Out in Front: February 1, 1996

A new multichip module, called an OEModule, from ZF MicroSystems looks and acts like a single-chip PC motherboard. The device incorporates a 33-MHz 386SX, a full IDE bus, and a 0.5-Mbyte flash disk containing both BIOS and DOS. In addition, it offers keyboard, two serial, bidirectional parallel, and disk-drive interfaces. Its disk interface can handle both floppy and hard IDE disk drives. The device targets the embedded market, so it incorporates a watchdog timer but has no graphics interface. The 0.4-in.-thick module has 240 gull-wing pins at 0.040-in. spacing and measures 2.2×3 in.

The device brings the ISA bus to the I/O pins, expanding the device’s capabilities with standard PC/104 peripherals. OEModule can also operate in a stand-alone mode, however, because of onboard flash memory. The BIOS and DOS occupy less than half the memory, leaving 320 kbytes for program storage. The device boots from the flash memory. The OEModule costs $276 (1000). The company will also offer a development board that allows the device to operate as the CPU in an ISA passive backplane. The board is a half-sized ISA card and will cost less than $500.  
- - by Richard A Quinnell

ZF MicroSystems, Palo Alto, CA. (415) 965-3800