Diamond Systems Unveils Rugged Aries Single Board Computer

Diamond Systems Corporation, a supplier of compact, rugged embedded computing solutions, has unveiled its highly integrated ARIES PC/104-Plus single board computer (SBC) based on the Intel E3800 “Bay Trail” processor family. Highlights of the Aries SBC include excellent CPU performance / power consumption ratio, high feature density in a compact size, integrated high-quality data acquisition, versatile I/O expansion, and conduction cooling for improved high temperature performance. Its rugged construction makes it ideal for applications in the unmanned systems sector.

Designed in the PC/104-Plus form factor with wings (114 x 102 mm / 4.5 x 4.0 in), Aries’ full rectangular shape provides more coastline for I/O connectors, enabling an unmatched level of feature integration onto a single board its size. In this compact form factor, Aries includes a wide range of display capabilities, system I/O, plus data acquisition, meeting the majority of today’s connectivity requirements in a single board.

Aries PC/104-Plus SBCs combine the excellent performance of the Bay Trail processor family, a wealth of PC I/O, and on-board data acquisition circuitry at a competitive price. Available configurations include the E3845 1.91GHz quad core processor and the E3826 1.46GHz dual core processor, with choice of 2GB or 4GB soldered memory. Dual independent displays are supported, with connections for dual channel 24-bit LVDS LCD, VGA, DisplayPort, and HDMI. Available PC I/O includes 3 USB 2.0 ports (1 can operate as USB 3.0), 4 RS-232/422/485 ports with fully programmable configuration, dual Gigabit Ethernet, and a SATA port that supports both on-board SATA DOM and off-board SATA devices.

The optional integrated data acquisition includes 16 16-bit A/D channels with 250KHz sample rate, 4 16-bit D/A channels with voltage and current outputs, a programmable waveform generator, and 22 programmable digital I/O lines, all supported by Diamond’s free, industry-leading Universal Driver™ data acquisition programming library. An interactive, easy to use graphical control panel for Windows and Linux is provided to control all data acquisition features.

Aries supports stackable I/O expansion with PC/104 (ISA) and PC/104-Plus (ISA + PCI) I/O modules. Aries also provides a dual-use PCIe MiniCard / mSATA socket for additional I/O expansion. PCIe MiniCard I/O modules featuring WiFi, Ethernet, analog I/O, digital I/O, and CAN are available from Diamond Systems and other vendors, enabling compact expandability without increasing the total height of the system.

Aries’ built-in heat spreader efficiently removes heat from the SBC directly to the system enclosure and helps keep the interior cooler for improved reliability. The novel bottom-side mounting configuration of the heat spreader provides a convenient mounting system for the board. It also simplifies the installation of topside I/O expansion modules by eliminating interference or airflow problems that can occur with traditional heat sinks. A heat sink accessory option can be installed to use Aries in a traditional heat sink style installation.

The Aries SBC family was designed with rugged applications in mind. With an operating temperature of -40°C to +85°C, memory soldered on board, an integrated heat spreader thermal solution, 50% thicker PCB, and latching I/O connectors, Aries is a perfect fit for rugged applications including industrial, medical, on-vehicle and military. Aries is also available in Diamond’s off-the-shelf hardened and highly configurable Raptor™ systems for extremely rugged mission critical applications.

 

Aries features:

• 1.91GHz Intel quad core E3845 or 1.46GHz Intel dual core E3826 CPU
• 2GB or 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 memory soldered on board
• On-board I/O:
  2 Gigabit Ethernet ports
  3 USB 2.0 ports (1 can operate as USB 3.0)
  4 RS-232/422/485 ports, fully programmable configuration (no jumpers)
  1 SATA port for on-board SATA DOM or external device
  Dual independent display support for dual channel 24-bit LVDS LCD, VGA, DisplayPort, and HDMI
  High definition audio with Realtek ALC892 CODEC
• Professional quality data acquisition circuit option:
  16 16-bit analog inputs with autocalibration and 250KHz sample rate
  4 16-bit analog outputs with autocalibration and voltage / current outputs
  22 programmable digital I/O lines
  4-channel waveform generator
  4 24-bit pulse width modulators
  8 32-bit programmable counter/timers
  Programming library and graphical control panel software for Windows and Linux
• PC/104-Plus (ISA & PCI) stackable I/O expansion and PCIe MiniCard socket
• PC/104-Plus form factor with wings (114 x 102 mm / 4.5 x 4.0 in)
• Rugged design with 50% thicker PCB and latching I/O connectors
• -40°C to +85°C (-40°F to +185°F) operating temperature