Ampro Extends Single Board Computer Lineup with First Embedded Motherboard

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Ampro Extends Single Board Computer Lineup with First Embedded Motherboard
Mini-ITX Form Factor MightyBoard 800 Brings Robust Embedded Quality
to Low Cost Motherboard Arena

NUREMBURG, GERMANY, February 22, 2005. Ampro Computers, Inc., the inventor and leading supplier of PC/104, EBX and EPIC single board computers, today announced the MightyBoard™ 800, Ampro's first entry into the cost-sensitive embedded motherboard market. Utilizing the popular new Mini-ITX form factor, MightyBoard 800 addresses the need for a low cost, embedded quality solution with all the advantages associated with an industry standard motherboard form factor. These advantages include access to thousands of cost-effective PCI bus expansion I/O cards and compatibility with dozens of low cost off-the-shelf ATX enclosures.

“For years, embedded designers have coveted the low cost interoperability of desktop motherboard solutions but shied away from selecting these products due to a number of factors. These factors include the large size of motherboard products, frequent unannounced product changes, short product lifecycles and complex, problematic thermal solutions used with desktop CPUs”, said Joanne Mumola Williams, president and CEO. “Ampro's MightyBoard product line directly addresses these issues, bringing a proven embedded framework to a motherboard style product.”

MightyBoard 800 uses the smallest motherboard form factor, Mini-ITX, measuring a mere 170mm x 170mm (6.75” x 6.75”). Like Ampro PC/104 and EBX products, MightyBoard 800 is revision controlled to ensure product consistency and reliability. Customers can expect the same high quality product order after order, year after year and will always get advanced notification on any product changes that affect product form, fit, or function. And MightyBoard 800 uses the same ultra low power Pentium® M and Celeron® M processors used on Ampro ReadyBoard™, CoreModule™, LittleBoard™ and ETX® products, offering fanless operation from 0 to 60°C. MightyBoard 800 developers now have an alternative to bulky and unreliable CPU coolers.

To meet differing customer price and performance requirements, Ampro MightyBoard 800 is available with three different Pentium M/Celeron M CPUs: Pentium M 738 (Dothan core, operating at 1.4GHz with 2MB L2 cache and a TDP rating of 10w), Celeron M 373 (Dothan core, operating at 1.0GHz with 1MB L2 cache and a TDP rating of 5w), and 600 MHz Celeron M (Banias core, with 512KB L2 cache and a TDP rating of 7w). All models have 400

MHz front side bus or (3.2GB/s data transfer rate between CPU and chipset), support up to 1GB DDR DIMM memory, 4 USB 2.0, dual Ethernet (one 10/100BaseT and one Gigabit Ethernet), support for both CRT and LVDS flat panels, 4 RS232 serial ports (2 with RS422/485 capability) and AC'97 audio. All boards have operating temperature range of 0-60C.

For product photo, please use the following link:
http://www.ampro.com/html/MB800.gif

Pricing and Availability
Ampro's MightyBoard 800 will be available for evaluation in early March with product quantities available in April. Prices start well under $700 in moderate production quantities.

About Ampro Computers, Inc.
Ampro Computers, Inc. is the leading global provider of modular embedded computing solutions for OEM applications. Ampro's mission is to provide time saving solutions for embedded systems designers that accelerate the product deployment process. Ampro pioneered the embedded PC industry creating the popular PC/104 and EBX standards, and recently co-invented the new EPIC standard. The EnCore and ETX® families are rugged computers-on-modules products which enable designers to obtain all the benefits of an off-the-shelf CPU solution while maintaining the flexibility of a full custom design. In addition to EnCore and ETX®, Ampro offers five product lines: PC/104-compatible CoreModule CPUs and MiniModule expansion products, EBX form factor LittleBoard single board computers, EPIC form factor ReadyBoard single board computers and MightyBoard Mini-ITX form factor embedded motherboard. For more information about Ampro Computers, please visit http://www.ampro.com.

AMPRO is a registered trademark and EnCore, CoreModule, LittleBoard, Little Board, MightyBoard, MiniModule, ReadyBoard, ReadyBox and ReadySystem, are trademarks of Ampro Computers, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contacts:

Ampro Computers, Inc.
Victoria Kostka
Tel: 1-408-360-4324
Email: vkostka@ampro.com

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