IEI's ECW-281B-D525

According to IEI, the device uses Intel's 1.8GHz, dual-core Atom D525 and ICH8M I/O controller. A single SODIMM slot is said to accept up to 2GB of DDR3 memory.

Opening up IEI's ECW-281B-D525

As pictured above, the ECW-281B-D525's lid may be unscrewed to gain access to a 2.5-inch bay for SATA hard disk drives, a TypeII CompactFlash slot, and a Mini PCI Express slot. IEI indicates that the latter is intended either for a wireless networking card or for a SATA DOM (disk on module).

The device's front panel, visible earlier in this story, has two USB 2.0 ports, while the rear panel has two additional USB ports. The rear panel also has two types of power input connectors: a two-pin jack and a three-pin terminal block. The ECW-281B-D525 normally accepts 12VDC power, but may operate on supplies ranging from 9 to 36VDC if an optional power module is installed in the system, according to IEI.

One serial port on the ECW-281B-D525 may be replaced by a second VGA port

According to IEI, the ECW-281B-D525's rear panel (above) always features the gigabit Ethernet ports we've already mentioned, plus a VGA output that supports resolutions of up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. Normally, the device also sports six serial ports (five RS232, and one RS232/422/485); In an alternative configuration, however, the RS232/422/485 port may be replaced by a second VGA port (the LVDS-to-VGA converter board employed is said to offer resolutions up to 1024 x 768 pixels).

Features and specifications listed by IEI for the ECW-281B-D525 include:

• Processor -- Intel Atom D525 clocked at 1.8GHz
• Chipset -- ICH8M
• Memory -- up to 2GB of DDR3 RAM via single SODIMM slot
• Storage -- 2.5-inch bay for SATA drives; Type II CompactFlash slot
• Expansion -- Mini PCI Express slot
• Networking -- 1 x gigabit Ethernet
• Other I/O:
  • 4 x USB 2.0 (2 front, 2 rear)
  • 5 x RS232; 1 x RS232/422/485 (may be replaced by second VGA port)
  • 1 x VGA
  • power inputs -- 2-pin and 3-pin
• Power requirements -- 12VDC or, with optional board 9~36VDC
• Operating range -- -4 to 149 deg. F with SSD, or 14 to 122 deg. F with HDD
• Dimensions -- 9 x 5.2 x 2.5 inches (229 x 132 x 64mm)

IEI did not cite pricing or operating system support for the ECW-281B-D525, but the device's chipset ought to support any x86-compatible OS. More information may be found on the company's product page.

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