Kontron welcomes the 8th vendor, IBASE, to support the credit card-sized nanoETXexpress Computer-on-Modules form factor

Consistently growing support makes nanoETXexpress the de facto standard for COM Express™ compatible ultra small and low power designs.

Eching/Nuremberg, Germany, March 2, 2010 –At Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany, Kontron announces that the ultra small nanoETXexpress (84 mm x 55 mm) Computer-on-Modules form factor, which Kontron originally developed, is now also supported by IBASE technology, thus underlining its ever growing support and broad global acceptance. IBASE is now the 8th vendor to officially follow the open-standard nanoETXexpress Computer-on-Module form factor.

The nanoETXexpress form factor follows the COM Express™ specification 100 percent with respect to connector location and the Type 1 pin-out definition. This the open-standard form factor offers the highest investment security for the next generation of ultra small mobile designs based, for example, on the latest Intel® Atom™ Processor technology.

“We support the nanoETXexpress form factor because it perfectly meets our customers’ demands for ever smaller and more energy-efficient COTS components for ultra low power carrier board designs. Since it remains fully pin and signal compatible to the PICMG® COM Express™ Type 1 connector, nanoETXexpress integrates seamlessly into our existing COM Express™ portfolio, which is now growing in the low-power small-form-factor segment with this form factor. Moreover, broad global support makes nanoETXexpress a safe investment for our customers”, states Steven Lin, Senior Product Manager of IBASE.

“The COM Express™ compatible approach for miniaturization offers one technology concept from Small Form Factor to Multi Core based projects. We welcome IBASE on board as the next leading vendor who officially supports the nanoETXexpress form factor,” says Josef Behammer, Director of Marketing of Kontron’s Embedded Modules Division. “Due to the fact that nearly all major Computer-on-Module vendors now support the nanoETXexpress specifications, we can once again say that we have created a de facto standard for ultra-small low power devices. In addition, due to this tremendous global support and customer acceptance, the incorporation of the “Ultra” form factor into the PICMG® COM Express™ specification comes yet another step closer. Certification will establish a comprehensive specification that guarantees OEMs the highest degree of reliability and long-term availability to minimize design risks”, explains Behammer.

PICMG® certification
The PICMG® COM Express™ COM.0 specification currently incorporates the “basic” and “extended” form factors. Kontron is heading an initiative to incorporate the nanoETXexpress (84 mm x 55 mm) and slightly larger microETXexpress (95 x 95mm) form factor into the COM Express™ specification. Upon successful acceptance, these may be known as COM Express™ “Ultra” and COM Express™ “Compact,” respectively.

The nanoETXexpress form factor was derived from the PICMG COM Express™ specification guidelines and follows the specification 100 percent with respect to connector placement and pin-out definition. The only differences are the size of the form factor and the location of additional mounting holes. This enables scalability with COM Express™ Computer-on-Modules of different sizes. More important for nanoETXexpress customers, however, is the high reliability and widespread know-how for the development of designs that follow COM Express™ as well as a universally recognized standard that allows customers (according the Pareto Principle) to meet 80 percent of all market requirements with just one major COM form factor specification. Other suppliers of embedded computer technology are encouraged to develop Computer-on-Modules that accord with this specification.

Additional benefits for the nanoETXexpress website
The nanoETXexpress website (http://www.nanoetxexpress.org), which offers the latest nanoETXexpress specifications free of charge as well as design guidelines for carrier boards, has recently received a facelift. It now also provides a press review section featuring the press’s response to the latest nanoETXexpress developments as well as a listing of solution providers, which is especially interesting for OEM customers looking for services related to carrier board and system designs based on nanoETXexpress Computer-on-Modules.

For further information on nanoETXexpress, please visit http://www.nanoetxexpress.org