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        Mini-ITX mobo boasts BGA Celeron, Gig E, Windows Embedded

        Staff | Date: Nov 2, 2005 | Comments: 1



        Kontron is shipping a passively cooled, Windows-compatible mini-ITX motherboard with a soldered-down BGA (ball-grid array) Intel processor and long-term availability. The 886LCD-M/mITX(BGA) has a 600MHz mobile Celeron processor, and targets cost-sensitive, low-power applications, such as POS...


        (point-of-sales/service), gaming, banking, measurement, medical, and industrial computing.

        (Click for larger view of 886LCD-M/mITX(BGA))

        VIA originally created Mini-ITX to showcase its products for computing hobbyists. However, the 6.7-inch (170 mm) square form-factor has since been adopted for a wide range of commercial applications, due to the proliferation of commodity cases and low-wattage power supplies. Mini-ITX is also the smallest motherboard form-factor that works with ATX cases and power supplies.

        Kontron has previously shipped several mini-ITX boards, including the 786LCD/mITX, based on a 733MHz Pentium M chip, and 886LCD/mITX, based on a Pentium 4. The new board is Kontron's first mini-ITX board with a ball-grid array (BGA) processor, however. BGA packaging uses solder balls rather than pins, to decrease packaging size.

        The 886LCD-M/mITX(BGA) is based on an ultra-low voltage Mobile Intel Celeron Processor clocked at 600MHz, along with an Intel 855GME/6300ESB embedded chipset. It supports both VGA and LCD (LVDS) displays, including dual-independent LCDs, Kontron says. Other features and I/O includes:
        • AMI BIOS
        • ACPI 2.0, APM 1.2
        • 400MHz front-side bus
        • Up to 1GB PC2700/DDR333 SDRAM (incl. ECC)
        • 1 x 32-bit/33MHz PCI slot
        • 2 x SATA 150 (serial ATA) with soft RAID-0/1 support
        • 1 x ATA 100
        • 4 x USB 2.0 ports (two external)
        • Standard PS/2 port headers
        • 3 x 10/100/1000 Realtek Ethernet ports
        • 4 x RS232 NS16C550 serial ports with FIFO (one external)
        • 1 x parallel/floppy interface
        • 400MHz FSB (front-side bus)
        • Intel Extreme 2 graphics
          • Hardware assisted DVD/MPEG2 decoding
        • AGP/DVO slot for external graphics cards
          • 2nd LVDS, DVI and TV-out via ADD-Cards (option)
        • VGA and dual-channel LVDS (low-voltage differential signalling) interfaces
          • Resolutions: CRT 2048x1536, LVDS 1600x1200, DVI 1600x1200
        • Dual independent Display Support (incl. 2x LCD by optional ADD-Card)
        • Compact Flash Type I/II socket on board
        • AC-97/DD5.1 sound including on board stereo amplifier

        Availability

        The 886LCD-M/mITX (BGA) is shipping now, priced at 238 Euros (~$278). Available accessories include a CD with software drivers, a heatsink, cables, 100W DC/DC converter with an ATX cable, 12-Volt ATX power supply, and an approved two-slot butterfly PCI riser card.



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