MICRO INDUSTRIES ANNOUNCES THREE NEW PRODUCTS BASED ON ASYNCHRONOUS BRIDGE CONNECTIVITY
Bridge Technology Brings Cost Advantages of Desktop Hardware to High-End Embedded Computer Market
Westerville, Ohio, October 1, 1998
Micro Industries Corporation today announced three new products based on asynchronous bridge connectivity, specifically, on the Intel® 21554, a non-transparent PCI-to-PCI bridge product. Micro Industries is a full-service company that provides electronic engineering and manufacturing resources to OEMs.
The three new products introduced by Micro are the 586PCI/64PMC, a Pentium® processor-based PCI Expansion Board with a PMC interface; the 586PCI/64PCI, a Pentium processor-based PCI expansion board with a PICMG PCI interface; and the 586cPCI/64R3, a Pentium processor-based Compact PCI expansion board with a secondary PCI interface. All products incorporate the Intel 21554 bridge product, which enables multiple peripheral component interconnect (PCI) cards to be installed into a PCI system.
The products will be used by OEMs and existing PCI and Compact PCI users who require systems with multiple CPU cards. This is important for applications tied to large operating systems like Windows NT® and UNIX at the CPU level, which require rapid real-time operating systems to manage I/O devices. Running a multiple operating system environment makes it possible to have the advantages of both types of software as well as the speed and reliability of the PCI bus.
"Intel's bridge products, including the 21554 embedded PCI-to-PCI bridge, help extend the capabilities of the PCI bus, specifically for embedded applications," said Matt Theall, Intel's product marketing manager for PCI-to-PCI bridge products. "By incorporating PCI bridges into their products, manufacturers like Micro Industries are able to deliver more cost-effective, expandable embedded devices."
"Micro Industries' new products are some of the first to allow multiple X86 processor cards to be installed in a PCI system," stated Michael Curran, CEO of Micro Industries. "The technology in these products brings the cost advantages of desktop hardware, plus the extensive application libraries, and the operating system software of the X86 family of microprocessors to the high end of the embedded computer market."
Micro Industries' Bridge Products Offer Powerful New Features
- 586PCI/64PMC: A full-size Pentium processor-based PCI add-in card with application-specific I/O function support through a PCI mezzanine card (PMC) interface. This product is ideal for standard motherboard technology; as many as four 586PCI/64PMC boards, for example, can be installed in a standard ATX motherboard. In addition to the Intel 21554 Bridge, the product includes other powerful features:
- Intel HX Chipset and Pentium MMXTM Technology: This Intel chipset supports Intel, Cyrix, and AMD MMX Pentium compatible processors up to 233MHz and 192 MB of SDRAM.
- PMC Expansion Site: The PMC expansion slot enables designers to customize the 586PCI/64PMC to their application with a high-speed PCI-compatible interface.
- Chips & Technologies 65554 Graphics Accelerator: Based on a new internal architecture, this high performance graphics accelerator supports graphic intensive applications with independent multimedia capture, and displays systems on the chip.
- Flash IDE Disk Drive: The 2-16MB flash IDE drive supports on-board operating system boot capabilities.
- 586PCI/64PCI: A PICMG compatible, Pentium processor-based dual PCI bus board. This product provides the same basic features as the 586PCI/64PMC, but replaces the PMC interface with a PCI Industrial Computers Manufacturers Group (PICMG)-compatible interface that can be used to expand the number of I/O slots that can access the bridged PCI bus on the board. This allows multiple PCI I/O cards to be controlled by either the host CPU or the bridged CPU in I/O-intensive applications. In addition to the Intel 21554 bridge, features this product shares with the 586PCI/64PMC include Intel HX Chipset and Pentium MMXTM Technology, Chips & Technologies 65554 Graphics Accelerator, and Flash IDE Disk Drive.
- 586cPCI/64R3: A dual bus, Compact PCI Pentium processor-based expansion board. This product inserts the features of the 586PCI/64PMC into a Compact PCI board format, providing primary and secondary bus access through the J1 and J4 connectors. Since Compact PCI is designed for high-availability applications, the 586cPCI/64R3 supports the PCI requirements for hot-swap capabilities. Like the 586PCI/64PMC and the 586PCI/64PCI, the 586cPCI/64R3 includes the Intel HX Chipset and Pentium MMXTM Technology, Chips & Technologies 65554 Graphics Accelerator, and Flash IDE Disk Drive. In addition, the 586cPCI/64R3 incorporates the following feature:
- Compact PCI Architecture: The Compact PCI form factor is a highly reliable system architecture that is ideal for rugged or harsh environments.
- Supports 100-233 MHz Pentium Processor
- Up to 128MB DRAM
- 512KB Cache
- 0-8MB of Flash IDE
- PCI/ISA Bus Interface
- PCI-to-PCI Bridge
- PMC Expansion Interface
- PCI - SVGA 64-Bit Accelerator
- Universal Serial Bus (USB) Interface
- Enhanced IDE Interface
- Two 16550 Compatible Serial I/O Ports
- Bi-Directional Parallel Printer Port
- Floppy Disk Interface
- PS/2 Compatible Keyboard and Mouse Interface
- Supports 100-233 MHz Pentium Processor
- Up to 128MB DRAM
- 512KB Cache
- 0-8MB of Flash IDE
- Dual PCI Bus Interface
- PCI-to-PCI Bridge
- PCI - SVGA 64-Bit Accelerator
- Universal Serial Bus (USB) Interface
- Enhanced IDE Interface
- Two 16550 Compatible Serial I/O Ports
- Bi-Directional Parallel Printer Port
- Floppy Disk Interface
- PS/2 Compatible Keyboard and Mouse Interface
- Supports 100-233 MHz Pentium Processor
- Up to 128MB DRAM
- 0-8MB of Flash IDE
- Compact PCI Bus Interface
- Intelligent PCI-to-PCI Bridge
- (System Expansion)
- PCI-to-PCI Bridge (PCI Auxiliary Bus)
- PMC Expansion Interface
- PCI - SVGA 64-Bit Accelerator
- Universal Serial Bus (USB) Interface
- Enhanced IDE Interface
- Two 16550 Compatible Serial I/O Ports
- Bi-Directional Parallel Printer Port
- Floppy Disk Interface
- PS/2 Compatible Keyboard and Mouse Interface
Availability and Price
The new products are available immediately in the United States and Europe. Volume OEM pricing (excluding processors) for the 586PCI/64PMC is $695.00 (U.S.); for the 586PCI/64PCI is $695.00 (U.S.); and for the 586cPCI/64R3 is $795.00 (U.S.). Unit quantities are available at higher prices. Prices are subject to change without notice. Products can be ordered by calling Micro Industries' Customer Service Department at 800-722-1842. A complete listing of product features is included in the attached table.
About Micro Industries
Micro Industries Corporation, founded in 1978, is a full service company that provides electronic engineering and manufacturing resources to OEMs. Micro Industries helps customers translate their product requirements into low-cost standard, custom, and semi-custom product solutions for embedded and integrated computer systems. The 52,000 square foot facility in Westerville, Ohio serves as corporate headquarters, and houses an EPA Zero Discharge manufacturing facility that meets both ISO 9001-94 and ISO 14001 standards. The manufacturing facility has fully automated conventional and surface mount assembly lines for both prototype and production requirements. Micro Industries employs a dedicated staff of engineers focused on product design. For more information visit www.microindustries.com.
