XM50 ESMexpress COM PowerPC MPC8548

The XM50 is a Computer-On-Module of the ESMexpress® family in accordance with a proposed ANSI standard currently under development (ANSI-VITA 59, RSE Rugged System-On-Module Express). Together with an application-specific carrier board it forms a semi-custom solution for industrial, harsh, mobile and mission-critical environments. The XM50 is controlled by an integrated PowerPC® MPC8548 or MPC8543 CPU processor (optionally with encryption unit) running at clock frequencies between 800 MHz and 1.5 GHz. The XM50 accommodates up to 2 GB of directly soldered ECC main memory and supports other memory like USB Flash on the carrier board. It also features industrial FRAM and SRAM. Interfaces from the MPC8548 are all routed from the XM50 for availability on any ESMexpress® carrier board. Those interfaces include up to three Gigabit Ethernet channels, 8 PCI Express® lanes for one link (x4, x2 or x1, or x8 as an option), triple SATA, 6 USB host ports and one USB client realized using a UART-to-USB converter. Additional COM interfaces can be made available on the carrier board via USB to COM conversion. The XM50 comes with MENMON™ support. This firmware/BIOS can be used for bootstrapping operating systems (from disk, Flash or network), for hardware testing, or for debugging applications without running any operating system. The XM50 is screened for operation in a -40°C to +85°C conduction or convection cooled environment. As all ESMexpress® modules it is embedded in a covered frame. This ensures EMC protection and allows efficient conductive cooling. Air cooling is also possible by applying a heat sink on top of the cover. Where operation temperatures are moderate, the module may even do without the frame and cover, with a suitable low-power processor and airflow. ESMexpress® modules are firmly screwed to a carrier board and come with rugged industry-proven connectors supporting high frequency and differential signals. Only soldered components are used to withstand shock and vibration, and the design is optimized for conformal coating. All ESMexpress® modules support a single 95x125mm form factor. For evaluation and development purposes an ATX carrier board is available. The ESMexpress® module can be evaluated on a COM Express™ carrier board via an adapter from ESMexpress® to COM Express™.