Modules and small motherboards like
VIA Technologies’ Pico-ITX or Kontron’s
nanoCOMExpress offering are
designed to pack commercial off-theshelf
(COTS) performance into a small
package (see the table). The ever-expanding
set of options is necessary to address
new interconnects such as PCI Express
and Serial ATA (SATA).
Although the standards are extensive,
there is still room for innovation such as the
SPI expansion found on VersaLogic’s EBX
motherboard (see “Fanless EBX Goes RoHS”
at www.electronicdesign.com, ED Online
15316). Form factor often is critical, but so
are interfaces. Finding the right combination
may take a little searching, but it beats
building from scratch.
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