User`s manual

DIGITAL-LOGIC AG MSLB-P5 Manual V0.3
PRELIMINARY 27
3.3 EBX Specification — Ver 1.1 — July 9, 1997
1. INTRODUCTION
Until now, embedded system designers had to choose among off-the-shelf backplane solutions,
desktop motherboards, and proprietary designs. Size and power consumption constraints
hampered finding the right solutions for embedded deployment. Consequently, OEMs wanting to
purchase off-the-shelf equipment to shorten time-to-market were often forced to develop
proprietary solutions.
Standards are important to the embedded systems market. Popular backplane form-factors —
including VME, CompactPCI?, Multibus?, STD32?, and passive backplane ISA — are well
documented mechanical and electrical standards. Desktop motherboards, which fit certain high-end
embedded applications, also follow standards such as Baby AT, LPX, ATX, and the new
NLX standard. All these standards allow vendors and OEMs to create products that are easily
packaged in enclosures and readily expanded via open interfaces. However, none of these
backplane-based standards satisfy the unique space, power, and reliability constraints of small
embedded systems.
The availability of an embedded single-board computer (SBC) standard will ensure that
embedded computing solutions can be designed into space constrained environments with off-the-
shelf components. The embedded market constantly demands improvements in functionality
and performance, while at the same time seeking size and cost reduction. The “Embedded Board,
eXpandable” (EBX) standard creates the opportunity for solutions which fit the requirements of
embedded system OEMs; takes advantage of trends in the embedded computing market; and
offers the convenience, flexibility, risk reduction, and scalability of multi-sourced off-the-shelf
products.
The “Embedded Board, eXpandable” (EBX) standard is the result of a
collaboration between industry leaders, Motorola and Ampro, to unify the
embedded computing industry on a small footprint embedded single-board
computer standard. Derived from the Ampro Little Board??form-factor, EBX
combines a standard footprint with open interfaces. The EBX form-factor is small
enough for deeply embedded applications, yet large enough to contain
the functions of a full embedded computer system: CPU, memory, mass
storage interfaces, display controller, serial/parallel ports, and other system
functions.