Aaeon and Seco Embrace ETX 3.0

Other providers of ETX modules also plan to support ETX 3.0. "According to studies from the market research firm VDC, the ETX Standard developed by Kontron is the clear leader in the Computer-On-Modules market and has demonstrably beaten all competing form factors up to now. This position is strengthened by the launch of the new 3.0 Specification. It also gives users confidence that new ETX modules will remain the state-of-the art for many years to come," comments Dirk Finstel, CTO of Kontron Embedded Modules, on the significance of the new specification. By the middle of Q3 2006, AAEON will announce its first ETX 3.0 CPU module adopting the AMD LX/CS5536. Seco is planning to jump from the ETX 2.8 to the new ETX 3.0 Standard with product available in the near term future. ETX 3.0 introduces 2x Serial ATA without changing any of the ETX pins, making new modules 100 percent pin-to-pin compatible with previous versions and ensuring long-term support for the vast number of embedded application solutions based on these already highly integrated COMs, in applications from automation, medical, gaming and entertainment, to military and aerospace. ETX 3.0 modules, such as Kontron's ETX-LX, integrate 2x Serial ATA via two slim line connectors that are designed onto the top-side of the CPU module itself, thereby avoiding the need to modify the ETX-connectors of the module and carrier board so that existing solutions can take advantage of faster Serial ATA hard drives. ETX 3.0 also includes USB 2.0 to be used via the existing ETX connectors.