News and New Products

Board computer boosts performance, cuts power

By Warren Webb, Technical Editor -- EDN, 2/15/2007

Extreme Engineering Solutions has recently introduced a 3U single-board computer featuring the latest low-power, dual-core PowerPC processor from PA Semi. The XPedite8070 targets the growing requirement for higher performance CPUs for the most sophisticated avionics, radar, software-defined radio, unmanned aerial vehicles, and similar applications. The company based the Xpedite8070 on the VITA (VMEbus International Trade Association) VPX-REDI (Ruggedized Enhanced Design Implementation) form factor. Its onboard features include a 1-Gbyte DDR II memory for each processor core; a 1-Gbyte NAND flash; and PCI Express, XAUI (10-Gbit-attachment-unit interface)-Ethernet-fabric-interconnect, dual SGMII (serial-gigabit media-independent-interface), and dual isolated gigabit-Ethernet ports. The board typically dissipates 34W at a 1.5-GHz clock speed, and it can run at lower speeds in lower power applications.

Extreme Engineering provides software support for Linux, Wind River's VxWorks, and Platform for Network Equipment Version 1.4. Prices for XPedite8070 start at $7800 (one), and OEM prices approach $5000, depending on volume, memory, and processor configurations. A companion desktop development chassis is available for $2000.