Via Technologies has announced a second motherboard based on its tiny 3.9 x 2.8 inch pico-ITX format. The Epia PX5000EG targets embedded applications, has a fanless 500MHz Via Eden ULV processor, accepts up to 1GB of RAM, and has integrated graphics and audio, says Via.
In most respects, Via's PX5000EG is identical to the company's PX10000G, the initial pico-ITX board that shipped in May 2007. Billed as "the smallest complete x86 mainboard in the industry," the diminutive PX10000G includes a broad set of standard PC I/O interfaces -- mostly accessible via pin headers -- and boasts total power consumption below 13 Watts.
Via's PX5000EG
While the PX10000G uses Via's 1GHZ C7 processor, the PX5000EG turns to the 500MHz Eden ULV, touted as the "world's most power-efficient" x86-compatible CPU when it was released last August. Also based on Via's C7 architecture, the fanless Eden ULV 500 (see block diagram, below) is said to draw a minimum of 0.1 Watts when idle, and a maximum of 1 Watt.
C7 architecture diagram (Click to enlarge)
The PX5000EG pairs the Eden ULV CPU with Via's CX700M integrated northbridge/southbridge, which adds another 3.5 Watts to the power budget. While Via did not cite an overall power consumption number, the PX5000EG should have lower total TDP (thermal design power) than products based on Intel's Centrino Atom, though possibly at a cost to performance.
The PX5000EG has an SO-DIMM socket that accommodates up to 1GB of DDR2 533 SDRAM memory. The 10-layer board also includes Via's UniChrome Pro II IGP 3D/2D graphics core, with MPEG-2/-4 and WMV9 hardware decoding acceleration.
Interfaces are identical to those previously offered by the PX10000G, including 10/100 Ethernet, USB 2.0, a serial port, IDE, SATA, PS2 mouse/keyboard, audio, and video. Only Ethernet and VGA ports are found on the edge of the tiny board, but Via provides a set of six ribbon cables that run from its pin headers to "real world" connectors.
Via lists the following key specifications for the Epia PX5000EG board:
Processor/chipset:
Via Eden ULV 500 clocked at 500MHz (in NanoBGA2 package)
Via VX700 Unified Digital Media IGP chipset
Integrated Via UniChrome Pro II 3D/2D AGP graphics with MPEG-2/4 and WMV9 decoding acceleration
Via VT6106S 10/100Mbps Ethernet controller with power management functions
Via VT1708A high definition audio codec
Memory -- DDR2 533MHz SODIMM socket for up to 1GB memory
Drive interfaces:
IDE -- UltraDMA 133/100/66 connector (on 2.0mm 44-pin header)
Serial ATA connector
Onboard I/O Connectors:
4 x USB2.0 (pin headers)
COM port connector (pin header)
PS2 mouse/keyboard (pin header)
LVDS/DVI connector (pin header)
Multimedia connector -- supports external TV-out interface, video capture port interface, and low-pin-count interface (requires an add-on card)
Audio pin header -- line-out, line-in, mic-in, S/PDIF in, and 5.1 channels audio output
Pico-iTX power connector
Back Panel I/O:
RJ-45 LAN port
VGA port
System Monitoring & Management:
CPU temperature reading (manufacturing option)
Watch Dog Timer (manufacturing option)
Keyboard or timed power-on
Wake-on-LAN
System power management
AC power failure recovery
Operating temperature -- 0 to 50 deg. C
Dimensions -- 3.9 x 2.8 inches (100 x 72mm)
In order to promote the PX5000EG's thermal efficiency, Via has launched a contest called the "Naked Pico Challenge." Yesterday, the company removed the heatsink from the Eden ULV processor on one of the boards, and then started it up. The system will be used to run Unbuntu Linux and play an MPEG-4 video continuously.
"The maximum length of this competition test will be two weeks. At that stage we'll take a hair dryer to the system, turn the heating up in the room, anything to make it crash! That's if it lasts that long in the first place," the company said.
The person who guesses how long the PX5000EG will take to crash will win a pico-ITX based Artigo system, says Via. The winner will be announced Monday, Jun. 2. For more details, see the Naked Pico Challenge website, here.
A "pre-meltdown" video of the PX5000EG Source: Via Technologies (click to play)
Other recent developments in the pico-ITX world have included:
The Small Form Factor SIG (SFF-SIG) adopted the format, with an eye to adding on its SUMIT (stackable unified module interconnect technology) interface
Microsoft made pico-ITX systems part of its low-cost "Spark Your Imagination" program for students and hobbyists
TechInsights gave away pico-ITX systems to attendees at the Embedded Systems Conference (ESC)
Via Technologies did not reveal pricing or availability information for the PX5000EG. Like the PX10000G, however, it is compatible with Windows CE, Windows XP Embedded, and Linux.
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Via Technologies has announced a second motherboard based on its tiny 3.9 x 2.8 inch pico-ITX format. The Epia PX5000EG targets embedded applications, has a fanless 500MHz Via Eden ULV processor, accepts up to 1GB of RAM, and has integrated graphics and audio, says Via.
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