Diamond Systems HELIX : HLX1000-1GD PC/104 SBC with Dual-Core Vortex86DX3, 1 GB DDR3 and 16-Line Digital I/O

Vehicle and outdoor controllers need a PC-compatible board that runs cool, fits a PC/104 stack and keeps working across a wide temperature range. The HLX1000-1GD is the 1 GB digital I/O build in the Diamond Systems HELIX series: a PC/104 SBC with a dual-core Vortex86DX3 and soldered memory for rugged installs.

The DMP Vortex86DX3 is a dual-core processor at 1 GHz, paired with 1 GB of DDR3 SDRAM soldered on board, which suits control software, protocol conversion and data collection at low power. Graphics cover 24-bit LVDS and VGA, each up to 1920 x 1080, or 1280 x 1024 when both are used together.

System I/O covers one 10/100Base-T and one Gigabit Ethernet port on an Intel I210, two RS-232/422/485 and two RS-232 ports, USB 2.0, HD audio on an ALC892 codec, PS/2 keyboard and mouse and a 1.5 Gbps SATA port for a drive or SATA DOM. A PCIe MiniCard socket, shared with mSATA, takes Wi-Fi, CAN, Ethernet or I/O modules. Digital I/O comes from the processor as 16 buffered lines in 8-bit groups, with selectable 3.3 or 5 V logic, and a watchdog timer is programmable from 0 to 255 seconds. The HLX1000-2GA doubles the memory and adds a full data acquisition circuit.

Input power is +5 V DC ±5%, with a 9 to 36 V DC supply option for industrial and military systems, and consumption of 7.5 W. The HLX1000-1GD runs from -40 to 85 °C under a heat sink with no fan and is MIL-STD-202G shock and vibration compatible. It supports Linux and Windows Embedded Standard 7.