Posted on Wednesday, October 29 2008 @ 15:58 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
VIA unveiled world's first
Pico-ITXe motherboard - the VIA EPIA-P710. This board is specifically for embedded system developers, and has been designed with new industry connectors (SUMIT) to enable customisable I/O expansion through the stacking of up to four Pico-I/O modules. This motherboard features the VIA C7 1.0GHz processor and measures just 10cm x 7.2cm. The tiny board has integrated VIA Chrome9 HC3 DX9 graphics, support for one DDR2 533/667MHz memory module, onboard LAN, onboard audio, one SATA port and one IDE port.
Supporting up to four customizable I/O expansion modules, the VIA EPIA-P710 Pico-ITXe enables a highly flexible and affordable implementation of serial connectivity options. Designed as the perfect baseboard, the VIA EPIA-P710 uses an intelligent board layout to allow efficient module stacking and aid heat dissipation.
The VIA EPIA-P710 board features two SUMIT™ (Stackable Unified Module Interconnect Technology) connectors that integrate common high and low speed, legacy and serial expansion buses, including, most notably, PCI Express, LPC, SPI and USB 2.0. This extensive support sets Pico-ITXe apart from competing standards, facilitating an off-the-shelf solution to power the next generation of embedded devices. SUMIT is an open standard administered by the SFF-SIG.
Powered by a 1GHz VIA C7® processor and the latest VIA VX800 media system processor, the VIA EPIA-P710 delivers an incredibly full-featured yet flexible, power-efficient platform within the remarkably small footprint of 10cm x 7.2cm.
“VIA is excited to be the first to deliver a truly innovative product that leverages the ultra compact dimensions and modular expandability of the new Pico-ITXe specification,” said Daniel Wu, Vice President of VIA Embedded, VIA Technologies, Inc. “Our collaboration with SFF-SIG has borne a product that will set the standard for the embedded industry and shape the market for years to come.”
The VIA EPIA-P710 possesses the technical diversity to offer system developers considerable scope for customizing I/O simply and cost effectively through the addition of selected Pico-I/O bus expansion modules, for demanding applications such as industrial automation, data acquisition and process monitoring. The board can also be used as a stand-alone platform for mid-range signage and kiosk solutions.
VIA EPIA-P710 Pico-ITXe: Setting the Standard for the Embedded Industry
Measuring a mere 10cm x 7.2cm the VIA EPIA-P710 uses a 1GHz VIA C7 processor and the latest VIA VX800 advanced all-in-one media system processor, which features the integrated VIA Chrome9™ IGP with DX9 Graphics and MPEG-2/4, WMV9 and VC1 video decoding acceleration. The board supports up to 2GB of DDR2 system memory, one IDE channel, two S-ATA channels and the VIA Vinyl HD Audio.
I/O configurations include two SUMIT QMS connectors that provide I/O support for up to 3 USB, 1 LPC, 2 PCIe x1, a PCIe x4, SMBus and SPI buses. Pin headers provide Gigabit LAN, VGA, LVDS, audio and front panel LED.
The VIA EPIA-P700 will ship in December 2008, with samples available to developers upon request.
