Compact motherboard.

Review Display Systems (RDS) has announced the introduction of two new mini-STX format motherboards from Kontron, a global leader in embedded computing technology. The Kontron K3921-N and K3921-H support the powerful Intel Core i3 and Intel Alder Lake-N series processors with the latest UHD Gen12 graphics based on the Intel Xe architecture.

The K3921-N industrial motherboard is equipped with two DisplayPort v1.4, one DisplayPort via front USB type-C, an embedded DisplayPort and a dual-channel 24-bit LVDS interface which enables support for up to three independent displays with 4K resolution (2 x 4K UHD and 1 x FHD).

The K3921-H mini-STX offers a cost-optimised version of the K3921-N with slightly reduced functionality. The K3921-H is available with an Intel N100 processor from the Alder Lake-N series and also offers two DisplayPort v1.4, one embedded DisplayPort and one USB Type-C (Alt mode). As with the K3921-N, the K3921-H can support three independent displays with up to 4K resolution.

Both motherboards share common features including support for up to 32GB of the latest DDR5 4800 memory technology, 2 x GbE LAN (1 x 1GbE, 1 x 2.5GbE), 2 x COM ports and adjustable CPU TDP make the board ideally suited for a wide range of industrial applications. The boards also feature two M.2 connectors, for storage and Wi-Fi, as well as other interfaces such as GPIO and USB 3.2 Gen2. In addition, both boards feature up to nine USB ports (USB 3.2 Gen1/2, USB 2.0) and offer a dual power input (12v and 19-28v).

Designed and manufactured in Germany, the compact and reliable motherboards offer outstanding performance, functionality and cost-of-ownership in a compact mini-STX format. They are ideally suited for applications in industrial automation, medical equipment, digital signage, point of information and gaming. The Kontron mini-STX boards are designed and developed for continuous 24-hour operation.

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Web panels.

A new range of high-quality multi-touch Panel PCs from Kontron is now available from Review Display Systems (RDS).

The Web Panel Line is available with three high resolution, widescreen IPS (in-plane switching) TFT displays, in 7.0-inch (1024 x 600 pixels) , 10.1-inch (1280 x 800 pixels) and 15.6-inch (1366 x 768 pixels) sizes, integrated PCap (projected capacitive) touch technology, and flexible, scalable performance from Arm-based i.MX6 single or dual core, i.MX8M quad core and Intel Atom-based dual and quad core processors.

The Kontron Web Panels are delivered with a specially developed, smart QIWI software toolkit with a performance-optimised HTML-5 browser. The toolkit enables quick and easy configuration of the Web Panel itself or from an external device. A wide range of configuration options and features include network settings, browser appearance and operation, display properties, fonts and logos, keyboard layouts, language options and country specific settings.

The Web Panels feature a robust, optically bonded glass PCap touchscreen, which is flush mounted in a stylish aluminium or an optional stainless-steel frame. All standard versions are designed to offer simple and straightforward panel mounting for use in control cabinets and equipment consoles in industrial environments. All three panels provide an IP65 protection rating on the front side of the panel and feature an operating temperature range of 0°C to 55°C.

The 7.0-inch panel has a brightness specification of 450cd/m² and features external dimensions of 200mm (l) x 132 (w) x 48mm (d). The 10.1-inch panel has a brightness rating of 430cd/m² and external dimensions of 265mm (l) x 187mm (w) x 41mm (d). The 15.6-inch panel has a specified brightness of 400cd/m and mechanical outline dimensions of 405mm (l) x 254mm (w) x 60mm (d).

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Computing platform for for graphics intensive tasks.

Review Display Systems (RDS) has announced the introduction of an AMD-powered mini-STX single board computer (SBC) from Kontron. The new high-performance Kontron D3724-R mini-STX industrial motherboard supports the AMD Ryzen Embedded R2000 series processors with integrated AMD Radeon Vega graphics and is available in three versions.

Developed and engineered in Germany, the compact, highly integrated mini-STX SBC is designed for use in a wide range of embedded applications with demanding graphic intensive tasks such as digital signage, ticketing terminals, information kiosks, medical displays, and industrial-use PCs.

The fanless, industrial D3724-R motherboard series is based on the AMD Ryzen Embedded R2000 series processors and offers significantly higher performance than its predecessor R1000 series. Exceptional graphics performance is delivered with the integrated AMD Radeon Vega GPU providing support for up to three DisplayPorts, one HDMI port, one Embedded DisplayPort V1.4 and one dual-channel LVDS (24bit) and drives up to four independent displays in 4K resolution (4096 x 2160 pixels).

Peter Marchant, embedded business manager, RDS said, “The new D3724-R provides a step-up in processing and graphics performance over the pin-compatible Kontron D3714 SBC by using the newer, more powerful AMD Ryzen 2000 series processors. The D3724-R series provides a comprehensive feature and toolset which enables customers to easily offer different performance options for their products without the need for additional design and development.”

Depending on the requirements for graphics performance, there are three motherboard versions available:

• the D3724-R3 variant is equipped with the AMD R2514 quad-core processor (2.1/3.7GHz), GPU at 1.2GHz as well as eight compute units and supports up to four displays (eDP, LVDS, HDMI, 3x DisplayPort).
• the D3724-R2 variant is based on the AMD Embedded R2314 quad-core processor (2.1/3.5GHz), GPU at 1.2GHz, has six compute units and supports up to four displays.
• the D3724-R1 version uses an AMD R2312 dual-core processor (2.7/3.5 GHz), GPU at 1.2GHz with three compute units and supports up to three displays.

Other features include USB 2.0, USB 3.2 (Gen1/Gen2) and SATA III, while the M.2 SSD interface (Key-M: 2230/2242/2280) enables the connection of SSD storage devices. AMD's integrated TPM V2.0 ensures a high-security standard for trusted computing. The board supports Windows 10, Windows 11, and Linux 64-bit.

The new Kontron D3724-R motherboard uses the compact mini-STX format which features mechanical outline dimensions of just 140mm (h) x 148mm (w). An operating temperature range of -10°C to +60°C is supported.

Designing and delivering fully integrated electronic systems, Review Display Systems can provide bespoke solutions for embedded computing hardware, high resolution displays, touchscreens, interconnect, mechanical fixtures and fittings, firmware, and OS support.

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Graphics-rich computing platform.

The new AMD-based Kontron D3714-V/R mini-STX single board computer (SBC) is now available from Review Display Systems (RDS). Able to support four independent displays, with resolutions of up to 4K, the highly integrated Kontron D3714-V/R is ideally suited for use in a wide range of embedded systems such as digital signage, information terminals, ticketing kiosks, medical displays, thin clients, and ultra-small industrial PCs.

The Kontron D3714-V/R mini-STX motherboard series supports fan-less operation with AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 and R1000 series processors. Exceptional graphics performance is provided with the integrated AMD Radeon Vega GPU (graphics processor unit) providing support for up to three DisplayPorts (V1.4, including DP++ support) and one HDMI port (V2.0b), driving display resolutions of up to 4K (4096 x 2160 pixels).

 

The board also offers dual channel 24-bit LVDS, an embedded DisplayPort V1.3 (4K), 8-bit GPIO and HD audio onboard. Other interfaces include USB 2.0, USB 3.1 (Gen1/Gen2) and SATA III. An M.2 SSD interface (Key-M: 2230/2242/2280) enables the connection of SSD storage. Additionally, the motherboard supports M.2 WLAN/Bluetooth (Key-E: 2230) and the AMD-integrated TPM V2.0 enables a high security standard for trusted computing.

 

Depending on the graphics performance requirements, three different motherboard versions are available. The V2 variant is equipped with the AMD V1605B processor (Quad Core 2.0/3.6 GHz), GPU @ 1.1 GHz, eight compute units and supports four displays. The R2 variant is based on an AMD Embedded R1305G (Dual Core 1.5/2.8 GHz), GPU @ 1.0 GHz, three compute units and supports three displays. The R1 version uses an AMD R1102G (dual core 1.2/2.6 GHz), GPU @ 1.0 GHz, also three compute units and supports two displays.

 

The D3714-V/R is Kontron's first completely new motherboard development following the acquisition of Fujitsu's industrial motherboard division. The new product implements the compact mini-STX format which features dimensions of just 140mm (h) x 148mm (w). An operating temperature range of -10°C to +60°C is supported.

 

The Kontron D3714-V/R mSTX SBC will operate with a Microsoft Windows 10 or Linux-64 operating system. Review Display Systems can create bespoke options for both firmware and OS support, such as custom embedded Windows system images, and exclusive configurations to provide corporate branding or logos on BIOS start-up splash screens.

 

Designing and delivering fully integrated embedded systems, Review Display Systems can provide bespoke custom solutions for the integration of computing hardware, high resolution displays, touchscreens, interconnect, mechanical fixtures and fittings, firmware, and OS support.

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Computing platform for smart devices.

A new SMARC module from Kontron has been introduced by Review Display Systems (RDS). The powerful but energy-saving SMARC-fA3399 module is based on the six-core Arm Rockchip RK3399K processor which features a low power dual-core Cortex-A72 and a quad-core Cortex-A53.

The Kontron SMARC-fA3399 provides the ideal platform for the efficient development of computing intensive smart devices in non-critical applications such as digital signage, point-of-sale (POS) and point-of-information (POI). A fully integrated Arm Mali-T860MP4 GPU provides high performance 2D and 3D graphics capability. A wide range of displays can be easily connected via LVDS, DisplayPort and HDMI.

The SMARC-fA3399 supports up to 8GB of integrated LPDDR4 SDRAM memory and up to 64GB of on-board eMMC 5.1 flash memory. Other integrated peripherals and interfaces include 2 x Gigabit Ethernet ports as well as 3 x PCIe, 6 x USB 2.0 and 1 x USB 3.0.

The SMARC module offers great levels of versatility and can be specifically configured depending on application requirements. Options for selecting memory and storage capacity, graphics output, PCIe configuration options and LAN controller options will change the interfaces available at the SMARC2.1 connector pinout.

The robust SMARC-fA3399 modules offers a highly cost-effective, high-performance computing solution and complies with the new SMARC 2.1 module standard with compact external dimensions of 82mm (h) x 80mm (w). The module supports an extended commercial operating temperature range of -20°C to +60°C which enables use in a wide range of application environments.

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Commitment to ARM development

ADLINK Technology supports Kontron's new COM standard that targets ultra low power ARM/RISC and SOC designs.

The smallest “short” module size of
82 mm x 50 mm, based on 314-pin MXM
3.0 connector

ADLINK Technology is to support the new Computer-on-Module (COM) standard from Kontron for ultra low-power embedded architecture platforms with a whole new line of products. Building on our design experience with ARM/RISC in OEM and Intelligent Display projects, this marks ADLINK's first endeavor outside x86 boundaries for a standard form factor product offering.

The new COM standard provides a very slim and low profile solution for ARM/RISC and SOC based ultra low-power processors. The standard specifically targets new fast growing markets such as handheld devices and industrial tablets, and in the near future is also expected to move into more traditional applications such as industrial control and data communications. It will be based on a 314-pin MXM 3.0 connector that allows for a total package height of less than 5 mm for both module and carrier. Two module sizes are specified: a very compact “short” module measuring just 82 mm x 50 mm and a “full size” module measuring 82 mm x 80 mm. The defined pin-out will be able to support both traditional features such as 24-bit RGB, and will be future proof by supporting more modern standards such as LVDS, HDMI and DisplayPort. Power consumption of these ARM/RISC solutions will be on the order of 3W.

"Current COM standards do not address the needs of ARM/RISC specific designs. In the COM market today, we either see ARM being forced onto x86 optimized designs that lack ARM critical pin-outs, or we see specific ARM designs that are not future proof because they lack the inclusion of modern interfaces into their pin-out," explains Dirk Finstel, CTO at Kontron. "This limitation in existing COM standards makes our case that there is a need for a new form factor now. We welcome ADLINK to join us in the promotion and verification of this new COM standard. Bringing this to the market with a second supporting company emphasizes the concept of second source that has made the COM approach so successful during the last ten years."

"Embedded technology has always leveraged parts that have been deployed on a large scale in the commercial field. The reason for this is simple: wide availability, investment in OS support, and optimized pricing for components due to large commercial volumes," according to Henk van Bremen, Product Director for Embedded Computing at ADLINK Technology. "This happened with the notebook market in the early 2000s and with netbooks around 2006. It is happening today with the breakthrough of ARM and RISC in the intelligent mobile phone and tablet market that is taking the traditionally x86 dominated netbook market by storm. For the first time, embedded customers will have the same wide choice of operating systems on ARM as on x86, enabling efficient implementations of new and complementary embedded applications based on ultra low-power devices, that were not possible with x86 based platforms. ADLINK will be able to offer a wide range of OS support including: Linux, Android, Windows CE, Windows 8, VxWorks and QNX."

The support model for ARM/RISC based design will be very different than that of traditional x86 designs. While drivers for x86 platforms are generic and mostly provided by parts vendors, the loading on ARM/RISC hardware suppliers is much higher. ADLINK is investing heavily in a new infrastructure to be able to provide driver development, customization and application support that is specifically focused on ARM/RISC for all their product lines, not just for COM modules. ADLINK's commitment to the new modular form factor is just the first step in adopting ARM/RISC platforms, with all other departments soon to follow in embracing ARM/RISC and leveraging the inroads made by this new COM standard.

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