Press Release

3U CompactPCI® Universal Interface Board with SA-Adapters™ and FPGA

• Physical layers via SA-Adapters™
• RS232/422/485, HDLC, InterBus-S, CAN bus, binary I/O
• Standard configuration: 2 CAN, 2 UART, 1 binary I/O port (8-bit)
• Other functions configurable in FPGA
• Operating temperature -40 to +85°C

Nuremberg, Germany – November 3, 2008. With an innovative combination of FPGA and SA-Adapters™, MEN Mikro Elektronik introduces a completely new I/O concept on 3U CompactPCI®. The interfaces of the F215 can be configured as desired – allowing the user nearly unlimited application possibilities for this card.

Flexible and Inexpensive for Serial I/O

The F215 is a versatile interface board based on 3U CompactPCI®. The physical layer can be realized individually for each channel by means of SA-Adapters™.

SA-Adapters™ are small universal boards that provide the line drivers for I/O functions. This concept allows to add additional I/O interfaces to the F215, which enhances flexibility when combining all kinds of interfaces and with regard to different isolation requirements.

Two SA-Adapters™ can be mounted directly on the F215, and are connected using a 9-pin D-Sub connector each. If you want to use further adapters, up to a maximum of six, you need more front-panel space. These adapters are connected to the carrier via ribbon cable. The F215 comes in a standard configuration with five pre-defined functions on an 8 HP front panel: two CAN interfaces, two UARTs and one 8-channel binary I/O interface.

All of the board's I/O functions are realized by means of an FPGA, making it a very flexible, inexpensive solution for serial I/O. The F215 can become "everything" from a customized I/O combination to a specialized 8-port CAN card or even an intelligent I/O board including a Nios® soft core, on 4, 8 or 12 HP width. The FPGA is loaded automatically after power-up from a 4 MB serial Flash. It is also possible to access this Flash from the CompactPCI® bus to update its contents.

The F215 was designed for use in rugged environments. All of its components are specified for an operating temperature of -40 to +85°C. In addition, they are soldered-on to meet the high demands regarding shock and vibration.

MEN Mikro Elektronik – Profile and Mission

Since its foundation in 1982 our company designs and manufactures failure-safe computer boards and systems for extreme environmental conditions in industrial and safety-critical embedded applications. Our mission is to provide innovative solutions while maximizing reliability and flexibility.

With nearly 200 employees and subsidiaries in France and the USA we have an annual revenue of 28 million Euros with an export share of about 50%. Customized solutions make for more than half of our revenue. In addition the standard product range includes far more than 100 different computer boards with Intel® Pentium® and multi-core processors and PowerPC® with the corresponding BIOS, BSP and driver software, manifold I/O boards and completely configured systems based on:

• ESMexpress® and ESM™ Embedded System Modules
• 3U and 6U CompactPCI®, CompactPCI® Express and VMEbus
• PMC, XMC and M-Modules™ as system-independent mezzanine I/O standards

The consistent use of FPGA technology gives us high flexibility when configuring customized and standard products. Our products are used worldwide as control, measuring, test or simulation computers in all kinds of embedded applications. These comprise extremely safety-critical markets such as railways, including buses and commercial vehicles, aerospace technology or the medical industry, but also mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, telecommunications and the automotive industry. Computer systems in such applications are in operation up to 24 hours every day and often need to be available for 10 years and longer. Ideally no failures must occur to avoid costly downtimes of machines or danger to human life.

We are certified to EN 9100:2003 (aerospace), ISO 9001:2000 (quality management) and ISO 14001:2005 (environmental management) in order to meet the severe quality requirements in critical applications and to offer our customers the highest quality in products and services while considering environmental protection and occupational safety on the basis of a recognized quality management system. We are also working on certification to IRIS (railway).

Our aim is to constantly improve and to provide the highest technology and innovation level. Our business ethics is determined by the principles of the United Nations' Global Compact Initiative (human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption).

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In addition, press documents may contain statements that are forward-looking. These statements are based on current expectations as of the date of a particular release. Actual results may differ materially from those projected because of a number of risks and uncertainties.