Kontron COMe-cOHXX - Manual (Page 11)

Kontron COMe-cOH2/COMe-cOH6 User’s Guide
www.kontron.com
6
modules feature a standardized form factor and a standardized connector
layout for a specified set of signals, as defined in the PICMG COM Express®
specification (PICMG COM.0.R2). This standardization lets designers create a
single-system baseboard that can accept present and future microETXexpress
modules.
Kontron microETXexpress® modules include common personal computer (PC)
peripheral functions such as:
» Graphics
» USB ports
» Ethernet
» Audio
» SATA hard disk drive format
Baseboard designers can optimize exactly how each of these functions is
implemented physically for the intended application by placing connectors
precisely where they are needed on a baseboard that is designed for an
optimal fit in the system packaging.
A peripheral PCIe bus can be implemented directly on the application-specific
baseboard rather than on mechanically unwieldy expansion cards. The ability
to build a system on a single baseboard using the computer as one plug-in
super-component simplifies packaging, eliminates cabling, and significantly
reduces system-level total cost of ownership.
A single baseboard design can use a range of COM Express modules. This
flexibility enables product differentiation at various price/performance
points, and the design of future-proof systems with a built-in upgrade path.
The modularity of a COM Express solution also ensures against obsolescence as
computer technology evolves. A properly designed COM Express baseboard can
work with several successive generations of COM Express modules.
A COM Express baseboard design has many of the advantages of a custom,
computer-board design, but delivers better obsolescence protection, greatly
reduced engineering effort, and faster time to market.