Kontron and Diamond Systems have entered a strategic partnership under Kontron’s ETX® Certified Design Partner program that bundles Kontron’s highly scalable ETX® computer-on-modules with Diamond Systems’ small form factor boards for I/O intensive data acquisition applications.

With this agreement, Diamond Systems becomes the tenth global member and the fifth North American member of Kontron’s constantly expanding network of ETX® Certified Design Partners. The ETX® Certified Design Partner Program offers OEMs comprehensive certified carrier board design services for modular embedded computing platforms based on the ETX® and COM Express™ computer-on-module standards.

As a Kontron ETX® Certified Design Partner, Diamond Systems will deliver off-the-shelf and customized carrier boards for embedded applications that require state-of-the-art analog and digital I/O technology and extensive serial communications. Diamond Systems will supply these boards with one of the wide range of highly scalable Kontron ETX® computer-on-modules to provide system OEMs with complete single board solutions that exactly meet the budget, energy consumption and performance requirements of their individual data acquisition applications. OEMs benefit by receiving fully integrated, highly scalable and cost-effective carrier board solutions with computer-on-modules from a single source. This eliminates the need to manage multiple suppliers and ensures fast application development and evaluation for quicker time-to-market.

Diamond Systems’ EPIC-based ETX® carrier board, for example, includes a wide range of standard embedded computer interfaces including 6 serial interfaces plus the industry’s widest set of I/O features: 32 analog inputs, 4 analog outputs, 24 digital I/Os, 8 opto-isolated digital inputs, 8 opto-isolated digital outputs, 2 counter/timers for A/D sample rate control, event counting/timing and programmable interrupts. A PC/104-plus expansion slot for fast implementation of OEMs’ individual I/O expansions rounds off the feature set. Custom specific carrier boards are available upon request. The Universal Driver software supports C programming under Windows and Linux.
 
“OEMs specializing in I/O intensive applications receive a number of benefits from this bundle, such as auto-calibration for highly accurate data acquisition under all conditions”, explains Matthias Huber, Director of Kontron America’s Embedded Modules Division. “Temperature- and time-dependent measurement drifts can be eliminated since the EPIC-based ETX® carrier board calibrates as often as needed in just a few seconds to ensure accurate readings in all environments.”


“The comprehensive Kontron family of ETX® computer-on-modules offers highly scalable and low-power CPU performance up to the latest multi-core processors and chipsets from all major suppliers. Since all interfaces on all the latest Kontron ETX® COMs have the same API structure, it is very easy to interchange modules, enabling us to simply select the right COM according to our customers’ needs. System upgrades are also easy. This is exactly what we required to add even more value to our best-in-class data acquisition I/O features. We can now offer our customers not only industry-leading I/O features, but also superior COM-based solutions and increased configuration flexibility”, adds Jonathan Millar, President of Diamond Systems.

More information about the Kontron ETX® Certified Design Partner Program, including the full list of certified partners, is available at: http://www.etx-cdp.com.

More information about Kontron ETX® computer-on-modules is available at: http://www.kontron.com/ETX

The credit card sized nanoETXexpress Computer-on-Module form factor (84 mm x 55 mm) for developing ultra mobile mini-devices based on x86 processors in 45nm technology now has its own dedicated website. The specification and carrier board design guidelines can be downloaded at www.nanoetxexpress.com.

The new dedicated website for the nanoETXexpress form factor, which has been designed as the logical extension to the COM Express™ specification, has the following objectives:
•    Update the PICMG® COM Express™ specification to better address the needs of ultra mobile, handheld applications
•    Key information portal providing all relevant information on the new, open COM Express™ COM.0 Type 1 compatible Computer-on-Module standard – nanoETXexpress.
•    As a manufacturer-independent website, it will incorporate all nanoETXexpress solutions from all manufacturers, thereby underlining the openness of the new form factor. It will also be the main source for documentation on the evolution of the specification. Developers can receive all the latest updates by subscribing to the news alert system that will be implemented soon.
•    Developers of mobile x86 devices are highly recommended to review the information provided on this site as a means of assisting them with the new challenges they face in creating systems. The website offers valuable information on, for example, handling more concentrated heat sources, building SMART Battery Management Systems and integrating various displays with standard software when the screens only offer, for example, 800 x 400 pixels. The nanoETXexpress knowledge base (currently in development) will answer these questions and more.

By utilizing the latest web technologies, nanoETXexpress experts will be able to quickly respond to customers’ questions with precise answers that offer long-term solutions. By providing a knowledge base containing all the relevant information required for designing mobile devices with COMs, hardware and software developers will have a real-time online information resource as well as a community of nanoETXexpress users and designers.

In addition to online content, Kontron (the founding member of the COM-IG and inventor of the nanoETXexpress form factor) also offers comprehensive seminars and company-specific training on developing carrier boards. This program is now being expanded to address the needs of developers of mobile handheld devices.

Eching, Germany, June 25, 2008 - Kontron extends its line of embedded mini-ITX motherboards with a new, ultra low power variant - the high quality Kontron KTUS15/miTX embedded motherboard based on the Intel® Atom™ processor with up to 1.6 GHz and the highly integrated Intel® System Controller Hub US15W.

With a combined thermal design power of less than 5 Watts for the processor and chipset the Kontron KTUS15/mITX motherboard is the ideal choice for solar/battery powered mobile, in-vehicle or stationary applications that require low power consumption, excellent electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and a simple, rugged cooling concept. The smallest ATX compliant footprint of only 170 mm x 170 mm, in combination with a board height of only two USB stacks (20 mm) gives system developers the freedom to design extremely slim and, as required, fully closed and highly protected systems.

The space saving processor and highly integrated system controller hub on the Kontron KTUS15/mITX leave enough room for installing up to 32 GB CF-media parallel to the motherboard, enabling the development of maintenance-free systems without fault-sensitive, rotating non-volatile media. Designed for optimal compatibility and high reliability, the Kontron KTUS15/mITX embedded motherboard offers numerous high quality features such as the network controller from Intel® for hassle-free network communications. Other quality enhancing details include a comprehensive set of interfaces, including two SDIO sockets that enable peripherals such as RFID or laser scanners, card readers, keyboard, keypad and mouse, printers and WLAN or GPRS communication networks to be connected directly to the motherboard. The flexible 2 x PCIe x1 and 1 x PCI slots thereby remain free for application specific extensions. This flexibility speeds time to market for system designs. Moreover, the integrated Intel® Trusted Platform Module (Intel® TPM 1.2) and the wide range power supply (5 V - 25 V DV) options further simplify system design for a vast range of embedded markets, such as POS/POI, kiosk, medical (i.e. ultrasound), multimedia, rugged tablets and industrial automation.

"It gives us great pleasure to launch this new mini-ITX board using the Intel® Atom™ processor said Ulrich Gehrmann, CEO of Kontron Kontron has vast experience in offering embedded platforms using Intel® architecture, and we believe the Intel® Atom™ processor will open many new market opportunities in areas that demand low power and scalability within the embedded Intel® architecture roadmap.

Thanks to its extremely low power consumption, the Intel® Atom™ processor enables the development of extremely slim and passively cooled energy-sensitive embedded applications that require the full feature set offered by mini-ITX motherboards, said Joe Jensen, general manager for the Embedded Computing Division at Intel® Corporation. Kontron's implementation of the Intel® Atom™ processor on ATX compliant embedded motherboards will give developers an ultra-low power variant.

Despite its extremely low power requirements, the Kontron KTUS15/mITX motherboard features impressive processing performance while offering up to 7 years availability with the 1.1 GHz or 1.6 GHz Intel® Atom™ processors for long lifespan product platform designs that demand excellent reliability and performance. Kontron's rigorous testing and quality control measures reduce the potential of board failures and the need for system servicing. With a high-speed digital logic motherboard design using a 12-layer stacking PCB, Kontron ensures signal integrity, reduces radiation, improves signal quality and aids in the decoupling of the power bus, resulting in high quality electromagnetic compatibility and superior motherboard quality and performance for the Kontron KTUS15/mITX.

Furthermore, Hyper-Threading Technology and Intel® Virtualization Technology improve system performance in the latest multi-threading and dual OS applications. Via the Intel® System Controller Hub US15W, Kontron's latest mini-ITX embedded motherboard addresses up to 1 GByte of DDR2-RAM. The integrated graphics engine, with 2D/3D acceleration and directX 9, not only supports dual independent displays, but also boasts hardware supported WMV9, H264.A and MPEG2 decoding, which dramatically reduces the load on the CPU when playing HD-videos. Displays can be connected via the on-board CRT (1280 x 1024) and dual channel LVDS (1366 x 768) interfaces as well as optional DVI or HDMI ports. 2 x PCIe x1 and 1 x PCI slots are available for application specific expansion cards. Mass storage media are easily connected via 2 x Serial ATA 150/300 and 1 x ATA100 interfaces. There is also an on-board flash socket for CF type II media currently up to 32 GBytes (and above 32GBytes as they become available).

The Kontron KTUS15/mITX embedded motherboard connects to networks via a 10/100/1000 network controller from Intel®. External embedded peripherals can be directly connected via 8 x USB 2.0, 2 x RS232 (up to 4 x RS232 if desired), 1 x bi-directional LPT as well as a PS/2 interface, without the need for expansion cards. AC97 compliant HD audio rounds off the feature set.

For OEMs that want to get products utilizing the new Intel® Atom™ processor to market quickly without impacting their internal resources, Kontron offers custom systems design, pre-production, manufacturing and fulfillment services utilizing Kontron's new KTUS15/mITX and Kontron's system development and manufacturing expertise.

The Kontron KTUS15/mITX embedded motherboard solution with low total cost of ownership offers various hardware monitoring functions through Kontron's API (Application Programming Interface) software. The Kontron KTUS15/mITX supports Windows XP (Windows Embedded Enterprise), Vista, Windows CE (Windows Embedded Standard) and Linux. Samples are available now.

A representative from Northamptonshire Police has called for the industry to have greater involvement and participation with MachineGuard in order to tackle crime more effectively.
Speaking at MachineGuard's 10th National Security Symposium which took place in Coventry last week, Michael Downing of Northamptonshire Police said “a lot more operators need to be accessing and contributing to the MachineGuard database which is an invaluable tool for the police when dealing with criminals that travel around the country.”  Representatives from the Gambling Commission, also in attendance at the meeting, asked what percentage of the industry were accessing and contributing to the industry's national database and confirming that one of their objectives and a condition of an operator's licence is to keep all crime out of gambling.

The Symposium, which was attended by 25 people from 18 companies and organisations was chaired by Gary Pettengell, MD of MachineGuard-UK and top of the agenda was the plan to establish a cohesive national strategy to tackle crime in the gaming industry. 
Pettengell gave a demonstration of the new MachineGuard crime management system used to run the industry's national database and evidenced how it would help the Commission meet their objectives and operators tackle and reduce crime in the industry. He explained that MachineGuard dealt with all types of crime and incidents from anti-social behaviour to robbery and was able to provide the industry, Commission and police with statistics, suspicious activity reports, intelligence briefings, target profiles and briefing packages. The new system has a powerful search functionality and unique gallery system which allows the user to view comprehensive detailed information and high quality digital images of suspects and offenders to assist in identification.

Pettengell told the attendees “due to the development and upgrade to our system there won’t be a Chief Constable or senior ranking police officer in the UK who will not have heard of or studied MachineGuard in the next few weeks. It is now vital that the industry capitalises on this exposure at ACPO level and joins MachineGuard. We can drastically reduce crime in the industry by working together. The time has come for a national strategy meeting between the industry's key stakeholders, MachineGuard and the Commission.” He went on to say the gaming industry was in a unique position as it had been able to access a national crime database for 7 years whereas the retail sector was still looking to set up a national system.  
Pettengell concluded “MachineGuard is continuing to develop its crime reduction systems and over the next few months we expect to complete another of our security projects, the security kit and software database.  This unique system is now partly operational with Barcrest, Bell Fruit, Mazooma and Astra Games data already uploaded and soon to be completed with additional manufacturers' data to be uploaded shortly.  Once completed operators will be able to type in the name of a machine to find out exactly what software version it should be running on and all the security kits that should be fitted. This database should stop those criminals that target out of date machines to fund the development of major frauds.”

That’s the message from Money Controls srl ahead of this month’s Enada Primavera in Rimini. They are stressing both the suitability of their products for the Italian market and the highest level of customer response from their Milan service centre.

Money Controls has the largest selection of hoppers in the industry, and two, the Compact Range and the Combi Hopper System, feature strongly on the company’s stand. Both are ideal for use in Comma 6A machines, meeting all the technical requirements of the new regulation, whilst providing field-proven reliability and security.

With fast payout, in ‘single’ or ‘stream’ mode, a small footprint and a range of bowl options, the Compact hopper range provides a solution whatever the application. As a result, over one million have been supplied worldwide.
Developed to meet the requirements of the Italian AWP market, the Combi Hopper system features a low float, high security and fast payout of €2, €1 and €50c coins from just two hoppers, with no hunting for coins. Launched two years ago, it has already been integrated into machines by major software houses in Italy. It is now available with a high-capacity bowl, making it the ideal solution for handling the increased jackpots in Italy.

The Money Controls’ stand features several other products from the company’s extensive portfolio, including: PayLink, their USB integration module, the SR5i and SR3 coin acceptors, and the Ardac Elite and Lumina bill validators, for the casino and amusement markets, respectively.

Stephan Rosseneu, Western European Sales Manager, based in the company’s Milan office, is looking forward to welcoming new and existing customers to the Money Controls’ stand and show them not just the company’s products but also their enhanced customer service: “With the opening last year of our new centre in Milan, I believe we now deliver the best possible customer response, with full service capability and next-day delivery. Whether you’re an operator or OEM, we’d be delighted to discuss your requirements. Please visit our stand, 005 in Padiglione A5. You will be made most welcome.”