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        In-wall controllers upgrade to Atom, Windows Embedded Standard

        Jonathan Angel | Date: Jun 8, 2010 | Comments: 1


        Borg Displays says it has added the Windows Embedded Standard operating system and Intel Atom processors to its in-wall touchscreen controllers. The 15-inch Protege 15a and eight-inch Protege 8a are designed for home control, energy management, kiosks, and digital signage applications, the company says.

        Borg's Protege 8 and Protege 15 were first introduced last year, at which time they were said to include Via processors: the 500MHz Geode LX800 for the 8 and the 1GHz Eden for the 15. At the time, the devices were said to run Windows XP Embedded or Linux.

        The revised Protege 15a and 8a are now said to employ 1.6GHz Intel Atom processors, presumably the N270, along with the 945GSE chipset. The devices are also now available with Windows Embedded Standard (specific version not specified), according to the company.

        The Protege 15a offers a 15-inch screen with 1024 x 768 pixel resolution, whereas the Protege 8a offers an eight-inch screen with 800 x 600 resolution. Borg says the 8a comes with 512MB of DDR2 memory, expandable to 2GB, while the 15a comes with 1GB of DDR2 RAM that's also expandable to 2GB.

        According to Borg, the 8a is fitted with 1GB of flash storage, while the 15a comes with 2GB of flash. Both devices are also said to include CompactFlash slots, PCI Express x4 expansion slots, and two STA ports.


        The Protege 15
        (Click to enlarge)

        The Protege devices are equipped with a gigabit Ethernet port, two USB 2.0 ports and two COM ports, according to Borg. GPIO connections hook up to the four programmable touch buttons located on an acrylic bezel under the display. In addition, a camera is said to be available with the Protege 15a.



        On left, a Myro home security app running on the Protege 15a; on right, the Protege 15a protective backbox
        (Click on either to enlarge)

        Specifications listed by Borg for the Protege 15a and 8a include:
        • Processor -- 1.6GHz Intel Atom
        • Chipset -- 945GSE
        • Expansion -- 1 x PCI Express x4 slot
        • Memory:
          • Protege 15a -- 1GB of DDR2 RAM, expandable to 2GB, and 2GB of flash
          • Protege 8a -- 512MB of DDR2 RAM, expandable to 2GB, and 1GB of flash storage
        • Display:
          • Protege 15a -- 15-inch SVGA (1024 x 768) TFT LCD resistive 5-wire; 350 cd/M2 brightness; 400:1 contrast; shared system memory up to 64MB
          • Protege 8a -- 8-inch SVGA (800 x 600) TFT LCD resistive 4-wire; 250 cd/M2 brightness; 500:1 contrast; shared system memory up to 64MB
        • Camera -- CMOS sensor (1024 x 768) 30fps (Protege 15 only)
        • Buttons -- Acrylic bezel with 4 x customizable touch buttons on GPIO bus; 1 x power switch button; 3 x LEDs
        • Networking -- 1 x gigabit Ethernet port
        • Other I/O:
          • 2 x USB 2.0
          • Serial -- 2 x COM ports (COM1/COM2)
          • IDE -- 1 x 44-pin IDE connector onboard
          • 4 x GPIO
          • Audio -- stereo speakers and mic in, line in, line out
          • Power -- external AC 100V/240V power supply; 1 x DC 8~24VDC input
        • Operating system -- Windows Embedded Standard; Windows XP Embedded; Linux

        Buttons on the front of the Protege 15

        Availability

        No pricing or availability information was provided by Borg Displays for the Protege 15a and Protege 8a devices. More information may be found on the company's website here.


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