Integrated Module System

Simtec has a longstanding commitment to modular systems. A well designed modular system allows our customers to realise solutions more rapidly than a monolithic approach. The ability to vary processor and resources without altering the I/O systems allows a design to be scalable and for that scalability to be proved in an inexpensive manner.

A modular approach means the complex, high speed elements of a design are confined to a module which becomes a component in a larger design. By separating the I/O systems from the core logic the ability to change the I/O mix of a system, or indeed the processing core, to better suit a particular application becomes greatly simplified.

This flexibility can be demonstrated with an example:
A customer has an initial requirement for a low power thin client terminal.

• A traditional approach
  The customer identifies that one of our monolithic development boards such as the EB2410ITX might meet their needs. The customer would then develop their application with the extensive, but fixed, capabilities of that one development board. The customer then has two options for production, either a platinum build of the development board which only includes the elements they require for the product or a fully bespoke design tailored to their specific needs.
• The modular approach
  The customer selects an integrated module which best meets their processing and storage requirements and then a baseboard which suits their I/O requirements. The customer would then develop their application in a similar way to the traditional approach except they customer can change the module if their projected requirements were incorrect or the baseboard if different I/O is required. Once the application is proved the customer now has many more options, they may simply choose to purchase production quantities of their (possibly customised) module and baseboard selection , they can have a custom baseboard specifically tailored to their requirements (a much less expensive option than a full bespoke design) or indeed a custom Integrated module if they wish to use an alternative SOC. Of course the customer also has the option of a fully bespoke design if the quantities warrant.

D200 range

This is our current range of 200 Pin SO-DIMM style modules. The range provides a selection of Systems On Chip (SOC) and baseboards which give a good mix of I/O.

To build a working system an integrated module is placed in a baseboard to provide its I/O subsystems.

Integrated Modules

Samsung 2440 Module.

The IM2440D20 contains everything necessary to implement a complete system. It removes the need for a designer to consider any high speed memory system elements, multiple voltage supplies or deal with complex Ball Grid Arrays (BGA). The 400MHz CPU coupled with 128MB of memory and 64MB of flash give a comprehensive system.

Samsung 2410 Module.

The IM2410D20 contains everything necessary to implement a complete system. It removes the need for a designer to consider any high speed memory system elements, multiple voltage supplies or deal with complex Ball Grid Arrays (BGA). The 266MHz CPU coupled with 128MB of memory and 64MB of flash give a complete and relatively inexpensive system.

Baseboards

'DePicture' Touch-screen Tablet baseboard

BBD20EUROU is simple tablet-format baseboard for our D20 module range. It has options for a 5.7" 640x480 touchscreen, and a Jenic Zigbee module. Standard features include 10/100Mbps ethernet, an accelerometer, RS232 serial, and both host and device USB ports.

Integrated module thin client base board.

The BBD20EUROA provides a complete platform for thin client applications. There is provision for a large number of peripherals including a dual head capable Silicon Motion SM501 accelerated 2D graphics GPU. This GPU is capable of independent 1280x1024 pixel output on both displays. The extensive peripheral set combined with this graphics capability gives an extremely flexible platform for use where a graphical display is required.

Integrated module base board.

The BBD2016A provides a flexible general purpose embedded computing platform. It provides a large amount of peripheral I/O functionality, including basic video, audio, PCMCIA and storage options. The relatively small board size (160mm x 160mm) combined with this flexible I/O allows for integration into a number of application areas.

D144 range

This is our older range which has been superseded by the 200 pin SODIMM range above. It is still shown here to demonstrate that the modular approach is a well understood technology for Simtec.

Integrated Modules

Strongarm 110 module.

The SA110 PCI module is a 144 Pin SO-DIMM footprint module based around the Intel 21281 SA110 StrongARM and the 21285 support chip. The module includes 64MB SDRAM, measures less than 75mm by 75mm and has a power consumption of less than 2W.

Baseboards

PCI carrier board.

The BBD144PCI provides a standard PCI socketed carrier board for the D144 range of integrated modules.

Five way PCI carrier board.

The BB5D144PCI provides a standard PCI socketed carrier board for five of the D144 range of integrated modules.