PC-104 (or PC104) is an embedded computer standard controlled by the PC-104 Consortium which defines both a form factor and computer bus. PC-104 is intended for specialized embedded computing environments where applications depend on reliable data acquisition despite an often extreme environment. The form factor is often sold by COTS vendors, which benefits many consumers who want a customized rugged system, without months of design and paper work.
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COTS Products
Controller Adds Graphics to StackableUSB USB for years went underutilized in military embedded applications. That’s starting to change as uses from the technology presentRead More...
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COTS Products
Managed Ethernet Switch Rides 3U CompactPCI Attracted by its ubiquity and longevity, the military is growing ever more fond of Ethernet. And switched Ethernet is becoming asRead More...
Serial ATA Stakes out Territory as Next-Gen Storage Interface
Over the past several years, serial interconnect schemes have been steadily pushing aside parallel buses, and that trend has impacted the memory and storage realm just as it has everyRead More...
PCI Express Breathes New Life into the PC/104 Realm
Many military system designers select PC/104 because its ultra-small, 3.55-in. x 3.775-in. form factor enables an off-the-shelf solution for applications that may previously have beenRead More...
USB and the PC Usurp Military Test Platforms
Advances in serial fabric interconnects and embedded computing technologies have had a profound effect on the test and instrumentation market. Not too long ago complex militaryRead More...
ATCA Finds Niche Where Military and Telco Needs Align
Similar to most commercial industries, the military is under constant pressure to keep costs contained, while preserving the highest levels of availability in its mission-criticalRead More...
COTS Products
3U cPCI Board and Rack Family Satisfies Extreme Thermal Needs CompactPCI, particularly in its 3U flavor, is no longer the new kid on the block in the military market. It’s paidRead More...
MicroTCA Gaining Ground in Military Applications
Deeply rooted in VME and CompactPCI platforms, military embedded design is undergoing a noticeable shift. Modern warfare initiatives are driving designers to find more bandwidth, whileRead More...
System, Board and Panel Innovations Fuel Rugged Display Demands
Leveraging cutting-edge graphics chips developed for the demanding gaming market, military graphics subsystems are now able to offer complex video and graphics functionality in highlyRead More...
COTS Products
Tiny SMD Fuse Approved for Space Applications Reliability and ruggedness take on a whole new meaning for electronics used in space applications. There’s no repair truckRead More...
Cots Products
20-Inch 2U Chassis for Trenton 32 Gbyte Boards The days when military system developers did everything themselves are long gone. They’d much rather find building blocks to pieceRead More...
The Inside Track
Parvus Awarded Follow-on Contracts for USMC EFV Subsystems Parvus has received new contracts from General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) in support of the U.S. Marine Corps’Read More...
Technology Focus: Rugged Box-Level Systems Roundup
Small Core Duo Box Has PC/104 I/O Expansion The concept of the “stand-alone rugged” box has infiltrated the military embedded market in a big way. The latest example is ACCES I/ORead More...
COTS Products
Advanced Low-Power PMC Supports Dual Graphics Heads A blend of graphics and video performance is vital for advanced sensor fusion, image/frame capture and recording inRead More...
COTS Products
BGA Adapters Adapt 0.50 mm Devices to 1.00 mm Boards Keeping up with and mitigating the impact of component obsolescence is a constant challenge in the military industry. ICs oftenRead More...
Military I/O Solutions Blend Functions and Fabrics
While the basic challenges of military I/O haven’t changed—it’s still all about linking the analog world of sensors, actuators, motors and so on, with the digitalRead More...
Small Form Factor Realm Churns out Boards and Standards
Small embedded computers—in both standard and non-standard form factors—are in high demand for military applications that are extremely space- or weight-constrained or whereRead More...
The Inside Track
GE Fanuc Secures 3U VPX Order from GD Land Systems GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, today announced that it had secured an order from GeneralRead More...
Rugged Stand-Alone Box System Roundup
Rugged System Features Military Connectors The stand-alone rugged box trend has touched nearly every corner of the military embedded computer market. ADLINK Technology, for its part,Read More...
Rugged Box Systems Tighten Their Military Focus
Over the past couple of years, traditional embedded board vendors have been adding stand-alone rugged box-level systems to their military market offerings. These complete systemRead More...
Small UAV Tap the Rich Variety of Embedded Options
UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) were originally developed to take the soldier out of harm's way and have come a long way since the days of "large" surveillance drones like the PredatorRead More...
Small UAVs Step up to Advanced Comms Capabilities
The brisk investment in UAV development and procurement continues across all branches of the DoD. And that situation isn't expected to change under the current Administration. InRead More...
Small Victories
Systems including small UAVs, robotics, mission-specific handheld systems, intelligent munitions and many others have one thing in common: a desire for small form factor embeddedRead More...
Small Form Factors Mean Big Design Choices
Military applications represent some of the most challenging and broad-ranging design demands today. New technologies can be difficult to adopt and develop quickly, and as a resultRead More...
PCI/104-Express, PC/104 and EPIC SBCs Roundup
SBC Provides Right-Sized PC/104 Solution PC/104 has always shined in defense applications that need a modest amount of computer power. Adlink Technology has released the AmproRead More...
COTS Products
Quad-Core Intel Xeon-Based VME SBC The multicore trend has swept through the military embedded computing industry, and military system developers are embracing it with open arms.Read More...
SBC Offers A/D Channels, PC/104 Expansion
Board-level functionality that used to require a box full of slot-cards is now possible in a board the size of a napkin. Along such lines, Diamond Systems offers a series ofRead More...
Vehicle Server Delivers Multicore Processing and Modular I/O
Box-level computers are becoming a mainstay in the defense market. Parvus has announced availability and feature enhancements for its DuraCOR 810-Duo rugged multicore mission processorRead More...
Ethernet Switch Boards Roundup
Rugged 10 Gbit Ethernet XMC Sports Dual Front-Panel Interfaces The military has completely embraced Ethernet both as a network technology and as a fabric interconnect scheme.Read More...
Small Boards Serve Up Overlapping Innovations
Long gone are the days when small form factor boards were limited to a few types of standard form factors like PC/104. Today, while strategies vary among the various small embeddedRead More...
PC/104 and PC/104-Family Boards Roundup
Rugged EPIC SBC Features SUMIT Expansion The SUMIT interconnect scheme provides an innovative way to aggregate a variety of I/O types onto a compact connector. Marrying that ideaRead More...
6.5-Inch Panel PC Targets Extended Temperature Applications
The military’s shift to net-centric operations has driven demand for various panel-based systems where that networked information gets displayed. WinSystems has introduced theRead More...
PC/104 Camp Ropes in Multiple Interconnect Schemes
PC/104 and all of its follow-on variants continue to hold an established position in military embedded systems. Now, as PCI Express and USB make their way into the PC/104 universe,Read More...
Small UAVs Upgrade for New Capabilities
The flight control, mission control and communications gear aboard Small UAVs—like the Raven, Dragon Eye, Shadow and Bat—face some of the most challenging design restrictions.Read More...
COM Express vs. PC/104 for Small UAV Systems
With the growing scope of today’s military, UAVs are performing a wider range of functions. Whether designed for reconnaissance, research, armed attacks or search and rescue, theseRead More...
PCIe/104 SBC Leverages New Configurable Atom CPU
Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) are top priorities for today’s military system designer. Low-power processors like the Item Atom are smoothing the way. Kontron has introduced the firstRead More...
The Customer Shall Judge
As a member of the trade press I can’t hide a little bit of glee when controversies erupt in the standards-based embedded computer industry. That stuff never fails to provide juicyRead More...
Ethernet Switch Boards Roundup
10 Gbit Ethernet XMC Provides Dual Front-Panel Interfaces The military has completely embraced Ethernet both as a network technology and as a fabric interconnect scheme. With that inRead More...
The Inside Track
Wind River RTOS Flies on First Flight of X-47B UAS The U.S. Navy / Northrop Grumman X-47B unmanned aircraft successfully completed its first flight at Edwards Air Force Base inRead More...
Roadblocks Few as Tech Refresh Strengthens PC/104’s Hand
The PC/104 form factor—along with all of its follow-on variants—continues to hold a secure legacy position in military embedded systems. And over the past 12 months, PC/104 vendorsRead More...
PC/104 and PC/104 Family Boards Roundup
Extreme Rugged PC/104-Plus SBC Sports Atom Processor Supporting a range of Intel Atom processors from the power-efficient N450 running at 1.66 GHz to the performance orientedRead More...
