congatec presents Qseven starter kit for mobile, embedded applications

Nuremberg, Embedded World, March 3rd, 2009   * * *   congatec AG presents the Qseven Mobility Starter Kit. A complete rapid prototyping package for battery-powered, embedded systems.

The compact size and low power consumption of Qseven embedded computer modules makes them ideally suited for almost all ultra-mobile, embedded PC applications. In order to minimize the development effort required for such systems, congatec has bundled all the necessary components in a comprehensive starter kit.

In addition to a compact Qseven carrier board and a 5.7" LVDS touch display, the starter kit also includes a battery manager module with a smart battery. The cable set supplied makes it possible to build a compact, mobile demo system in a matter of minutes.

With dimensions of just 95x140mm and a range of interfaces, the Qseven carrier board is easy to integrate. It includes 6 USB interfaces, an Ethernet port as well as LVDS and DVI display interfaces. The power supply is 19V DC (as used by most notebook computers), which provides the option of using low-cost power solutions. The carrier board also includes other standard interfaces such as a Mini PCI Express slot for WLAN expansions and a high-definition audio interface. Mass storage is provided by a solid state disk implemented on the Qseven CPU module and SATA and SD card interfaces on the carrier board.

Due to the fact that the Qseven module only requires a 5V power supply, it is possible to implement the battery system using small, dual cell smart batteries. The entire charging circuit is a separate, additional module, meaning that it can be integrated easily into housing designs. When using an ACPI-capable operating system, standard communication with the battery system is readily available.

As an option, the Qseven Mobility Starter Kit’s battery system can be integrated directly onto a customer-specific carrier board. For this solution, congatec can supply an integration kit that includes all connection schematics, the source files for the microcontroller program and complete development documentation.

The congatec Qseven Mobility Starter Kit will be presented at Embedded World and will be available as of April 2009.