Tiny Keyboard-based Industrial Computer System Brings Low Cost Computing to Harsh Environments
Tiny Keyboard-based Industrial Computer System Brings Low Cost Computing to Harsh Environments
Ampro and White Electronic Designs Co-operate To Combine Embedded Motherboards
with Elastomer Keypad Technology in a small, rugged enclosure
Boston, MA, September 13, 2005. At the Embedded Systems Conference. — Ampro Computers, Inc., the inventor and a leading supplier of PC/104, EBX and EPIC single board computers and White Electronic Designs Corporation, a leading supplier of industrial keypad and electronic systems, today announced the joint development and demonstration of a prototype industrial computer system contained entirely within a 5.5" x 8" keypad enclosure. Utilizing Ampro's broad line of ReadyBoard™, EPIC-compatible single board computers and White's elastomer keypad mounted over sealed keypad circuitry, the system is highly resistant to contaminants and ideal for users who need to be able to clean and/or disinfect the keypad surface. The keypad is backlit and includes a mini-joystick for cursor control.
The systems are available with twelve processor models ranging from a 300MHz Via Eden CPU to a 1.4GHz Low Voltage Pentium® M 738 CPU. The systems features include dual Ethernet (including Gigabit Ethernet), four USB ports, four serial ports, high resolution CRT support and audio. Mass storage is provided through White Electronic Designs' CompactFlash devices. Demonstration systems run the Windows® XP Embedded Operating System. Production versions will be also be available with Windows CE or Linux® v2.6.
"Ampro is pleased to work closely with White Electronic Designs to bring these innovative new systems to life", said Paul Rosenfeld, Ampro's CTO and vice president of marketing. "These systems represent an important alternative to Panel PC products where keyboard entry is critical and/or where harsh environments forbid the use of touchscreen technology."
"In providing turnkey custom keypad solutions, White has detected increasing customer interest in a standard, off-the-shelf keypad-based industrial computer system", said Wayne Parkinson, vice president of business development for White Electronic Designs Corporation. "Ampro's ReadyBoard Single Board Computers are an ideal computing engine to meet the size, cost and power/thermal constraints necessary to bring a successful keypad-based system to market."
The new systems will be manufactured by White Electronic Designs and sold by the Ampro sales team under the name ReadyPad™. Both companies expect a significant amount of customization of the products, both in customization of the keypad and in the feature content of the single board computer. Prototypes are available in 30 days for demonstration and evaluation. Prices have not yet been set.
About ReadyBoard
Ampro offers 12 ReadyBoard models within five major product families. The original ReadyBoard 550 (with Via Eden CPUs) and ReadyBoard 700 (with Intel Pentium III and Celeron CPUs) offer an extensive set of standard I/O functionality in a cost effective 4.5" x 6.5" EPIC form factor. The ReadyBoard 800 offers high performance Pentium M and Celeron M CPUs with DDR memory and advanced I/O functionality including USB 2.0 and Gigabit Ethernet. ReadyBoard 560 and ReadyBoard 710 provide low cost, low power CPUs (1GHz Via Eden or 650MHz Celeron) with advanced I/O (USB 2.0 and Gigabit Ethernet) along with very high graphics and video performance (AGP 8x video with MPEG2/MPEG4 hardware assist). ReadyBox 200/210 can be used with all 12 ReadyBoard models, which have connectors in identical locations with identical pin out.
About White Electronic Designs' Industrial-Grade Keypad Technology
The Electronic Systems Division of White Electronic Designs has been designing and manufacturing rugged keypad solutions for many years. White designs are currently used in many industrial control and medical instrumentation applications, where environmental sealing and /or extended temperature ranges are required.
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 co-invented both the EPIC standard and the new EPIC Express standard. The EnCore and ETX® families are rugged computers-on-modules products that 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 PC/104-compatible CoreModule CPUs and MiniModule expansion products, EBX form factor LittleBoard single board computers, EPIC form factor ReadyBoard and Mini-ITX form factor MightyBoard single board computers. Ampro also offers the ReadyBox and ReadySystem, a complete turnkey industry computer solution. For more information about Ampro Computers, please visit http://www.ampro.com.
About White Electronic Designs Corporation
White Electronic Designs Corporation designs, develops and manufactures innovative solutions for military, industrial and commercial markets; advanced semiconductor packaging, high-density memory products and state-of-the-art microelectronic multi-chip modules for data communications and telecommunications providers, defense and aerospace system suppliers; LCD panels and ruggedized displays for commercial/military aircraft and ordnance delivery systems; designs and manufactures membrane and elastomer keypads, medical sensors and RFID antennae; and electromechanical assemblies for OEM's in commercial and military markets. White is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and has design and manufacturing centers in Arizona, Indiana, Oregon and Ohio. To learn more about White Electronic Designs, visit our web site at http://www.wedc.com.
Media Contacts:
Ampro Computers, Inc.
Victoria Kostka
Tel: 1-408-360-4324
Email: vkostka@ampro.com
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