Kontron has announced its new embedded motherboard, the Kontron Flex-ATX KTQ77/Flex, built on the 3rd generation Intel Core processors.
With long-term availability, up to 20% enhanced computing power, 50% more graphics performance and up to 40% overall increased performance per watt compared to designs based on the 2nd Generation Intel Core processors, it is Kontron’s highest performing ATX-compliant embedded motherboard to date.
Combined with comprehensive connectivity and the latest serial I/O performance, including PCIe 3.0, USB 3.0 plus parallel expansion ports, such as PCI, it is the ideal platform for upgrading existing designs and developing new applications in nearly all vertical markets.
The feature-packed Kontron KTQ77/Flex provides OEMs and developers everything they need for their individual applications directly off the shelf. The integrated Intel Turbo Boost technology 2.0 and improved Intel AVX and SSE instruction sets provide computing-intensive high-performance applications in the industrial automation, medical and military markets, as well as increased floating point operations and vectorial calculations with reduced power consumption.
For applications requiring massive parallel computing power, the new embedded motherboard supports Open CL 1.1 and offers a PCI Express 3.0 graphics port for a programmable, high-end general purpose graphics processing unit (GPGPU). For graphics-intensive applications such as gaming and digital signage, the integrated Intel HD 4000 graphics features 30% more execution units for increased graphics capabilities.
OEMs and designers benefit from twice the HD media and 3D graphics performance, enabling an improved user experience and stunning visuals. Even multi-screen applications with simultaneous presentation on three independent displays are possible without the need for a dedicated graphics controller.
Moreover, with 2x DisplayPort, 1x CRT and LVDS, the new embedded motherboard offers ample possibilities to connect all industry-relevant monitor types. With support for DirectX 11, OpenGL 3.1 and OpenCL 1.1 developers can now also use the latest APIs to accelerate their software application design.
Finally, the embedded feature connector which is implemented, supporting up to 160 GPIO, analogue-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC), minimises the need for individual I/O boards and reduces the bill of material and development time.
The features in detail
The Kontron Flex-ATX embedded motherboard KTQ77/Flex is based on the 3rd generation Intel Core processors and offers an extremely broad performance range, with up to 3.8GHz and a maximum of 32GB DDR3 RAM. Connections for video include 2x DisplayPort, 1x CRT and LVDS.
For expansion cards it features 1x PCI Express x16 and 2x PCI slots. 4x USB 3.0, 10x USB 2.0, and 3x GbE-LAN allowing for extensive peripheral and networking options. In addition, with Intel AMT 8.0, the embedded motherboard simplifies maintenance, for higher system availability and lower overall costs.
Numerous storage media can be connected via the 6x SATA interfaces (4x SATA150/300 and 2x SATA600) with RAID 0/1/5/10 functionality and the mSATA (mini-SATA) socket for state-of-the-art on-board SSD. HD audio and the Trusted Platform Module 1.2 for safety-related applications top off the feature-set of the new motherboards.