ports, one parallel port, on board application flash, floppy, hard disk, and CD drive interfaces plus PCI and PC/104 bus expansion capabilities.

The EPC-43-DEV includes an open chassis to allow easy hardware evaluation, circuit diagrams and other comprehensive documentation to facilitate hardware and software development using the EPM-1.

The EPM-1 also includes a flash EPROM programmed with the Phoenix PC-compatible BIOS that is configured for the EPC-43-DEV. The BIOS can be adapted for a custom I/O baseboard with the Phoenix OEM Adaptation Kit (OAK) BIOS development tool, which is available as an option with the EPC-43-DEV.

The OAK provides the PICO Software Foundations in a combination of object and source code for maximum flexibility and the power to make adaptations for a specific OEM platform. The OAK includes complete documentation library and powerful debug and development tools.

"With the Phoenix PICO OAK, the OEM has the power to adapt PICO software to support the specific features of their design easily, quickly and cost effectively," said Jodie Sanders, Industrial Appliances market manager of Phoenix Technologies' PICO Group. "The OAK comes with ready-to-use special BIOS extensions and a complete software foundation that can help OEMs get products to market faster."