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June 29, 2011     

Micro/sys Announces Sub 1 Watt Pico-ITX SBC for Portable and Handheld Embedded Applications

Montrose, California…Micro/sys has released a 2.5-inch Pico-ITX™ ARM single board computer offering power-through-USB and an impressive mix of video, audio, USB, memory, and power features for today’s handheld applications. Featuring the cost-efficient, power-conscience Freescale Semiconductor i.MX515 ARM Cortex-A8 processor tailored for multimedia, the SBC5651 is ideally suited for use in small, low-power handheld and portable devices typical to medical, gaming, ticketing, and test and measurement applications.

The SBC5651 is engineered to satisfy the power management, space conservation, and multimedia I/O demands of handheld and portable applications. Consuming less than 1W with user-programmable speeds up to 800MHz, the SBC5651 offers performance while respecting low power operation. To enable mounting in cramped spaces, USB, Ethernet, power, and SD/MMC standard ports are available on-board eliminating the need for breakout boards or unnecessary cabling. Additionally, the SBC5651 boasts LCD touch screen support (both LVDS and TFT), LED back light control, keypad interface, SD card slot, and 4G NAND flash enabling OEMs to provide the user-friendliest handheld designs.

"Micro/sys is looking to ease the job of embedded users who are increasingly finding the need to reduce their OEM interfaces into small, portable and handheld systems. The SBC5651 takes into consideration unique power and display needs for these new applications on this small SBC," said Susan Wooley, President of Micro/sys. "The functionality of this compact board combined with its low power makes it ideal for OEMs developing small and portable embedded devices in industries such as medical imaging, test and measurement, gaming and industrial control systems."

The advanced RISC core and tight peripheral integration give the SBC5651 the competitive edge—making its 800MHz perform like 2GHz. The SBC5651 has multiple options for supplying power: the USB On-the-Go connector, a standard terminal block, or through StackableUSB. In addition, the SBC5651 can be powered by a single cell Lithium Ion rechargeable battery making remote operation in portable or handheld devices simple. Unimpeded by the extremely compact footprint, the Micro/sys SBC5651 on-board I/O feature set includes 24-bit LCD panel display (TFT or LVDS), TV OUT, audio, CAN, Ethernet, three serial ports, one USB mini-B OTG port, 3 additional USB 2.0 ports, one SD/MMC card slot, 23 GPIO, RTC, keypad interface, and more. The on-board StackableUSB I/O expansion with USB, I2C and SPI provides access to an additional wealth of plug-and-play off-the-shelf I/O boards with A/D, D/A, Zigbee, GPS, mass storage, sensors and other embedded I/O for applications requiring this expandability.

These design efficiencies coupled with the extensive turn-key software board support packages (BSPs) enable simplified development of applications that contributes significantly to speedier time to market and lower total cost of ownership. In addition, since all components are validated for the extended temperature range from -40 °C to +85 °C, the SBC5651 is industrial temperature capable by design.

The SBC5651 starts at $395 in single quantity and mid $200’s in 100-piece quantities. Turn-key development kits for Linux and Windows CE are available for $995 with an extensive tool base allowing immediate out-of-the-box development. Significant OEM discounts are available on all boards. Contact Technical Sales Dept., Micro/sys, Inc., 3730 Park Place, Montrose, CA 91020, phone (818) 244-4600, FAX (818) 244-4246, email: info@embeddedsys.com, URL: www.embeddedsys.com

About Micro/sys: Since 1976, Micro/sys has been specializing in OEM high-performance, compact, low-power industrial single board computer products suited for demanding environments. Pioneering the USB movement within the stackable computer market, Micro/sys is a leading provider of Host and Client USB microcomputer and microcontroller boards. Micro/sys embedded computers are specified by OEMs in a range of applications including semiconductor processing, medical, military, mail handling, pharmaceutical, industrial marking, process control, and many other industries. For more information, visit the Micro/sys website, www.embeddedsys.com.

About StackableUSB: StackableUSB ruggedizes USB, I2C, and SPI into compact form factors enabling the technology to move into harsh environments such as industrial control systems, mobile, hand-held, military, medical, and remote communications applications. Visit www.StackableUSB.org for more information on StackableUSB and its ability to increase throughput as technology advances.