PC/104 DEVELOPMENT

PC/104 CPU and peripheral boards are a great solution
to resolve "intelegence" requirements integrated to industrial
equipment, autonomous systems or independent measurement
units. The evolution of PC compatibles in this format has grown
enormously in the last decade, mainly because of the following
advantages:

  • Programming Ease: Most applications use old MS-DOS or some of the industrial variants. More powerful 32bit versions can work directly with Windows or Linux.
  • Software Tools (compilers, Linkers and Cross Assemblers) are widely available at relatively low-cost, since their use is standard in normal PCs. Good quality development tools for other processors are generally extremely costly software packages.
  • A complete Real-Time Operating System, or a more simple Real-Time Executive with Multitasking capability can be integrated easily. This last alternative does not replace DOS, but adds multiple tasks and a predictable execution time.

Figure 1: PC/104 Dimensions

The physical characteristics of the PC/104 (8 bit version) are standarized and as shown in the above Figure 1. Dimensions are given in inches (3.8" x 3.6" x 0.6"), or in mm of 96.52 x 91.44 x 15.24.


The main connector J1 shown is the equivalent of the ISA 8-bit bus connector, originated in the days of the first IBM XTs (the physical drivers are reduced current, to reduce the power consumption). Also standarized are the 16bit systems, extending the AT 16bit ISA bus with an additional connector, and the newer embedded PCI 32bit formats. For additional info, please see www.pc104.org

Figure 2: Micro/Sys CPU board project.

The special format of these boards allows them to be "piled up", avoiding costly backplane boards and rack mounting systems. Alternatively, the boards can be normally connected in a flat surface (figure 2).

Most of the PC/104 CPU boards integrate a number of hardware features that are not usual in normal PCs:

1. A Watchdog Timer, which resets the CPU in case a software malfunction occurs.
2. Special features such as Non-Volatile memory areas for calibration or setup parameters, and special
RTC (Real Time Clock) hardware, sometimes with wake-up capability.
3. Quality features (board design, heat dissipation) that makes them usable for continuos
operation. This sometimes includes extended temperature ranges of -40 to +85ºC.

Please mail us for further information, availability and pricing of PC/104 systems at L&R.

L&R Ingeniería - Teófilo de Loqui 58 - 9400 Río Gallegos - Argentina - TE/FAX +54 (0) 2966 430923
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