Diamond Systems ZETA : ZETA-E3950-8G128A Rugged Type 10 COM Express Carrier with Quad Core E3940 CPU

Data logged on a vehicle or aircraft often has to stay on board until the system returns to base, so local storage matters as much as the analogue inputs. The ZETA-E3950-8G128A is the Atom E3950 data acquisition build in the Diamond Systems ZETA series: a COM Express SBC that brings a COM Express Mini Type 10 module, a same-size carrier board and a heat spreader together as one pre-assembled unit, with the larger 128 GB eMMC.

The Intel Atom E3950 is a quad-core Apollo Lake processor at 1.6 GHz, with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of eMMC on the module for the operating system, application and logged data. As the COM follows an industry standard, a later module can replace it in the same form factor with little or no redesign. Graphics drive VGA and single-channel 24-bit LVDS, and a watchdog timer is built in.

The data acquisition circuit gives 16 single-ended or eight differential 16-bit analogue inputs at up to 100 kHz aggregate with a 2048-sample FIFO, four 16-bit analogue outputs with a waveform generator, 27 digital I/O lines, eight 32-bit counter/timers and four 24-bit PWMs, all supported by Diamond’s Universal Driver library. System I/O covers two Gigabit Ethernet ports, four RS-232/422/485 ports, four USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 port, a MiniCard/mSATA socket and a Micro SD socket. The ZETA-E3940-8G064A offers the same circuit with an Atom E3940 and 64 GB of eMMC, and the ZETA-E3950-8G128D keeps the E3950 with digital I/O only.

Input is 6 to 36 V DC. The ZETA-E3950-8G128A runs fanless from -40 to 85 °C, measured at the external surface of the bottom heat spreader, and heat sink options are available. An expansion connector carries two PCIe x1 links, SATA, HD audio and USB 2.0 to optional daughterboards with a second MiniCard socket and an M.2 SATA socket. Diamond supports Ubuntu Linux 16.04 LTS and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB.