Card Steps Up Performance While Stepping Down In Size

In a space measuring just 2.5" x 4", the CPC-2245 card integrates a 486-level processor, 8 KB of RAM, a 10/100Base-T Ethernet controller, a PCI slot, a VGA interface with 64-bit accelerator, two serial ports, a parallel or floppy disk port, support for up to two hard drives, and the other interfaces required to give the card the performance of a computer. Also residing on the miniature board is a CompactFlash socket for a solid-state disk and Windows CE.
In addition, the card has a DIMM connector along one edge that allows it to be plugged into larger, application-specific boards, thereby slashing development times for new systems to a small fraction of the time otherwise required to lay out a new board with all its processing functions, interfaces and connectors.
The CPC-2245's small size-- it is about 23% smaller than the firm's existing, PC/104 form-factor cards-- is expected to open up for the card two categories of uses: as a standalone computer where size is critical, such as in portable test equipment or in intelligent access controls; and as a plug-in processor on an integrator's board. Price: $400 each/1-9.