New VIPRO are HMI app ready

VIA, as you probably know, put their embedded motherboards into products, not only for sale under their own brands but also as an example to others to show what they can be used for. The VIPRO series of panel PCs have been around for a while now. I think I even saw one in a display at Computex with water gushing down it once!
This latest series are being pitched as future-proofed products. They are fanless and touchscreen - nothing new there, but they also have "an integrated two megapixel autofocus IP camera, microphone and speakers. These features make the VIA VIPRO series perfectly placed for next generation panel applications that include hospital patient terminals, home and building automation and advanced multimedia-rich security ecosystems."
I suppose that panel PCs with touch panel interfaces that control access to information and control over building functions like heating, lighting and security, are inevitable. I hadn't heard the term HMI or Human Machine Interface before this Press Release but a quick Google check shows that I am behind the times. HMI is a term used to define human and machine interface but according to Wikipedia it's "The user interface of a mechanical system, a vehicle or an industrial installation is sometimes referred to as the human-machine interface (HMI)."

VIA ARTiGO A110 intro video

Last week VIA announced a new ARTiGO kit, this time aimed at ... well, all sorts really, including PC enthusiasts who might like to build themselves a teeny tiny PC. The ARTiGO A110 kit is available for "retail" online sale in the US. I've been told that it will be available in Australia via the usual channels, by the end of the month.
There's nothing all that new being explained in this video, but it does give you a good look at the quality of the case - and it does look very solid and well finished.

Lian Li releases yet another Mini-ITX test bench

This is the third time in as many weeks that I've posted news about a new test bench from Lian Li that will make Mini-ITX development easier. The T7, as the marketing slogan goes, is "simple and stylish". Out of the three test benchs they've launched recently, this one looks to provide the most access.

Everything fits very neatly under the motherboard, leaving access to the motherboard, and a handle to move it around with ease. Very nice indeed.

Lian Li's Australian distributor is Mittoni.

VIA Nano-E to lead 64-bit revolution in embedded computing

Next week from April 27-29 VIA, and a whole lot of other players in the embedded computing market, will converge on Silicon Valley for the Embedded Systems Conference, an annual event that VIA has attended for many years now. This year they're getting in early with their announcements, launching five new SKUs of the VIA Nano E-Series processors.
As the Press Release points out, embedded computing will soon move over to 64-bit computing, with operating systems like Windows Embedded Standard 7 coming out soon, and VIA is ready to provide processors for that change, to "leverage a 64-bit software eco system that provides up to double the amount of data a CPU can process per clock cycle. This translates in to greater ease in manipulating large data sets and an overall performance boost compared to non-native x64 architectures."
In a very smart move, VIA is also taking care that the transition supports legacy software packages that are not 64-bit. The VIA VT virtualization technology will let such older programs run in virtual scenarios.

Classic Lian-li look for new Mini-ITX test bench

Lian-li have, for a long time, manufactured very clean looking case designs. Simple, with a lot of flat surfaces. I'm quite a fan really, preferring that classic look to heavy grills and bold inserts. Lian-li also make test bench cases for system integrators, developers and enthusiasts, where you can setup a test bed but in a secure "case" that gives easy access to all of the components. Today they've combined the two to release the PC-Q06 Mini-ITX/ATX test bench that looks like a shrunken down version of a classic Lian-li case.
If you're an embedded developer who is often tinkering with VIA EPIA mainboards, one of these new test benchs would suit you well.

New VIA ARTiGO targets consumers

The latest VIA ARTiGO system, just launched by VIA, is targetting regular consumers and enthusiasts. Previous VIA ARTiGO designs were aimed for use as servers. The ARTiGO A1100 would also be perfect for that but the new configuration also aims to appeal to general desktop use as well.
The new white chassis is pretty spiffy looking, complete with a little swirly design. It looks just as cute as the first ARTiGO but the white color is somehow more friendly than the black. The measurements are 14.5 x 10 x 5 cm and that makes it the smallest full featured PC kit available. It is full featured, with a 1.2GHz VIA Nano 64-bit processor and the VX855 digital media chipset which gives it HD playback support. Being so small, it doesn't have room for an optical drive but you could always plug in a USB optical drive.

As a media box for the lounge room, that compliments a DVD/Blu-ray player, and is responsible for playing DivX, AVI and other media file types, the ARTiGO A110 is really pretty awesome. The etail price, for US residents only, is USD 243. It has HDMI and VGA out (and audio of course). That's not a bad deal, especially when you look at how much space it would take up ... or more to the point, how much space it wouldn't take up. Having the audio ports on the front and the VGA and HDMI on the back is not ideal though as there would be no way to avoid having cables sticking out the front of it.

As a desktop PC it's also a very sweat deal. It would take up less room on a desk than you're average phone!! The specs are also more than capable of most people's working requirements.

The Press Release says that it supports Windows 7, Vista and XP but the product page on VIA's site omits Vista. Not sure what the deal is there but my guess is that it's on oversight on the website.

Sadly, no online sales place is listed for Australia. Mini-ITX.com do ship internationally though. You can also try and win one in VIA's ARTiGO A110 simile game. The competition is open until next Thursday 29th. The idea behind the comp is that people submit images of things that the ARTiGO A110's size reminds them of and then people vote for their favorite. My tip would be to go for something funny.

VIA EMIO-3210: Kiosk and Industrial Automation

The unlikely bed fellows of kiosks and industrial automation find themselves listed together as the target use for VIA's third Em-ITX I/O module announced last week. The EMIO-3210 looks to have the most ports out of all of the modules, with a dedicated LPC Super I/O controller that provides 6 COM ports, all of them configurable with RS-232/422/485, plus 9-pin D-sub configurable connectors and 2 parallel ports.

Like the other Em-ITX I/O boards announced last week, the EMIO-3210 connects with the VIA EITX-3000 board to provide developers with a scalable modulated platform. It certainly is a pretty looking board!

VIA EMIO-3430: Vehicle, Fleet Management and Logistics

The second Em-ITX I/O module announced this week by VIA will end up inside vehicles, probably taxis, courier vehicles and trucks. The EMIO-3430 has a 20 channel GPRS module which should be enough for any robust fleet management or logistical operation. Bluetooth class 2 will keep it all connected, as will 802.11b/g. And then there's also a PC card slot for PCMCIA and JEIDA4.2.

VIA actually recommend using with module with the EM-3110 which I covered yesterday.

Test your next Mini-ITX system on a spider!

Lian-Li has announced a 2010 edition of their Spider Test Bench. The PITSTOP PC-T1 Mini-ITX Spider Test Bench is a cool and also very convenient way to work on Mini-ITX boards.

"The dimensions stand at 227mm x 272mm x 345mm (Body Width, Height with legs, Body Depth). The chassis supports mini-ITX motherboards, one 5.25” slim CD-ROM, one standard 3.5” hard drives or one SSD drive using an adapter, and a standard ATX PS/2 power supply unit. At the bottom of the testing bench, there is the Lian-Li-patented cable management clamp, making it extremely easy for users to manage cables to ensure the good lucks of the system build."

So if your an embedded system developer and you often work with Mini-ITX boards, this quirky but well designed test bed might make your development process easier - and a little fun! Lian-Li's Australian distributor is Mittoni.

VIA EMIO-3110: Digital Signage, POI and Gaming

As I mentioned earlier in the week, VIA have now released 3 Em-ITX I/O expansion modules, each of them designed to provide what's needed for niche embedded products.

The EMIO-3110 is designed for digital signage, POI and gaming machines, with the focus being on high quality output, with lots of options in terms of the types of displays supported. The EMIO-3100 module fits in with the VIA EITX-3000 motherboard, which already has graphics provided by the VX800 media system processor, bit the EMIO-3110 has its own S3 graphics DX10.1 GPU as well. It can putput to six displays at once, with up to four streams of content showing at once! VGA, Dual HDMI and Dual DVI ports are on the module, plus TV-out and 8 channel audio. It's obviously capable of handling a high load of visual output.

VIA announce three Em-ITX I/O modules

I think I once described the VIA Em-ITX form factor as PCB LEGO. You start with an Em-ITX board and then add an I/O expansion board that has what your application/device needs on it ... and not what it doesn't.
The Em-ITX form factor is 12x17cm. This makes it a bit smaller than the Mini-ITX. Each of the 17cm sides can contain I/O. That means that cables can come off two sides instead of crossing over each other in a case design, which helps to not only reduce cable clutter, but also helps to keep the system cool.

The only Em-ITX board available at the moment is the EITX-3000, which features a VIA Nano processor and the VX800 media system processor.

VIA has today announced three new I/O expansion modules:

• VIA EMIO-3110: Digital Signage, POI and Gaming
• VIA EMIO-3430: Vehicle, Fleet Management and Logistics
• VIA EMIO-3210: Kiosk and Industrial Automation

I'll write one blog entry per day this week exploring these new modules.